9

E.—2

The following represents the expenditure by the Department for the year 1920-21 on the above-named services : —

The total expenditure for the previous year was £38,836. The " School Journal." The School Journal is published by the Department every month (except in December and January) for use as a supplementary reader in primary schools, and is still regarded as a useful and popular publication, in many cases it is being used as the chief reader. It is issued in three parts, suited to the varying capacities of the pupils in Standards I to VI inclusive, and is supplied free to all public schools, Native schools, special schools, and other institutions more or less under the Department's control or supervision. To a very large number of private schools it is supplied at cost price, with the result that over 16,000 copies of the School Journal are purchased monthly. Of the last issue of the School Journal for the year 1920 the number of copies printed was—Part I, 65,350 ; Part 11, 63,300 ; Part 111, 52,250 : total, 180,900. These numbers show an increase of 5,700 over those of the previous year. Owing to the increased cost of printing and of postage it was found necessary, in the middle of the year, to raise the price to purchasers, and the new rates are now Id. for each of Parts I and 11, and 1 |d. for Part 111, the minimum charge for one of each part being 4s. 6d. per annum. In addition to reading-matter of a general character there have appeared in the School Journal articles dealing with national events, having particular reference to the history of our Empire and to the racial history of the European nations, in order that the complicated national aspirations of the many races of Europe might be more clearly understood. In the choice of poetry a different topic was selected for each month, and the views of our best poets obtained thereon. This was done in order to give some idea as to how it is intended in the Syllabus of Instruction that this subject should be treated, and if the various selections were compared and contrasted month by month, and the thought content and metre analysed, the children of the Dominion should have had an excellent opportunity of realizing what good poetry is. Included in the list of authors the following names are to be found : Mrs. Browning, Mrs. Hemans, Bryant, Burns, Byron, Cowper, Dickens, Gray, Keats, Longfellow, Lowell, Milton, Rossetti, Shakespeare, Shelley, Stevenson, White, Whittier, and Wordsworth. More recent writers are represented by Benson, Alfred Noyes, A. C. Swinburne, and Stephen Leacock. Unfortunately, the laws of copyright prevent a more liberal use of present-day prose and poetry. The outstanding feature of the year was the issue of a Special Souvenir Number in connection with the visit of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, and this was greatly appreciated not only by the children and teachers of New Zealand, but also by many prominent people outside the Dominion, who wrote requesting extra copies. A special number was also devoted to topics suitable for Empire Day, and throughout the year every endeavour was made to give the children an admiration for truth and goodness in daily life and a high conception of patriotism and national service. Class-books and School and Class Libraries. The practice of former years of making grants for establishing and maintaining school and class libraries was continued in 1920. These grants come under two heads : — (a.) A capitation grant at the rate of 3d. per head on the average attendance is paid to Boards for the purpose of supplying schools with

2—E. 2.

Railway F'ares. Boarding-allowance and Conveyance by Road and Water. Total. 'rimary lecondary technical £ 12,058 6,255 3,754 £ 19,169 66 12 £ 31,227 6,321 3,766 Total 22,067 19,247 41,314