PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 108, 27 June 1885, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS.

Wellington, this day. Education Report, The annual report of the Minister of Education, laid on the table yesterday, shows that the average school attendance for 1884 was 75,391 ; the previous year, 69,843. Average for the principal districts as follows :— Auckland, 14,446 ; Wellington, 5,651 ; Canterbury, 13,929 ; Otago, 17,915. Increase per cent, in attendance in principal districts : Auckland, 1,045 ; North Canterbury, 922 ; Wellington, 859 ; Otago, 565. For Auckland, 81. IS per cent, of the children on the roll attended ; in Wellington, 7S*lB; Christchurch, 76*49; Punedin. 863 Total number of schools, 957, as against 943 in the previous year ; Auckland has 201 ; North Canterbury, 146 ; Otago, 166. Teachers number 801, being an increase of 38 over the previous yoar. Auckland has 169 ; North Canterbury,' 135 ; Otago, 150. The average expenditure on each scholar was £4 16s 4£d ; in ISS3 it was £o' M Si sid. The cost is" least in Hawke's Bay, and moat in Taranaki. Of the 2,60S teachers, 1,450 receive under £100 salary ; 90S under £200, 16S under f4OO, and 13 £400 and upwards, the maximum being £486. Seventy-six per cent, of the children examined passed tho standard examination. W ellington children were the most successful, 87 per cent, passing ; Auckland, 73 per cent ; North Canterbury, 81 ; Otago, 76. Taranaki is lowest, with 4S per cent. 2,577 boys and girls attended the secondary schools of the colony during the year. The largest secondary school is Auckland College, 331 ; Otago High School being next with 24t>.

Sheep Returns. The annual sheep returns for the year ending 3lst May, ISS4, show that in the colony on that date ther ewere 13,975,520 sheep, against 13,306,3 9, or an increase of 672,191 on the icturn of the previous year. In tho several districts the increase or dccreaso during the year have bten as follows : — Auckland, increase, 10,263 ; Napier, increase, 157,804 ; Taianaki, decrease, 3,292; Wanganui, inciease 8,233; Rangitikei,increase,s32,769; Weliington.iucieaso,o7,9S3; NelfOn,ineies.se,4,'l32; Marlboiough, increase, 39,691 ; Canteibury, increase, 217,529 ; Westland, increase, 217; Otago, increase, 115,262, notwithstanding a decrease of 44,472 sustained in the Lake and Southland counties. The classification of sheep approximately is : Merino— males, 3,292,774; females, 4,173,005. Longwool —males, 429,533; females, 785,208. Crossbreds — males, 1,977,646 ; females, 3,320,351. Total males, 5.699,953; females, 5,278,567, making a grand total of 13,978,520. Crossbred sheep show an enormous increase in comparison with those of other descriptions. Out of a total inciease of 672,191, crossbreds show 508,639 or, fivesixths of the total increase in the colony. For the year ended 31st March last, 491,066 frozen carcases of mutton have been exported, against 247,772 durin the previous year, beiug an increase of 243,294. Of these, Otago furnished 133,964; Canteibury 121,627 ; Marlborough, 15,950 ; Wellington, 130,436; Napier, 59.059. For meat preseiving purposes 100,490 were utilised during the same period. Otago supplied 572; Canterbury, 26,374; Marlboroagh, 757; Wellington, 26,998; Wanganui, 19,270; Napier, 24, 554 ; Auckland, 1,635. The total number exceeds that of the last return by some 9,000 sheep. There have been exported alive during the same period 2,165. Of the?e 2,132 were fat sheep shipped from Otago to ll obart, and 332 from Canterbury to Chatham Islands. The number imported was 935. Of these 535 were stud sheep from Australia and Tasmania, and the remaining 100 sheep from. Chatham Islands.