PARLIAMENTARY NOTES. [BY TELEGRAPH-OWN CORRESPONDENTS.]

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1558, 29 June 1882, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES. [BY TELEGRAPH-OWN CORRESPONDENTS.]

Education Report. Wkllinuton", Last Night. The luspectoi-Gr ner.al of Schools reports that the annual inciease in the mini bur of children attending the public bchools was much smaller 111 ISBI than in any other year smce the Education Act was passed. He atLnbutes this partly to the exclusion of children under live years, old, pat try to the slower increase of population, and partly to the tact that several of the boards report serious epidemics to have prevailed. Last ye.ir there was scarlet fever at Auckland and > the Thames, measles in. Waugtiuui and North Canterbury, measles and scarletina at Napier and Gisborue, diphtheria in Westland, scarlet fever and measles in Otago, and measles and other complaints in youth Canterbury and Southland. The effect of these diseases in reducing the average attendance is not very apparent, for the proportion of the average attendance to the 1011 numbers 'is nearly as good (76 4) for the whole colony as it was last year (76*6.) Otago shows the greatest falling off in this respect, and Southland, Westland, South Canterbury, and Nelson, suffered more than the colony taken as a whole. The number of new admissions was 20S8 less than the previous year, while the number of children leaving the • schools showed an increase.