H.—l

8

from the accumulated scholarship funds, interest on the money so borrowed being charged against the revenue of the school. The Provincial Council, however, made a grant of £1,000 for building a schoolroom, and frequently passed annual votes of £250 or £300 towards the general expenses. According to the accounts submitted for 1879, the revenue and expenditure are as follows, exclusive of any profit on the boarding, which goes in augmentation of the salaries of certain masters :— Income — £ s. d. Eents of lands ... ... ... ... 1,178 0 0 Interest on investments ... ... ... ... 9000 Tuition fees ... ... ... ... 2,508 0 0 Other sources ... ... ... ... 135 0 0 Total ... ... ... ... £3,911 0 0 Expenditure — £ s. d. Salaries of masters ... ... ... ... 2,900 0 0 Prizes ... ... ... ... ... 50 0 0 Interest on debt and sinking fund ... ... ... 280 0 0 Repairs and furniture ... ... ... ... 210 0 0 Contingencies ... ... ... ... 425 0 0 Office expenditure ... ... ... ... 250 0 0 Total ... ... ... ... £4,115 0 0 It will thus be seen that there was in 1879 an excess of expenditure over revenue to the extent of £204. The highest number of pupils on the roll during the year 1879 was 187; and the number of masters was eight, besides masters for modern languages, music, and drawing. The Otago Boys' and Girls' High Schools, although organized as separate educational institutions, are managed by the same Board, enjoy a joint interest in the endowments, and have certain masters common to both. The incidental expenses of the schools have also been combined in the accounts; so that it would be difficult to make even an approximate statement of the income and expenditure of the institutions separately. It is necessary, therefore, to consider them together. The buildings for the two schools, which are contiguous, were erected at the cost of the Provincial Government of Otago. They are unsuitable and insufficient for the present requirements of the schools. The girls' boarding-house forms a part of the school buildings, but the boys' boardinghouse, which was also erected at the cost of the Provincial Government, stands on a separate site distant half a mile from the schools. We understand that it is proposed to devote the present buildings exclusively to the purposes of the girls' school, and to erect new buildings for the boys' school on the site of the present lunatic asylum, which is adjacent to the boys' boarding-house. The site has already been secured, and will be available for this purpose as soon as the patients can be removed to the new asylum now being built at Seacliffe. There arc, however, at present no funds at the disposal of the governors for the erection of the new school buildings. The endowment consists of certain reserves, chiefly pastoral lands, which yield a present revenue of £1,175 4s. 9d., with a " probable income from renewed tenancy "of £2,844 ss. This endowment was provided out of the reserves set apart for secondary education in the former Province of Otago, and has been held by the schools since 1878, when they were placed under the management of the present Board. Previously to this time both schools were supported by annual votes of the Provincial Government. The following is a statement of the revenue and expenditure of the schools for 1879 (exclusive of £228 14s. lOd. received from the School Commissioners): — Income — £ s. d. Rents of reserves ... ... .., ... 1,175 0 0 Fees (inclusive of arrears still outstanding) — Boys' school ... ... £1,351 4 6 Girls' school ... .... 1,180 7 4 2,531 11 10 Total ... ~. ... ... £3,706 11 10

otago Boys' and 11811 int Eep—Min. of Pro., p. 32; Appx. p f si.

Appx. to Journals 187°/c-3 esS H '