H.—l

40

grammar-school instruction in the same school, and by instituting evening classes when there seemed to be a demand for them. The original endowment for the Wellington College was made in 1853 by Sir George Grey, as Governor of the colony, and consisted of nearly eleven acres of '' town land in Wellington, subject to trusts precisely similar to those imposed in is the case of Auckland College. These lands are leased for forty-two years, and 'now produce a rental of £1,05-1 10s., increasing under the terms of lease to £1,581 15s. In 1872 the Wellington College Act was passed, constituting a Board of Governors, in whom, as soon as constituted, all the estates, rights, title, and interest of the trustees of these endowments were vested. At one time the trustees were in possession of a site and buildings on the Terrace; but in 1873-74 the present buildings were erected, on a site of sixty-nine acres, given by the Provincial Government in exchange for the Terrace site; and the Government bought the old buildings for the sum of £797 55., which sum the governors invested in the purchase of lands at Carnarvon, Harbour District, and Palmerston North, of which lands about one-third are let, at a rental of £25 18s. 3d. In 1878 an Act was passed authorizing the governors to let nineteen acres of the College site on lease for a term not exceeding forty-two years, and it is believed that from this source a revenue of from £400 to £500 a year will be derived. By another Act of 1878, reserves of about 9,000 acres, which had been made by the late Provincial Government, were definitely secured to the College. Mr. H. Jackson, the College Treasurer, and formerly Chief Surveyor of Wellington, says in his evidence : " The Paraekaretu Block —those are bushed hill lands, not very rough. I believe that block, containing some 4,000 acres, to be yerj good soil. And the Rangitumau Block, containing some 5,000 acres, I believe also to be very good soil People will not lease lands unless they can get a purchasing clause. If we are debarred from either selling these two large blocks, or leasing them Avith a purchasing clause, it is equivalent to not having them at all." Two reserves, amounting to 881 acres, are omitted from the Schedule of the Act last referred to; and hence, although set apart by the Provincial Government, they appear to have lapsed. In a former part of this report it has been shown that the revenue derived from these reserves is insufficient to meet the current expenses of the College and the annual charge of £500, interest on the building debt. In order to meet this difficulty the College should have the power, in accordance with our general recommendation, to alienate such of its rural reserves as cannot be profitably let. We further think that ten acres would be quite sufficient for the College site, and that the remainder of the sixty-nine acres might be made to produce revenue. We are of opinion that it is a mistake to lease any lands, even in towns, for so long a period as forty-two years. By " The Wellington College Act Amendment Act, 1878," it is provided that the Governor may set apart, out of«.secondary-education reserves, land not exceeding £3,000 in value, to vest in the 'governors of the College, for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a girls' high school. The return 0.-3, 1879, shows that 2,974 acres 5 perches have been set apart for this purpose, and vested in the governors. The New Zealand Company agreed with the early settlers in Nelson to apply part of the Land Eund to certain public purposes, including the promotion of education. The Company having surrendered its charter (in accordance with the provisions of "An Act to promote Colonization in New Zealand," 10 and 11 Viet., c. 112), and having invested £25,000 in trust to satisfy the amount applicable to educational and other uses, the amount being in dispute between the Company and the purchasers of land, it was enacted (14 and 15 Viet., c. 86) that the Commissioners of the Treasury should receive the £25,000 and the interest thereon, should ascertain the amount due, and pay such amount to seven trustees nominated by the purchasers and the Company, and that the " Fund for the Public Purposes of the Settlement of Nelson" thus created should be administered by such trustees. In 1852 the Commissioners of the Treasury paid to the trustees £20,199 155.; and in 1858, after arbitration, a second and final payment of £20,578 os. 6d. was similarly made. The trustees of the fund then transferred

Wellington College. p?B6. ep ' Ppx' Appx. to Journal i879f0-3 ess V

Int. Rep., Evid., qq. 5459, 5460.

Nelson College.