I.—ll.

as true, the facts being that, not only are there several Inspectors under the Act and a large number of the teachers who are Eoman Catholics, but it is also true that a very large number of Eoman Catholic children are being taught in the common schools. Your petitioners would therefore humbly pray your honourable House to maintain intact the present free, secular, and compulsory clauses of the Education Act, and not allow any alteration therein to be made upon representations that are manifestly untrue, and which your petitioners are assured can be so proven should, your honourable House decide to secure a return showing the facts of the case. And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. Note.—The following additional petitions have been received since the bringing up of the report: Inhabitants of New Zealand, in favour of present system, 9 petitions, containing 1,060 signatures.

Statistical Eetubn showing Population, Number of Scholars at the different Schools, Eeligious Denominations, and Number of Public and Private Schools in the Colony. 1. Population of New Zealand, April, 1881, under and over twenty-one years of age, exclusive of Chinese and Maoris (Census Volume, page 64) :— Persons. Males. Females. Under twenty-one years ... ... 258,560 ... 129,833 ... 128,727 Over twenty-one years ... ... 226,369 ... 134,777 ... 91,592 Totals ... 484,929 ... 264,610 ... 220,319 2. Population of New Zealand, 31st March, 1883 (exclusive of Chinese and Maoris), 517,129 persons. 3. Number of scholars at the different schools, for the fourth quarter of 1882 :— Persons. Males. Females. At public schools ... ... ... 87,179 ... 45,082 ... 42,097 At superior schools (aided by Government) ... 1,899 ... 1,327 ... 572 At private schools ... ... ... 10,051 ... 4,147 ... 5,904 / At industrial schools and orphanages ... 1,113 ... 629 ... 484 ■ Totals ... ... ... 100,242 51,185 49,057 4. Numbers and proportions per cent, of the population of New Zealand, belonging to different religious denominations, as shown by the census of April, 1881 (Page 218) : — Persons. Proportions per cent. Episcopalians ... ... ... ... .:. 203,333 41-50 .s Presbyterians ... ... ... ... ... 113,108 23-08 ' : Methodists ... ... ... ... ... 46,657 9-53 Other Protestants... ... ... ... ... 30,873 6-30 Catholics ... ... ... ... ... 69,039 14-09 Other denominations — Latter-day Saints ... ... ... ... ... 271 -06 Jews ... ... ... .... ... ... 1,536 -31 Mahometans ... ... ... ... ... 7 ... Pagans ... ... ... ... ... ... 4,936 1-01 Others 237 «05 Of no denomination, unspecified, or "objected to state" 19,936 4-07 Total population ... ... ... 489,933* 100-00 5. Number of public and private schools in the colony during the fourth quarter of 1882: Public schools, 911; superior aided schools, 17; private schools, 262; industrial schools and orphanages, 10 : total, 1,200. ; 30th July, 1833. Wm. E. B. Brown.

* Including 4,936 pagans, principally Chinese; or 5,004 Chinese, principally pagans.

By Authority: George Didsbuby, Government Printor, Wellington,—lBB3.

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