110

E.—l

5 The Government invite the hearty co-operation of the several existing School Committees and the teachers within the Districts of Westland and Grey in their efforts to maintain the public schools in the fullest possible state of efficiency until Education Boards for the two districts shall have been legally constituted. ! have, &c, The Chairman of the School Committee, . John Hislop.

g lE; __ Education Department, Wellington, 12th February, 1884. _ When the former circular to School Committees was written by direction of the Minister of Education, it was in the very natural belief that the late Education Board of Westland had been keeping its ordinary current expenditure within its current income. An investigation of the late Education Board's accounts, however, reveals the fact that the scale of ordinary current expenditure at the close of last year exceeded the rate of the legitimate current income by a sum of between £500 and £600 a year. " ; As the Government has no funds at its disposal to enable it to expend more upon the schools of the district than the amount voted by the General Assembly for that purpose, it becomes absolutely necessary to equalize the income and expenditure. After very full consideration the Government has come to the conclusion that an effort should be made to prevent any reduction of the ordinary salaries of the teachers and pupil-teachers, and that the most advisable is to effect the absolutely necessary reductions by paying only one-half of the sums that the late Board had undertaken to pay on account of the following objects . (1) Teachers' bonuses for instruction of pupil-teachers; (2) Teachers' bonuses for pupil-teachers' passes, (3) Pupil-teachers' bonuses for passes, and (4) School Committees' grants. _ " The Government regrets very much the necessity of making the reductions above referred to, but it seems to be the only means by which the income and the expenditure can be equalized, and a reduction of the teachers' ordinary salaries avoided. The Government believes and hopes that under the circumstances the School Committees, the parents, and others interested will use their utmost efforts to secure that the interests of the schools, the scholars, and the teachers shall sustain the least possible injury until the General Assembly has had an opportunity of deciding upon the future educational arrangements of the district. I have, &c, The Chairman of the School Committee, •. John Hislop

By Authority: GbobGh Didsbuby, Government Printer, Wellington.—lBB3.