E.—l

VII

time schools have been closed and a full-time school erected in their stead in a central locality; or the weaker of two half-time schools has been discontinued and the stronger converted into a full-time school. The Taranaki Board reports the opening of a large central school in New Plymouth, and the closing of several small schools that were formerly scattered throughout that town. NUMBEE OF TEACHEES. The number of teachers employed in the public schools during the last quarter of 1884 is returned at 2,447, being 156 in excess of the number engaged during the corresponding quarter of the previous year. The number of sewing teachers has increased during the year from 122 to 161. The sewing teachers' duties are confined to the giving of lessons in sewing, knitting, &c, to girls during a portion of the school hours. They are employed almost solely in the smaller schools that have not an attendance sufficient to warrant the employment of a fully-qualified schoolmistress in addition to a master. Table No. 11 of the Appendix, pp. 13-50, contains a nominal return of the teachers employed during the last quarter of 1884. The following table shows the number employed in the several Board districts during the same period; the classification has been made from the Board's returns :—

TABLE E.—Number of Teachers.

* Exclusive of seven Visiting Teachers. The apparent large increase in the number of head-mistresses, and decrease in that of assistant mistresses, must be accounted for by the circumstance that a reclassification has been made by the Auckland Board, which has returned 77 head-mistresses, and 75 assistant mistresses for 1884, the corresponding numbers for 1883 having been 36 and 98 respectively. Of the whole number of head-teachers and assistants (exclusive of pupil-teachers) there were 962 masters and 695 mistresses ; in 1881 —three years previously—the corresponding numbers were 843 and 607, the increases being 119 and 88 respectively. At the close of 1881 the number of male pupil-teachers in employment was 176 ; in 1883 —two years afterwards —the number had fallen to 159, being a decrease of 17 ; during the same two years the number of female pupil-teachers had increased from 461 to 571, or to the extent of 110. The increase in the numbers in 1884 over those in 1883 was nine male and 51 female pupil-teachers. The increase (39) in the number of teachers of sewing in 1884 has been very much larger than in any preceding year. The increase (156) in the total number of teachers has kept equal pace with that of the average attendance, the average number of pupils to each teacher over all the districts in 1884 having been 31*4: in 1883 the number

Number of Teachers, exclu during the isive of Teachers of S Last Quarter of 1884. towing, employed 8. 9. 10. Education Districts. Males. Females. Average Attendance for Last Quarter of 1884. Average Number of Pupils to each Teacher. Teachers of Sewing not included in preceding columns. 1. 2. a. Teachers. Assistants. 4. Teachers. 5. Assistants. 6. Pupilteachers. Totals. Auckland* Vanganui Vellington lawke's Bay .. ilarlborough .. kelson ■forth Canterbury iouth Canterbury Vestland )tago Southland 169 21 53 44 28 21 42 135 36 29 150 73 29 1 5 23 7 2 8 21 6 5 49 5 14 1 8 8 14 1 54 11 8 42 7 77 17 21 13 9 6 40 91 10 12 87 16 75 7 17 31 17 6 44 36 15 12 33 3 173 15 28 63 30 9 133 31 14 97 29 537 62 132 182 105 45 134 470 109 80 458 133 14,686 1,548 4,278 5,678 3,281 1,106 3,641 14,210 3,220 2,373 17,915 4,896 27-5 25-0 32-4 31-0 31-2 24-6 25-9 30-2 29-5 29-7 39-1 36-8 49 17 12 1 40 14 14 14 Totals for 1884 Totals for 1883 801 763 161 142 168 159 399 ■ 337 296 319 622 571 2,447 2,291 76,832 72,214 31-4 31-5 161 122 Increase or decrease 156 4,618 38 19 02 -23 51 39