65

E.—l

HAWKE'S BAY. Sir, — Education Office, Napier, 31st January, 1887. As required by section 102 of the Education Act, the Board of the Education District of Hawke's Bay has the honour to submit the following summary of its proceedings for the year ended 31st December ultimo. Constitution.—The constitution of the Board has undergone several changes since the last report was submitted, Mr. Haggen having been returned as a member at the annual election in March, in the place of Mr. Samuel Locke, M.H.R., one of the three retiring members, whose term of service expired under section 15 of the Act. The other retiring members, Messrs. Ormond and Russell, were returned for the third time, having sat as members of the Board since it was first constituted—in 1877. In the month of April an extraordinary vacancy occurred by the resignation of Mr. Duncan Guy. Several candidates were nominated to the vacancy, and at the election, which took place at the May meeting of the Board, Mr. J. W. Carlile was found to have received the largest number of votes, and was declared duly elected as a member. Members of Board. —The Board now consists of the following members : Mr. J. D. Ormond, M.H.R. (Chairman), Captain Russell, M.H.R., Rev. D. Sidey, Dr. Spencer, Mr. J. W. Carlile, Mr. Rechab Harding, Mr. E. A. Haggen, Mr. Fred. Sutton, and Mr. Wm. White. Number of Meetings.—During the year the Board met thirteen times for the transaction of business, the meetings being held in the old Provincial Council Chamber, on the third Tuesday in each month. Attendance of Members.—The attendance at the meetings of the Board varies but little from year to year, the average attendance at each meeting being 7, compared with 65 for 1885. The following are the attendances made by each member during the past year: Mr. Ormond, 9;* Captain Russell, 8;* Rev. D. Sidey, 12; Dr. Spencer, 10; Mr. Carlile, 6; Mr. Guy, 1 ; Mr. Harding, 12 ; Mr. Haggen, 9; Mr. Locke, 1; Mr. Sutton, 13 ; Mr. White, 10. School Districts.—For educational purposes the district under the Board's control is divided into thirty-nine school districts. These are separately managed by thirty-seven School Committees and two Commissioners, the latter being appointed under section 67 of the Education Act. The schools are classed, according to average attendance, as follows : 6 (subsidised) contain an average of less than 20 pupils, 3 contain an average varying between 20 and 25 pupils, 9 between 25 and 50 pupils, 6 between 50 and 75 pupils, 3 between 75 and 100 pupils, 5 between 100 and 150 pupils, 5 between 150 and 300 pupils, 1 between 300 and 500 pupils, and 1 over 500 pupils. The average number of pupils attending each school is nearly 130. Teaching Staff.—At the end of the year 130 teachers were employed in the Board schools—■ viz., 55 males and 75 females. Of the males, 29 are head masters in charge of schools, 10 are assistant masters in schools where the attendance warrants their appointment, and the remainder are pupil-teachers. Of the female teachers, 10 are in charge of schools, 25 are assistants, and the remainder are pupil-teachers. School Provision. —No new schools have been opened during the year, the rapid increase in the school population in districts already in operation necessitating the expenditure of all funds available for building purposes in providing additions or erecting buildings in districts where schools have been in existence for years past. Forty-one school buildings are under the Board's control, containing altogether seventy-nine separate class rooms or departments, and a superficial area of 46,320 square feet. Residences are provided for the use of teachers in twenty-nine of the districts. In the remaining school districts residences are badly wanted. The Board now grants allowances to teachers in lieu of house accommodation amounting to about £325 per annum. The accommodation provided for the children attending the Board Schools is sufficient for 4,632 children, estimated on the basis of 10 square feet for each child—that is, supposing the school spaces were equally divided throughout the several school districts. This is below the needs of the district, as at the close of the school year 5,052 children were returned as attending school, and these were fewer than the average roll number for the December quarter. In some of the districts where there is too much overcrowding it has been decided to proceed at once with additions, at an expenditure not exceeding £4,500. But even this will little more than provide for present wants in a few of the more populous districts. This sum the Board anticipated would be received from the Government out of the parliamentary building grant for the year. The Board was much disappointed to find that, notwithstanding the claims of the district to special consideration, the allocation of the grant for school buildings was made, as heretofore, upon a European population basis only, although a large percentage of the Maori children residing in the district is known to be attending Board Schools. At present the whole administrative work of the Board is thrown back by its inability to provide funds for needful work. As showing that the district is not .unmindful or unwilling to provide funds as far as its means will allow, the Board would point out that during the year the sum of £1,000 was saved out of the School Fund and expended, in compliance with a suggestion contained in a circular from the Government, dated the 19th May, 1886, on the maintenance and improvement of school buildings. The Waipukurau Committee have also provided during the year funds for the erection of large additions to their buildings at a cost of £329, and the same Committee expended £200 the previous year on a similar work. Other districts might also be named where Committees have provided comparatively large sums to carry out improvements which the Board has been unable to undertake for want of funds. At Tologa Bay and Te Karaka, in Cook County, and at Blackburn, Upper Maunga-atua, and West Maunga-atua, in Waipawa County, schools are badly wanted. At Te Karaka the residents have provided a temporary building at their own expense, and the Board has offered grants in aid of £200 in each case

* Leave of absence granted for parliamentary duties,