8.—9

10

2. Work op Highest and Lowest Forms. Highest. —Latin, Greek, French, English, geography, history, arithmetic, algebra, trigonometry, Euclid, drawing. Lowest. —Beading, writing, history, geography, arithmetic.

3. Scholarships held at the School during the Last Quarter op the Year. Headmaster's Scholarships. —Seven valued at £33 ; one valued at £30; one valued at £12. Education Board Scholarships.—~ At £40, 2; at £20, 4.

4. Ebpoet op the Inspector-General op Schools to the Hon. the Minister op Education. Wanganui Collegiate School, 26th July. —This is a flourishing institution, and good work is being done in it. The largest room has too many classes in it, and the furniture is old fashioned and clumsy, so that masters and pupils suffer some inconvenience, and, I fear, something more than inconvenience. On a cold day, too, the place is rather cheerless. In more important respects, however, there is much that is satisfactory; and I note as a special sign of the good tone of the school that, although the Principal was, through ill-health, confined to his private apartments, there was excellent order and manifest diligence throughout the school. A chapel has been built in the school grounds since I paid my last visit.

WELLINGTON COLLEGE AND GIELS' HIGH SCHOOL. 1. Bepoet op the Boaed op Governors. The Governors of the Wellington College and Girls' High School can again report that both the institutions under their charge have been working well and successfully during the past year. Wellington College. The coltege was examined by Professor Brown, of Christchurch, at the close of the past year, 1887, and he reported to the Board that the school as a whole gained a good average of marks over all the subjects; that the highest form is admirably taught, and reaches a standard quite up to that for University junior scholarships: and he refers to two noteworthy features of the school—one, the excellent discipline maintained throughout; the other, the workshop, in which boys were working at various trades with considerable skill. In the 1886 examination four boys passed the junior scholarship and nine the matriculation examination of the New Zealand University, and during the same year twenty-four boys passed the junior Civil Service and two the senipr Civil Service examinations. The Governors have now been able to let more of their endowments, thereby increasing their income; but, as stated in their last report, the interest on the moneys borrowed for building purposes is a great burden on their resources, and they have been compelled to make certain reductions in the cost of their teaching staff. They think that in all fairness a sum of £5,000, being the amount borrowed, should be voted by Parliament, so that the present mortgage may be paid off and their income be set free to be devoted to the work of carrying on the school. Other places have within the last few years had large votes for school buildings, Wellington has had nothing. Girls' High School. Professor Brown, of Christchurch, also examined the Girls' High School, and reported that, taking all the subjects and forms together, the school gained a very high percentage of marks ; he also said that the discipline of the school is good, and a fine spirit of harmony holds teachers and taught together. Seven girls went up for the Matriculation Examination of the New Zealand University in December last, and all, passed, and two girls kept the first year's term of their University course. The Governors have to report that the new building, which was commenced at the beginning of last year, has been completed, and that the difficulties complained of in the last report of conducting the Girls' High School in premises far too small, and which consequently were overcrowded, to the detriment of the health of the pupils, no longer exist; the new building is admirably adapted for the purposes of the school. Want of funds has prevented the Board from furnishing the building as they would wish, and the playground requires a considerable outlay of money. As mentioned in their la,st report, the Governors entered into the agreement with the builders for the erection of the new building under the approval of the Government, and upon the assurance of Sir Robert Stout, then Premier, that the Government would at its next session assist the Board in the matter of funds. This has not as yet been done, and the position in which the Board is placed is one of difficulty: they have a heavy burden of interest, they have only been able to let a very small portion of their endowments, their revenue from fees is not sufficient to defray the expenses of the school, and they must look to Government to aid them. They consider that Wellington is entitled to a grant to pay for the building; it should not in this matter have treatment different to that shown to other places. Chas. P. Powles, Secretary.