E.—l

VIII

The number of certificated teachers holding appointments at the end of- the year was 1,511, consisting of 1,496 enumerated in the first column of Table M, and 15 pupil-teachers. There are about 750 holders of certificates not at present engaged in public instruction, nearly 400 being women, of whom three-fifths are known to be married. It is impossible to say how many of the 750 are likely to be applicants for vacant appointments, seeing that cases of retirement, and of death, or removal from the colony, often occur without being made known to the Department. The number of certificates now current is 2,468, and 1,717 of them are held by teachers engaged in public instruction. The accounts of the Boards are printed with their reports in the Appendix, and a summary of them appears in Tables No. 3 and No. 4 (Appendix, pp. 3 and 4). Table Nis an abstract of the accounts. Table N.—Abstract oe Beceipts and Expenditube oe Boaeds. Dr. & s. d. Cr. & s. d. To Balances, Ist January, 1888 .. 25,118 3 0 By Boards'administration .. .. 9,566 1110 Government grants— Inspection and examination .. 10,147 10 5 Maintenance .. .. .. 318,273 0 3 Teachers'salaries and allowances, and Buildings .. .. .. 46,783 10 0 training .. .. .. 293,248 7 3 Beserves revenues .. .. .. 31,882 3 1 Incidental expenses of schools .. 27,749 18 10 Local receipts— Scholarships .. .. .. 6,086 17 7 Fees, donations, &a. .. .. 1,805 6 3 Interest .. .. .. .. 61 7 0 For buildings .. .. .. 220 1 2 Buildings, sites, plans, &c. .. .. 30,354 13 9 Interest .. .. .. .. 378 17 2 Befunds and sundries .. .. 332 14 7 Befunds, deposits, &c. .. .. 802 1 6 Balances .. .. .. .. 47,715 1 2 £425,263 2 5 £425,263 2 5 The first four lines of the expenditure column amount to £340,712 Bs. 4d., which is almost exactly the amount of the statutory capitation allowance of £3 15s. for 90,849 children, the average number in attendance during the December quarter. It is evident, however, from a comparison of Table N with Table L, that the Boards have made arrangements to reduce the total cost by reducing the salaries of teachers. The grants for buildings out of the sum voted for the purpose in the session of 1888, have been as follows : — £ s. d. Auckland ... ... ... ... ... 4,568 11 0 Taranaki ... ... ... ... ... 588 19 6 Wanganui ... ... ... ... ... 1,218 18 9 Wellington ... ... ... ... ... 1,906 10 9 Hawke'sßay ... ... ... ... ... 1,120 16 0 Marlborough ... ... ... ... ... 359 10 3 Nelson ... ... ... ... ... 974 14 9 Grey ... ... ... ... ... ... 568 4 0 Westland ... ... ... ... ... 381 6 0 North Canterbury ... ... ... ... 3,765 6 9 South Canterbury ... ... ... ... 864 3 0 Otago... ... ... ... ... ... 4,096 10 0 Southland ... ... ... ... ... 1,468 2 6 Total ... ... ... ... £21,881 13 3 The Grey Board received in addition £210 out of the balance of a Public Works vote. About two-thirds of the amount of the grants was distributed in October, and the remainder during the current year, 1889. In the following tables of assets and liabilities of Boards, the building grants made in 1889 are reckoned as assets of the Boards at the end of 1888. In other respects the tables are compiled from statements made by the Boards. It appears that three Boards—Wanganui, Hawke's Bay, and Otago—had less money specially applicable to building purposes than they required to meet their actual liabilities incurred on account of buildings; but that Wanganui and Otago had considerable balances on their general accounts. Two Boards—Wellington and Grey —-had not sufficient balances on their general accounts to meet theicliabilities on those accounts, but they had assets in excess of their liabilities on building accounts.