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year's course, nine of whom had matriculated previous to entrance, and pursued their studies at Canterbury College. Of the twenty students for whose instruction the tutors at the Normal School are.^ entirely responsible, fourteen, out of seventeen presented, passed the matriculation, and sixteen1 passed wholly or partly the examination for the Class D certificate. The year 1890 opens with thirty-eight students, room being available for the additional number in consequence of the termination of the engagements of three pupil-teachers, and an increase in the number of children attending the school. Conclusion. —Whilst convinced that cumulative voting, as authorised in our Education Act, has led to some evident abuses in the very small electorates by which School Committees are appointed, and that some few amendments in detail might be advantageously adopted by the Legislature, this Board has much reason to be satisfied with many clear indications manifested that the present system of education continues to grow in public favour and confidence. The careful exclusion of sectarian teaching has shown no tendency to foster anything approaching to a spirit of national profanity or irreverence. Children whom the State has taught to read are far better prepared to profit by the now purely religious instruction voluntarily given by each denomination in their Sunday schools; and, as a matter of fact, blameless character, correct personal habits, and a really high moral tone are now more decidedly, and more successfully, insisted upon as a necessary qualification in a teacher than they have ever been before at any period of our history. A singularly large proportion of our teachers are earnest and consistent professors of religion, and amongst them are members of every large religious denomination without exception. The statistics of crime; the high positions of trust attained, and honourably occupied by the men and women who have passed through our State schools ; the value which is everywhere attached to the various certificates obtained by our scholars ; the comparatively small percentage of uneducated adults now shown in our census ; and the highly satisfactory and beneficial blending of all classes and denominations in our State schools, are so many cheering proofs that New Zealand has not entirely failed in her bold attempt to grapple with, a great subject, the formidable difficulties of which no Government has ever yet been able to surmount with complete satisfaction and success. I have, &c, The Hon. the Minister of Education. Alfred Saundees, Chairman.

Geneeal Statement of Receipts and Expendituee for the Year ending 31st December, 1889. Beceipts. & s. d. Expenditure. £ s. d. To Balance at beginning of year— By Office staff—Salaries .. .. 1,010 0 0 On Building Account .. .. 2,1)60 011 Departmental contingencies .. .. 383 11 1 On General Account .. .. 7,043 12 5 Inspectors'salaries .. .. .. 1,136 19 3 Government grant for buildings .. 1,255 2 3 Inspectors'travelling expenses .. 258 1 5 Other receipts for buildings— Examination of pupil-teachers .. 178 13 0 Christchurch East, half - cost of Teachers' salaries and allowances (incleaning school.. .. .. 2 10 0 eluding rent, bonus, &c.) .. 50,117 7 7 Harewood Road, painting interior Incidental expenses of schools .. 6,432 0 2 of school .. .. .. 8 5 0 Training of teachers .. .. 1,310 15 8 Harewood Eoad Library Commit- Scholarships— tec—Repairs to library .. .. 9 0 0 Paid to scholars .. .. .. 818 10 8 Wainui, sale of old school.. .. 15 10 0 Examination expenses .. .. 169 7 9 Contractors' deposits .. .. 105 7 5 School buildings— Government statutory capitation .. 49,747 18 1 New buildings .. .. .. 1,933 10 8 Scholarship grant .. .. .. 902 3 4 Improvements of buildings .. 2,412 13 1 Inspection subsidy .. .. .. 500 0 0 Furniture and appliances .. .. 507 0 5 Payments by School Commissioners .. 11,533 12 10 Sites .. .. .. .. 36 4 0 Rent of gymnasium .. .. 44 16 0 Plans, supervision, and fees .. 353 12 4 Interest .. .. .. .. 10 0 0 Refund of contractors' deposits .. 244 011 Rent of Mandeville Plains site .. 3 0 0 Balance at end of year— Education Acts .. .. .. 014 0 Dr. on Building Account £1,071 5 10) ~ „,,„ 1 . .. Cr. on General Account 7,970 0 4j" ' sli b £74,201 12 3 £74,201 12 3 Alfred Saundees, Chairman. J. V. Colboene-Veetj, Secretary. Examined and found correct.—James Edward FitzGbhald, Controller and Auditor-General.

SOUTH CANTERBURY. giE, Education Office, Tirnaru, 31st March, 1890. In accordance with the 102 nd clause of " The Education Act, 1877," the Education Board of the District of South Canterbury has the honour to present the following report of its proceedings for the year ended the 31st December, 1889. Board. —At the commencement of the year the Board consisted of the following members: The Eev. George Barclay, J.P.; the Rev. Thomas Jasper Smyth; Mr. Melville Gray, J.P.; Mr. Richard Alfred Barker; Mr. John Talbot, J.P.; Mr. John Jackson, J.P.; Mr. William Barker Howell, J.P. ; Mr. Robert Henry Pearpoint, J.P.; and Mr. Samuel William Goldsmith, Chairman. On the 31st March the Rev. George Barclay, Messrs. Goldsmith and Jackson, retired in terms of section 15 of the Act. The following gentlemen were nominated by the School Committees to fill these vacancies—viz., the Rev. George Barclay, Messrs. Goldsmith, Jackson, and Oliver—and the voting resulted in" the re-election of the retiring members of the Board. No extraordinary vacancies occurred during the year. At the usual meeting of the Board in April Mr. Goldsmith was re-elected Chairman. Twelve regular meetings were held during the year, the day of meeting being the first 10— E. 1.