91

E.—l

J. E. Blair, Chairman. Wellington, 7th March, 1890. W r. H. Warren, Secretary. Examined and found correct, with the exception that a balance of the advance from the Primary to the Secondary Account made in 1888 still remains unpaid.—.Tames Edward FitzGerald, Controller and Auditor-General.

HAWKE'S BAY. Sir, — Office of the School Commissioners, Napier, 17th April, 1890. In compliance with your circular of the 18th December last, I have the honour to report as follows for the past year:— During the year 8,656 acres of rural bush lands were leased. This area is divided into seventeen sections, ranging from 42 acres to 1,436 acres; is let for twenty-one years, with right of renewal, at present annual rentals amounting to £408 os. 6d.; and, with one exception, such rentals do not increase for the twenty-one years. Of the above area, 8,331 acres had not been leased previously. The balance of 325 acres had been leased, in two lots, prior to the period under review : the lease of one lot, 283 acres, had been declared forfeited for non-payment of rent; and in the other case a surrender of the lease, 42 acres, was accepted after very careful inquiry into the circumstances in connection therewith. In addition to the rural lands, four town allotments were leased during the year at a present annual rental of £243 ss. Two of the allotments had previously been in occupation under lease for twenty-one years, at rentals aggregating £37 6s. 6d. per annum. Under the new leases the two lots are let at £240 ss. per annum for the present, or an immediate increase of £202 18s. 6d. Enclosed is a copy of the general statement of receipts and expenditure for the past year, which has been examined and certified as correct by the Controller and Auditor-General. On comparison of the general statement of receipts and expenditure above referred to with that for the previous year it will be seen that the revenue for the year under review exceeded that for the year 1888 by £909 19s. 9d. This increase is more satisfactory from the fact that it was not caused by extraordinary revenue, as the statement shows that the rents actually received for the year — i.e., those which were payable and received for the year—exceed the rents received for the previous year by £815 4s. lid. I have, &c, The Hon. the Minister of Education. G. W. Williams, Chairman.

General Statement of Receipts and Expenditure for the Year ending 31st December, 1889.

ttai lities Primary Education Reserves. Secondary Education Reserves. Total. Advances outstanding Land Purchase Account... £ s. a. ; 12 0 0 £ s. 107 0 a. 8 £ 107 12 s. d. 0 8 0 0 Total liabilities 12 0 o • 107 0 8 119 0 8

'eceipts. j Primary Education Reserves. SecondaryEducation Reserves. Total. £ s. a. 'o Credit balances on 1st January, 1889 ... ... 642 10 10 Arrears of revenue for previous years, viz.— (1.) Rents, issues, profits or receipts from reserves 329 8 5 (2.) Other receipts—Sale of timber ... ... 1.7 10 0 Revenues, viz.— (1.) Rents, &c, of reserves for current year ... 2,341 6 8 (2.) Other receipts for current year, viz.— Compensation for damage to reserves, &c. | 84 1 0 Sale of timber ... ... ... 40 0 0 Rates recovered from lessees ... ... 6 10 11 Interest on deposits ... ... ... 22 15 4 £ s. 136 13 a. : 2 £ s. d. 779 4 0 65 10 9 ; 394 19 2 17 10 0 578 10 o I 2,919 16 8 84 1 0 40 0 0 6 10 11 22 15 4 Total receipts ... ... -...3,484 3 2 780 13 11 4,264 17 1