E.—l

76

General Statement of Eeceipts and Expenditure for the Year ending 31st December, 1892. Receipts. £ s. d. Expenditure. £ s. d. To Balance at beginning of year — On By Balance at beginning of year — On Building Account .. .. 471 5 0 General Account .. .. 77 7 11 Government grant for buildings .. 750 0 0 Office staff—Salaries .. .. 187 10 0 Government statutory capitation .. 5,164 13 9 Departmental contingenciesScholarship grant .. .. .. 126 14 1 General Account .. .. .. 116 18 4 Inspection subsidy .. .. .. 175 0 0 Building Account .. .. .. 411 0 District High School fees .. .. 124 0 0 Inspector's salary .. .. .. 175 0 0 Hokitika High School Board .. .. 60 0 0 Inspector's travelling expenses .. 93,16 6 Deposit (on tenders) .. .. .. 20 0 0 Examination of pupil-teachers .. 15 5 0 Book sales .. .. .. .. 34 19 10 Teachers' salaries and allowances (inInterest on fixed deposits .. .. 810 0 eluding rent, bonus, &c.) .. .. 4,768 5 4 Rent of sections .. .. .. 10 0 Incidental expenses of schools .. 262 1 3 . Balance at end of year— Scholarships— On General Account (out- Paid to scholars .. .. .. 92 0 0 standing cheques, Examination expenses .. .. 10 10 0 31/12/92) .. £159 2 3 School-buildings-Less bank balance, New buildings .. .. .. 123 10 6 31/12/92, £52 15s. Id. ; Improvements of buildings .. .. 305 3 0 cheque drawn on Gene- Furniture and appliances .. .. 48 8 6 ral Account in error, Sites .. .. .. .. 80 10 6 7 s - 6d. .. 53 2 7 Plans, supervision, and fees .. 60 0 105 19 8 Books .. .. .. .. 2 3 0 Deposits returned .. .. .. 18 0 0 Balance at end of year — Bank balance, 31/12/92 .. £205 9 0 Less cheque drawn on General Account in error .. .. 0 7 6 £205 1 6 Fixed deposits .. .. 450 0 0 • • • 655 1 6 £7,042 2 4 £7,042 2 3 J. Bevan, Chairman. John Gammele, Secretary. Examined and found correct.—James Edward FitzGerald, Controllor and Auditor-General.

INSPECTOR'S REPORT ON THE HOKITIKA DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL. Syllabus of Work done in the Year 1892. Algebra. —Hall and Knight's—seniors to p. 151; juniors to p. 86. Euclid. —Hamblin Smith's—seniors, Books 1., 11., 111., Props. 1 to 20, with exercises to p. 71; juniors, Book 1., with exercises to p. 71. Arithmetic. —The whole subject. Latin. —Seniors —Dr. Smith's Principia, Part 1., and Part 11., pp. 7 to 12, and 39 to 56; Barrow Allen's Latin Grammar to p. 104. Juniors —Dr. Smith's Principia, Part I. to Ex. 1., and Part 11., pp. 1 to 10. French. —Seniors—Dr. Smith's Principia, Part I. to Ex. Ix., p. 138; Chardenal's First Course to Ex. 130 and pp. 175 to end. Juniors—Chardenal's First Course to Ex. 130 and pp. 175 to 186. English. —Macaulay's Essay on Milton, Milton's L'Allegro ; Dr. Smith's English Grammar to p. 104. Chemistry. —Eoscoe to Fluorine (inclusive), p. 113 ; also theory as explained in Kemshead. Physical Geography. —Geikie's Physical Geography—juniors, to p. 161; seniors, pp. 161 to end. Bookkeeping. —Chambers's Single Entry. Average Percentage of Marks gained. —Algebra, 40 ; Euclid, 57 ; arithmetic, 51; Latin, 63 ; French, 57 ; English, 55 ; chemistry, 61; physical geography, 43. Mean per cent, for all subjects, 53-4. These results are unsatisfactory as showing retrogression in the efficiency of the class, the general average of marks being 8 per cent, below that of last year. The retrogression is, however, greater than appears from the general average, as in at least two of the subjects—viz., chemistry and senior algebra—but little new work has been attempted this year. Yet even so the average percentage of marks obtained in algebra is no less than 28 per cent, below that of last year. It is greatly to be regretted that a subject so important should have been so seriously neglected. Apparently more blackboard teaching is required, and more thorough supervision of the daily work done by the scholars. One boy, however, a scholarship-holder, G. C. Eodda, did excellent work in the subject, gaining no less than 89 per cent, of marks in it, and that in senior algebra, although he is in rating a junior student; and, I may add, this was the highest percentage obtained by any scholar in this subject, whilst two scholars gained only 19 per cent, of marks apiece in the same work, one only 7, and one none. It is necessary to add further that the junior Euclid shows results even more deplorable, a circumstance due, I think, in part to the fact that two widely different editions of Euclid's work are in use in the class, so that mental confusion is the almost inevitable result. Nor do these scholars seem to have been properly drilled in the definitions of the science,