85

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every additional hour. In country districts the allowance is Is. instead of Is. 3d. It is to be noted that under this provision the Technical Classes Association would not be entitled to receive this allowance in the event of the Board establishing classes in Dunedin. By the Act the total amount to be appropriated in any one year for the purposes of the Act for the whole colony is not to exceed £2,000. We are of opinion that, in view of the fact that the establishment of classes in Dunedin by the Board would render it impossible for the Technical Classes Association to carry on, the Board should not do anything to interfere with the operations of the Association until the Board are in a position to establish something more complete. As to the country districts, we cannot make any general recommendation, as it seems to us that each case must be dealt with on its merits." Finance.—Appended hereto is a statement of the income and expenditure of the Board for the year 1895. The sum paid for teachers' salaries (including bonuses on classification and bonuses for instructing pupil-teachers) amounted tc £62,403 13s. 2d.; the amount paid to School Committees for incidental expenses was £4,722 lis. 9d.; the sum spent on the erection, enlargement, and improvement of school buildings, and the purcnase of sites, &c, was £8,450 Bs. The Board decided during the year to considerably increase the allowances made to Committees for incidental expenses, and to define more clearly the purposes to which these grants can be applied. The total increase amounts to £1,000 per annum. Truancy.—From the following statement a rough estimate may be gained of the work undertaken during the year for the suppression of truancy : Cases investigated, 411; notices served on parents or guardians under section 5 of "The School Attendance Act, 1894," 269; summons served on parent or guardian under section 5 of " The School Attendance Act, 1894," 1; order of Court obtained, 1; penalty summonses issued under section 7 of " The School Attendance Act, 1894 " (dealing with parents or guardians of children who had not attended school the number of times required by the Act), 105. Under the above 105 penalty summonses there were seventy-one convictions, thirty-two cases were withdrawn on account of the production by the defendants of exemption certificates, and two cases were dismissed. In accordance with section 7of the Act, the fine inflicted in each case of conviction was 2s. The total of fines for the year was £7 2s. Regulations, etc. —The Board, after long and careful consideration, adopted towards the end of the year a series of new regulations, having for their aim the classification of all the schools and positions in the same. These regulations come into force on the Ist January, 1896. Their aim and scope are to better regulate salaries and to better secure the promotion of deserving teachers. By order of the Board. The Hon. the Minister of Education. P. G. Pryde, Secretary.

General Statement of Receipts and Expenditure for the Tear ending 31st December, 1895. Receipts. jg s __ Expenditure. £ gj __ To Balance at beginning of year— By Office staff —Salaries .. .. 1,003 0 0 On Building Account .. .. 5,513 19 0 Departmental contingencies .. 352 17 2 On General Account .. .. 1,663 9 6 Inspectors'salaries .. .. 1,804 3 4 Government grant for buildings .. 6,600 0 0 Inspectors'travelling-expenses .. 484 14 1 Local contributions for buildings .. 99 7 1 Examination of pupil-teachers .. 12 8 6 Sale of school sites .. .. .. 46 15 0 Teachers' salaries and allowances (inGovernment statutory capitation .. 63,799 19 9 eluding, rent, bonus, &c.) .. 62,403 13 2 Scholarship grant .. .. .. 1,380 19 10 Incidental expenses of schools .. 4,722 11 9 Inspection subsidy .. .. .. 500 0 0 Training of teachers .. .. 1,015 7 0 Grant for training of teachers .. 300 0 0 Scholarships— Payments by School Commissioners for Paid to scholars .. .. .. 1,398 18 10 primary education (five quarters) 13,139 5 7 Examination expenses .. .. 80 17 9 District High School fees .. .. 141 16 0 School buildings— Rents of school sites .. .. 14 2 0 New buildings .. .. .. 4,157 5 2 Interest .. .. ..' .. 120 0 0 Improvements of buildings .. 3,064 19 11 Fees—School of Art and Design .. 399 3 9 Furniture and appliances .. .. 338 3 2 Dictionaries sold .. .. .. 6 0 0 Sites .. .. .. .. 457 3 9 Refund salaries .. .. .. 316 6 Plans, supervision, &c. .. .. 432 16 0 School of Art and Design .. .. 909 511 Truant officer .. .. .. 78 5 11 Members' expenses .. .. 169 5 3 Refund proceeds dictionaries sold .. 18 0 0 Balance at end of year— On Building Account £3,809 13 1 On General Account 7,015 4 3 10,824 17 4 £93,728 14 0 P. G. Pryde, Secretary and Treasurer. Examined and found correct, except as regards the payment of a sum of £475 to the widow of a late School Inspector, for which there is no authority of law, and is therefore disallowed. James Edward FitzGerald, Controller and Auditor-General.

INSPECTORS' REPORT ON THE DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOLS. Sir, — We have the honour to submit the following report on the higher work of the District High Schools for the year 1895. The tabular statements show the subjects taught, the number of pupils taught, the number examined, and the amount of work done in each subject. 12— E. 1.