E.—l2.

24

WAITAKI HIGH SCHOOLS. ' Staff. Boys' School.— Dr. J. B. Don, D.Sc, M.A., P.S.C.; Mr. W. G. Grave, 8.A.; Mr. B. L. Mollroy, M.A. ; Mr. T. A. Hunter, M.A.; Sergeant-Major Maopberson. Girls' School— Miss C. Ferguson, M.A.; Miss E. Crosby, 8.A.; Miss S. Gifiord, M.A.; Miss M. McCaw; Sergeant-Major MePherson. 1. Ebpoet of the Board. Boys. —l have much pleasure in reporting the great success attained by Dr. Don during the past year, and the likelihood of its continuance. During the last term there were eighty-two boys on the roll, of whom twenty-eight were boarders. Owing to the increase of pupils, the Board deemed it necessary to engage a fourth master, who also acts as house-master. On account of the increase in numbers, especially of boarders, considerable alterations had to be made to provide room. A large swimming-bath has also been erected. In the examination for the Education Board's senior scholarships for 1899, one of the boys of this school came out at the head of the list, one was ninth, and one twelfth. Girls. —l am also pleased to report a decided improvement in attendance at the Girls' High School. Miss Ferguson had fifty pupils on the roll for the last term of 1899. This school labours under the disadvantage of having no boarding establishment attached to it, so that girls attending from a distance have to find lodgings with private families. In the Education Board's senior scholarship examinations the girls from this school took seventh and fifteenth places. Donald Boeeib, Chairman.

2. General Statement of Accounts for the Year ended 31st December, 1899. Receipts. £ s. d. Expenditure. £ s. d. Balance .. .. .. .. 653 15 3 Office salary, seorctary .. .. 70 10 0 Endowments— Other office expenses, valuator .. .. 11 1 0 Price of reserve sold .. .. 108 0 0 Expenses, incidental .. .. .. 5 0 9 Current income from reserves .. 1,119 19 10 Teachers'salaries— Interest on money invested and un- Boys, £798 6s. Bd.; girls, £448 .. 1,246 6 8 paid purchase-money .. .. 1G 14 6 Prizes .. .. .. .. 10 5 0 Paid by School Commissioners .. 54 3 0 Printing, stationery, and advertising .. 56 14 1 School fees— Cleaning, light, fuel, &c. .. .. 80 12 9 Boys, £438 Is. Bd.; girls, £252 3s. 4d. 690 5 0 Site and building .. .. .. 304 8 6 Account, year 1900 .. .. .. 3 0 0 Insurance and taxes .. .. .. 33 12 6 Interest on fixed deposits .. .. 617 6 Interest .. .. .. .. 30 18 9 Solicitors' fees .. .. .. 11 10 2 Petty cash .. .. .. .. 23 0 0 School appliances .. .. .. 4 18 2 Pees refunded.. .. .. .. 16 8 Balance of loan paid .. .. .. 750 0 0 Balance .. .. .. .. 12 10 1 £2,652 15 1 £2,652 15 1 Donald Bokrie, Chairman. George E. Hislop, Secretary. Examined and found correct. — J. K. Wabburton, Controller and Auditor-General.

3. Work of the Highest and Lowest Classes. Boys' School. Highest. —English—English Grammar (Dr. Smith); Longmans' School Composition ; Higher Grade English (Nelson); Meiklejohn's Spelling-book; Shakespeare, Julius Csesar, Tempest, Merchant of Venice; C. M. Yonge, The Dove in the Eagle's Nest; Chaucer, Prologue and Knight's Tale; Hales's Longer English Poems. Latin—Via Latina ; Kennedy's Eevised Primer; Csesar, Book 11. ; Virgil, iEneid, Book VI. ; Georgics, Book IV.; Tacitus, Germania. French —Chardenal, Book III.; Sans Famille (Malot) ; Le Misanthrope (Moliere). Arithmetic —Catch Questions (Capel); Arithmetic and Elementary Mensuration (Goyen). Euclid—First Four Books (Hall and Stevens). Algebra —Hall and Knight's Elementary Algebra, to end of surds. Trigonometry—Hamblin Smith's Elementary Trigonometry. Chemistry — Jago's Inorganic and Dr. Tilden's Practical Chemistry. Geology—Elementary (Bird); Field Geology (no text-book used). Geography — Longmans' Geography, No. 3. Lowest. —English—Eoyal Crown Eeader, Book III.; Ship Eeaders (Longmans), Book 111. Arithmetic—Southern Cross Arithmetic, Books 11., 111., IV. Geography—Southern Cross, No. 3. Grammar—Dunlop's English Grammar ; Longmans' Junior School Grammar. Latin —Elementa Latina (Morris). French—Chardenal, Book I.