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General Statement of Receipts and Expenditure for tiie Year ending 31st December, 1904. Receipts. £ s. d. | Expenditure. £ s. d. Balance at beginning of year .. .. 524 19 | Staff salaries and clerical assistance .. 955 18 4 Grants from Government for— j Office contingencies .. .. .. 524 12 11 Teachers' and pupil-teachers' salaries, ) Teachers' and pupil-teachers' salaries and and allowances to pupil-teachers .. 13,004 10 11 allowances to pupil-teachers .. ..10,225 1510 Reserves revenue for primary education.. 1,938 4 8 ' Relieving teachers' salaries .. .. 83 13 8 Capitation at Us. 3d. and grant of £250 2,525 6 6 | Drill instruction .. .. .. 25 0 0 Capitation for relieving-teachers .. 101 29 j Incidental expenses of schools .. .. 1.298 15 9 Drill instruction .. .. .. 25 0 0 Scholarships and expenses of examination 294 10 2 Extra capitation for Schocl Committees, Salaries of staffs of district high schools 382 2 11 a t 9d. .. .. .. .. 148 7 9 Salary of secretary district high school .. 5 0 0 Grants from Government for— Manual and technical instructionScholarships.. .. .. •• 291 1 8 School classes f , " District high schools .. .. .. 327 5 0 Special classes .. .. .. 294 lb I District high school fees .. •• 60 13 0 Repairs, repainting, &c, school buildings 900 4 3 Grants from Government for manual and Rebuilding .. .. .. .. 1,237 111 technical instruction— Alterations and small additions .. .. 438 13 8 Capitation (general and scholarship) .. 331 8 1 House-allowances .. .. . • 358 6 8 Material for class-work .. .. 15 19 3 New school buildings, additions, furniture, Instruction of teachers .. .. 100 0 0 sites, &c. .. .. .. .. 677 12 6 Receipts from other sources—Fees, £192 Buildings, class-rooms, furniture, &c, for 3s. Bd. ; voluntary contributions, £25 ; manual and technical purposesrefunds, £18 17s. 4d. .. .. .. 236 1 0 School classes .. .. .. 592 14 4 Grants from Government for— Special classes .. .. .. 114 15 5 Maintenance of buildings, rebuilding, Other expensesrents &c. .. .. .. •• 3,002 16 1 Architect .. .. .. .. 80 0 0 House allowances .. .. .. 367 0 9 Advertising school buildings .. .. 21 6 6 New schools, additions, furniture, &c. .. 26 8 6 Rent of sohool buildings .. .. 87 7 6 Technical-school buildings, fittings, &c. 883 0 11 Credit balance at end of yearForfeited deposit .. .. . • 10 0 0 On General Account .. .. .. 22 19 11 Other receipts— On Building Account.. .. .. 291 411 Proceeds of sale of old residence .. 35 0 0 Rents of school-sites .. .. .. 77 10 4 Truancy fines, £5 17s. ; refunds, £2 18s. 7d. ; sale of old out-offices, £3 7s. 9d .. 12 3 4 £24,043 2 3 £24,043 2 3 J. Wade, Chairman. 3rd June, 1905. P- S. Whitcombe, Secretary.

WANGANUI. g IR Education Office, Wanganui, 31st March, 1905. In accordance with the provisions of section 166 of " The Education Act, 1904," I have the honour to present the following report of the proceedings of the Education Board of the District of Wanganui for the year 1904. Board. —At the beginning of the year the Board consisted of the following members : Messrs J. W. Baker, G. S. Bridge, E. Dixon, F. H. Haselden, R. A. Adams, F. Y. Lethbridge, M.H.R., F. Pirani, F. M. Spurdle, and Rev. J. Ross. In January a vacancy occurred by the resignation of Mr. Haselden. This was filled by the election of Mr. Edward Newman. The three members who retired in July were Messrs. J. W. Baker, F. M. Spurdle, and the Rev. J. Ross. Messrs. Spurdle, G. Carson, and A. H. Atkinson were elected to fill the vacancies. 11l health caused the retirement of Mr. Adams and Mr. Newman, whose places were filled by Messrs. H. E. P. Adams and A. Fraser. Inspection.—Owing to the pressure of work on the inspectorial staff it was decided to appoint a third Inspector. Applications were invited and Mr. T. B. Strong, M.A., B.Sc, was selected for the position. Mr. Strong entered on his duties in July last. Number of Schools.—At the end of 1903 there were 165 schools in operation. Of these two household schools were not reopened, and two schools were closed temporarily. Ten new schools were opened, one side school, and seven household schools, making a total of 178 open at the end of last Teachers. —The number of teachers increased by 24, there being 348 teachers —adults 298 (males 132, females 166), and 50 pupil-teachers (males 16, females 34). There were also 6 special assistants employed in the five district high schools. Notwithstanding the fact that higher salaries are now paid to teachers of small country schools than prior to the passing of " The Public School Teachers' Salaries Act, 1901," the Board has experienced great difficulty in obtaining teachers for these schools, and has in many cases been compelled, rather than close the schools, to appoint uncertificated and inexperienced teachers. There seems to be an increasing unwillingness on the part of young teachers to accept appointments as mistresses of schools some distance from the railway-line. The number of female teachers continues to increase, the salaries offered to pupil-teachers being so much lower than the salaries offered to cadets employed in other branches of the public service that very few boys wish to enter the teaching profession. This must have a disastrous effect in the not very distant future, for though there are many positions in the service which can be adequately filled by females, there are many that it is desirable should be filled by males. Not only is the salary offered to pupil-teachers insufficient, but the salaries of assistants also are inadequate, except in the case of the first assistants who are by no means overpaid. Little wonder is it that parents are so reluctant to allow their boys to enter the teaching profession when there is so small a prospect of their being able, after some years of service, to take upon themselves the responsibility of maintaining a wife and family. It is surely reasonable that after eight or ten year of service a teacher should receive not less than the wage of a mechanic.

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