E.—l

38

Table J.—Summary op the Accounts of Income and Expenditure for 1908 furnished by the Governing Bodies of Secondary Schools. Receipts. jg s d Expenditure. £ s Credit balances on Ist January, 1908 .. 27,729 4 4 Liabilities on Ist January, 1908.. .. 5,781 711 Endowment reserves sold and mortgage Expenses of management .. .. 3,412 8 9 moneys repaid .. .. .. 4,517 14 11 School salaries .. .. .. 52,340 3 1 Bents of reserves .. .. .. 28,788 9 1 Boarding-school accounts .. .. 15,390 11 9 Interest on moneys invested .. .. 3,781 610 Scholarships and prizes .. .. 2,031 14 6 Reserves Commissioners'payments .. 4,204 9 3 Printing, stationery, fuel, light, &c. .. 3,949 11 2 Government payments— Buildings, furniture, insuranoe, rent, and For manual instruction .. .. 881 18 6 rates .. .. .. .. 40,102 11 4 For free places .. .. ..24,538 15 10 On endowments .. .. .. 3,883 13 10 Subsidy on voluntary contributions .. 1,080 0 6 On manual instruction .. .. 754 12 7 Grants for buildings, sites, furniture, 16,164 2 3 Interest .. .. .. .. 1,895 2 5 Statutory grant (Marlborough High Examination expenses.. .. .. 207 16 8 School) i> .. .. 400 0 0 Sundries not classified.. .. .. 5,934 9 8 Teohnical instruction — On technical instruction .. .. 4,043 15 3 Government payments .. .. 2,207 10 4 Credit balances, 31st December, 1908 .. 25,937 17 9 From other sources .. .. .. 1,534 8 2 School fees (tuition) .. .. .. 19,159 12 6 Boarding-sohool fees .. .. .. 16,892 16 5 Books, &c, sold, and refunds .. .. 368 0 9 Sundries not classified.. .. .. 6,789 7 1 Debit balances, 31st December, 1908 .. 6,627 14 6 £165,665 11 3 £165,665 11 3 M —~ — This table shows that, generally speaking, the finances of the secondary schools are in a sound condition, notwithstanding the large expenditure under the head of buildings. It may be as well to compare the chief items of income and expenditure in 1907 and 1908. gj 1907. 1908. »:;i £ £ Income from reserves and endowments.. .. .. 33,636 36,774 Grants from Government (exclusive of building grants) .. 24.948 29,108 Building grants .. .. .. .. .. 9,473 16,164 Tuition fees .. .. .. .. .. .. 20,128 19,160 Salaries of staff .. .. .. .. .. 50,038 52,340 Expenses of management .. .. .. .. 3,421 3,412 Buildings, &c. .. .. .. .. .. 38,153 40,103 As the free-place system is extended, the amount received in tuition fees will naturally diminish, and the capitation grants from Government will increase. The Education Amendment Act of last session will, by the introduction of a higher scale of capitation on free pupils, benefit not only those secondary schools which have few if any endowments, but also the more numerous class of schools whose income from endowments is small in proportion to the number of pupils ; further, it will relieve from anxiety those schools where a necessity arises for a large building expenditure in any year, as the effect of the new sliding scale is that in any year the total of the net annual income from endowments and the capitation—that is, of the moneys available for the payment of staff salaries and working-expenses— cannot, with due safeguards, fall below £12 10s. per pupil—a sum which past experience shows to be just sufficient. The new scale does not, like the former scale, proceed by jumps, but is a true sliding scale, increasing the rate of capitation for even the smallest decrease of the net annual income per pupil. The words of the schedule are, for this and other reasons, at first sight somewhat complicated, but their meaning may be clearly seen by the following statement of their effect at certain stages of the net annual income per head, which is found by dividing the net annual income from endowments, defined above, by the total number of pupils excluding the lower department, the latter being required to be self-supporting. Rate of Capitation payable on Free Pupils for certain Stages of the Net Annual Income per Head. Net Annual Capitation Total Income Income per Head. per Free Pupil. per Pupil. £17 and over .. £4 (or £6) . . £21 and over. £15 .. .. £4/10 (or £6) .. £19/10 at least, £13 .. £5 (or £6) .. £18 £11 .. .. £5/10 (or £6) .. £16/10 * £9 .. .. £6 .. £15 £7 .. .. £7 .. £14 £5 .. .. £8 .. £13 £4 .. .. £8/18 .. £12/18