E.—2,

I

APPENDIX A. REPORTS OF EDUCATION BOARDS. AUCKLAND. Sin, — Auckland, March, 1911. In Accordance with the provisions of the Education Act. [908, the Education Board of the District of Auckland has the honour to submil the following report of its proceedings for the year 1910:— • Board. —The members now in office are: North Ward- Mr. A. I!. Harris, Mr. G. \Y. Murray, and Mr. 1). 15. Wallace; Easi Ward Mr. A. J. Farmer, Mr. H. J. Greenslade, M.1 , ., and Mr. C. J. Parr; West Ward—Mr. C. T. Barriball, Mr. G. Edgecumbe, and Mr. <i. J. Garland. At the annual election held in August, Messrs. Greenslade and Garland were re-elected to represent the East and West Wards respectively, and Mr. <i. W. Murray was elected to represent the North Ward in place of Mr. McEenzie. The Hoard records its appreciation of the valuable services rendered by Mr. McKenzie as a member of the Hoard. Twenty-three meetings of the Board were held during the year, with an average attendance of seven members! Twenty-two meetings of a Committee of the whole Board were held to deal with matters of finance and genera] business, and with appointments and removals of teachers. Schools. —The number of schools in operation at the end of the year was .">4.'i, including 104 part-time schools. During the year twenty-seven new gel Is were opened, and the following schools were closed: Oroville, Waipu Cave, Hakaru, Omanawa, Maungatautari No. 2, Tererenga, and the Whakapara side school. Teachers. —The teachers employed in December, 1910. numbered 1,147, as follows: Adults— Males, 424; females, 498: total, 922. The pupil-teachers and probationers employed numbered 225—Males, 49; females, 176. The Board has continued to experience considerable difficulty in securing the services of teachers for the smaller country schools. Attendance. —At the end of the year 20,762 boys and 18,826 girls, making a total of 39,588, were enrolled in the public schools of this district. 'Ilie average attendance of scholars during the year was 34,141. There were 2,-'i.iS Maori and half-caste scholars in attendance at the end of last year. FINANCE. — The receipts for the year totalled £233,633 lfis. fid., and the expenditure was £228,176 9s. 5d., that amount being made up as follows: Administration and teachers' salaries, £171,517 -is. 5d. ; secondary education, £5,703 Ms. Bd. ; manual and technical instruction, .£10,258 17s. 7d. , maintenance of buildings and teachers' house allowance, £17,564 4s. lOd. The amount expended upon new school buildings was £11,098 2s. 7d., the manual and technical buildings £11,010 17s. 10d., and the unclassified expenditure was £1,023 Bs. fid. The credit balance at the end of the year was £25,289 Bs. lid., including the sum of £9,105 lying on fixed deposit to the credit of the Seddon Memorial Technical College Building Account. The Board expresses the opinion that any proposal to impose on local rates any part of the cost of education is objectionable, education being essentially a State and not a local concern. SCHOLARSHIPS. — The scholarships under (enure at the end of 1910 were—Junior National, 23; Senior District, 40; and Junior District, 62 : making a total of 125. District High Schools.- -Eleven district high schools have been in operation during the year, at which '299 pupils were in attendance at the end of the year. Training College. —There were 100 students in attendance during the year 1910. At the beginning of the current year forty four students who had undergone a course of training were appointed t" | ositions in various schools in the district. Physical and Military Drill. —The Board lias to report that due attention is given in the various schools to the requirements of the Act in reaped of physical and military drill. Manual and Technical Instruction. —During 'he year the erection of the Seddon Memorial Technical College was proceeded with. According to the contract the building should have been completed in November last. At the present time (March) it appears that the college is not likely to be ready for opening for at least three months. The number of individual students in attendance at the college last year was 1,357; ami when the first portion of the college, now in course of election, is completed, the accommodation will not be sufficient for this number of students without continuing the use of some other temporary buildings. During the year manual-training schools were erected at Cambridge and Hamilton, and these will shortly be opened. Handwork was taught in 164 public schools, agriculture in seventy-three, swimming in seventeen, ami sewing in sixty-two scl Is below Grade IV taught by a male teacher. The Board has now under consideration a scheme for the establishment of an Associated Board of Governors to control and direct the work of technical education in Auckland. BUILDINGS.- -During the pear nine new school buildings were built, and the schools at Ararimu, Maraetai, and Weymouth were reopened. Thirteen schools were enlarged, two new teachers^- ,- residences were erected, and three resiliences were enlarged. The painting and improvement of i B. 2 (App. A).