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School Committees. Where practicable the Education Board should divide that portion of its district which is not within the boundaries of a School Board district into school districts containing not fewer than two schools nor more than ten schools, for which the electors should appoint a Committee. Where it is not practicable to combine two schools in one district, a Commissioner or Commissioners shall be appointed for each school by the Education Board. The Education Board should prescribe by Regulation (to be approved by the Minister) the duties of and payments to School Committees or Commissioners respectively, as well as the number of members (which should not exceed seven) of each Committee. The Inspectorate. It is recommended that Inspectors in each of the proposed five education districts be classified as under : — (1.) One Chief Inspector, at a salary of £600, rising by £10 yearly increments to £650. (2.) Two Senior Inspectors, at a salary of £500, rising by £10 yearly increments to £550. (3.) Inspectors, at a salary of £400, rising by £10 yearly increments to £450. A unifoim rate of travelling-expenses to be paid in addition. Under these proposals no Inspector should receive a salary less than that now paid to him. The number of Inspectors to be appointed in each education district should be subject to the approval of the Director of Education. It is strongly recommended that the giving of help in organizing and teaching in schools in charge of inexperienced teachers should be regarded as the most imimportant of an Inspector's duties. In the event of the Native schools being taken over by the Education Boards, the services of the present Native-school Inspectors should be retained. The Cost of Education. The total increase in the cost of State education in the Dominion during the last eleven years up to the 31st March, 1911, to the nearest £1,000, amounts to no less a sum than £504,000. This sum is accounted for under the following heads :— £ (1.) Primary education .. .. .. ~ 360,000 (2.) Secondary education .. .. .. .. 78,000 (3.) Technical education .. .. 50,000 (4.) Higher education - .. .. .. .. 16,000 £504,000 In connection with the above statement it is interesting to show the special items of increase : (1.) Of the £360,000, the increased cost of primary education, teachers' salaries account for £244,000, of which sum £68,000 is due to increased attendance ; £156,000 to increases in the rates of salary ; and £20,000 to more liberal staffing and the increased number of small schools—a consequence of the growth of settlement. As showing the attention that has been paid to small country schools it may be pointed out that the average cost per pupil in sole-teacher schools in 1900 was £3 17s. 3d., whereas in 1910 it amounted to £7 os. Bd., the total increase being nearly £90,000. The average salary paid in all sole-teacher schools in 1910 was £114 16s. 6d., together with house allowance or free house. Your Commis-

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