31

E.—l

Capitation earnings for the year amounted to £39,538, as compared with £37,356 for 1916. Grants in aid of buildings and equipment amounted to £2,865, an increase of £1,393 on the previous year. The total receipts by the Education Boards from all sources amounted to £60,763, and the total expenditure to £49,778. It must, however, be noted that the increase in the receipts is not normal, but is largely due to the introduction of a system of monthly progress-payments during 1917. Speaking generally, the financial position of the Boards as shown by the statements of income and expenditure furnished may be regarded as satisfactory. The monetary assets at the 31st December, 1917, were £19,984, and these exceeded the liabilities by £10,608. The following table gives some particulars of the capitation earnings and the expenditure of Education Boards in respect of certain manual subjects : —

Staffs of Public Schools. (E.-2, Table El.) The number of teachers employed in the primary departments of public schools in 1917 was 5,356, including 4,707 adult teachers and 649 pupil-teachers, the corresponding figures for the previous year being 4,710 and 656 respectively. The fact that the staff, for the first time in many years, has'not increased in number is probably due partly to the application of certain war legislation providing for earlier reductions in staff after a corresponding fall in attendance, and partly to the fact that the average attendance for 1916 was practically the same as for the preceding year. Although this rose considerably in 1917, the corresponding increase in staff would not take place until later. Of the adult teachers, 1,347 were sole teachers, 909 were head teachers, and 2,451 were assistant teachers. Classified according to sex, there were 1,383 males and 3,324 females among the adult teachers, and 132 male and 517 female pupil-teachers. In addition to the staff of adult teachers and pupilteachers, 410 probationers (including 61 males and 349 females) were employed, the number being five less than in the preceding year. The number of teachers (including training-college students) who up till the 31st December, 1917, had left the teaching service to take up military duty was about 750, of which number fifty had resumed teaching. One hundred and seventeen teachers have lost their lives in the war. The names of all teachers who up till the end of 1917 had joined the Expeditionary Forces may be found in Appendix B of this report. The following table shows the number of teachers in each grade of school classified under the headings of sole, head, assistant, or pupil teachers.

Expenditure. Subjects. Number of Schools. Workingexpenses. Salaries of Instructors. Totals. Woodwork and ironwork .. Domestic subjects Agriculture and dairy-work Elementary science Swimming and life-saving Elementary handwork 534 554 1,377 157 163 1,503 £ 8,226 6,825 7,011 208 439 1,768 • £ 1,902 4,088 3,353 238 171 5,810 £ 10,128 10,913 10,364 446 610 7,578 Totals .. 24,477 15,562 40,039 Capitation earnings, £39,5: 18.