E.—l

36

The following figures indicate the average rates of salary prevailing at threeyearly intervals since the year 1915 : — Average Salaries of Full-time Teachers in Secondary Schools. , 1915. , 1918. -. , 1921 -. M. F. All. M. F. All. M. F. All. £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ Principals .. .. 585 436 535 615 434 568 734 542 658 Assistants .. . . 266 187 232 300 201. 246 383 284 335 The value of residences, and board and residence, a3iid of house allowance when payable, is excluded from the above figures. Of 191 male assistants the salaries of twenty-eight were over £500, of forty-seven between £400 and £500, of sixty-seven between £300 and £400, and of forty-nine below £300. Of 181 female assistants the salaries of twenty-one were over £350, of forty-two between £300 and £350, of sixty-two between. £250 and £300, and of fifty-six under £250. In considering these figures it should be borne in mind that nearly one-third of the teachers are classified in the lowest grade, and that many have no teaching experience whatever. In other countries the salary scales of which are sometimes compared with the New Zealand scale teachers either do not enter the service until they have received a training or else they serve for a term of years as junior teachers before the salary scale applies to them. In the secondary departments of district high schools salaries are paid in accordance with a general scale. The average salaries paid to secondary assistants in 1921 were as follows: Male assistants, £345; female assistants, £307; all assistants, £319. The total annual rate of salaries paid to teachers of district high schools, including the special payments to head teachers, was £35,566, which is equivalent to £13 10s. per head of the average weekly roll number. Lower Departments of Secondary Schools. (Table, Kll in E.-li.) Lower departments for pupils who have not passed S6 may be held in connection with secondary schools, provided that no part of the cost of instruction or of the maintenance of the department is met out of income from the endowments of the school or from Government grants. Fourteen secondary schools (including Christ's College, Christchurch) have lower departments attached to them, the total number of pupils in 1921 being 774, as compared with 815 in 1920. The roll number included 433 boys and 341 girls, and the total number of teachers was twenty-nine (seven males and twenty-two females). A large number of the pupils board at the school hostels, indicating that these departments are used by the children of country residents able to afford to send their children away from home to attend school. The tuition fees charged range in the various schools from £9 9s. to £13 10s. per annum, the boarding-fees ranging from £48 to £60 per annum. Finance. (Sim- also Tables K.7-K9 in E.-6.) The income of secondary schools is derived from the following sources :— (i.) Rents from special reserves allocated to them by statute : (ii.) Statutory grant given in lieu of special reserves (in one case) : (hi.) Interest upon moneys derived from the sale of reserves and invested in accordance with the Education Reserves Act: (iv.) Income from the secondary-school reserves controlled by the Land Boards divided among the secondary schools in the several land districts in proportion to the number of pupils in average attendance, lower departments excluded : (v.) Government payments — (a) For teachers' salaries and incidental expenses ; (b) subsidies on voluntary contributions ; (c) capitation for manual-instruction classes: