Rates.

The School Committee, after determining the expenditure required for the year on the erection of school-buildings, the salaries of teachers, and general expenses of management, may levy a rate on the district to cover the expenses not defrayed from other sources.

Rateable properties are divided into two classes—country lands alienated from the Crown, and lands and tenements situated in towns and villages. The former are assessed according to area, the latter according to yearly value.

The waste lands of the Crown are also practically subject to a rate, inasmuch as the Provincial Treasurer is required to pay, out of sums voted for educational purposes by the Provincial Council, an amount which bears to the sum levied by assessment for salaries of teachers, the same proportion that the extent of the waste lands of the Crown within the district bears to the entire area of the district.

Teachers.

All engagements of teachers shall be deemed yearly engagements, but may be terminated on either side by three months’ notice, and further, the Education Committee may dismiss any teacher summarily who is guilty of any gross or notorious offence.

The minimum salary of the teacher of a main school is £150 per annum; for a teacher of a side school £120, it would appear inclusive of fees, as the teacher is bound to pay over any fees collected by him to the Treasurer of the District School Committee.

Religious Instruction.

The Holy Scriptures must be read daily in every school, and such religious instruction given as the District Committee may direct, provided it be not at variance with the doctrines commonly known as Evangelical Protestant doctrines.

The time for religious instruction and scripture reading to be at the opening or close of the school, and children whose parents object may be withdrawn during the hours set apart for this purpose.

PROVINCE OF CANTERBURY.

EDUCATIONAL STATISTICS.

In entering upon the statistical part of their report, the Commissioners desire to point out a difficulty to which they have already alluded and which will prevent them from affording as accurate information as they could have wished.

The returns furnished from the various quarters to which they have applied are so inaccurate, incomplete, and in many cases contradictory, as to prevent them from arriving at more than general conclusions.

The last census having been compiled only up to the end of the year 1861, no official statistics exist as to the number of children to be educated, or as to other matters connected with the educational requirements of the province at the present time.

The great changes which have since then taken place in the numbers and circumstances of the population render the census a very uncertain basis on which to calculate the present condition of education.

The method pursued by the Commission for arriving at an approximate estimate on these questions has been to adopt the census as a starting point, and by the help of returns supplied from the Immigration Office, to form an opinion as to the rate at which an increase has taken place.

The results here given therefore cannot be considered anything more than an approximation to the truth, but they have been so far checked and verified by information derived from other sources as to lead the Commission to believe that they are upon the whole substantially correct.

1. It appears that the number of schools at present receiving Government aid is 37, distributed as follows:

| Christchurch | 7 | Prebbleton | 1 |
| Lyttelton | 4 | Lincoln | 1 |
| Governor’s Bay | 2 | Upper Heathcote | 1 |
| Kaiapoi | 1 | Lower Heathcote | 1 |
| Kaipoi Island | 1 | Heathcote Valley | 1 |
| Rangiora | 1 | Sumner | 1 |
| Papanui | 2 | Puraukanui | 1 |
| Akaroa | 1 | Pigeon Bay | 1 |
| Okain’s Bay | 1 | Springfield Road | 1 |
| Little Akaloa | 1 | St. Albans | 1 |
| Oxford | 1 | Timaru | 1 |
| Duvauchelles Bay | 1 | Arowenua | 1 |
| Riccarton | 1 |

Of these 37:

• 21 are in connection with the Church of England, distributed as follows:

  • Christchurch ... 3 (1 boarding school and two day schools)
  • Lyttelton ... 1 Day school
  • Kaiapoi Island ... 1 Boarding school
  • Rangiora ... 1 Day school
  • Akaroa ... 1 Boarding and day school
  • Okain’s Bay ... 1 Boarding school
  • Little Akaloa ... 1 Day school
  • Duvauchelles Bay ... 1 Day school
  • Riccarton ... 1 Day school
  • Prebbleton ... 1 Day school (could take boarders for £30 if house repaired)
  • Upper Heathcote ... 1 Day school (Dame’s school)
  • Lower Heathcote ... 1 Day school
  • Papanui ... 1 Day school
  • Puraukanui ... 1 Day school
  • Oxford ... 1 Day school
  • Timaru ... 1 Day school

• 9 in connection with the Presbyterian church:

  • Christchurch ... 3 (1 boarding and two day schools)
  • Lyttelton ... 1 Day school
  • Governor’s Bay ... 1 Boarding school (5 boarders £35 per annum, including washing)
  • Kaiapoi ... 1 Day school
  • Akaroa ... 1 Day school
  • Lincoln ... 1 Day school
  • Arowenua ... 1 Day school

• The schools here designated boarding schools are such as receive boarders in addition to the ordinary day scholars.

• 7 in connection with the Wesleyan Church:

  • Christchurch ... 1 Day school
  • Lyttelton ... 1 Day school
  • Kaiapoi Island ... 1 Day school
  • Woodend ... 1 Day school
  • Papanui ... 1 Day school
  • St. Albans ... 1 Day school
  • Upper Heathcote ... 1 Day school (since closed)

There are 22 private schools, of which two are exclusively boys’ schools; 6 are exclusively girls’ schools, and 14 are mixed schools. 7 of these are