State schools.

45. In State schools the average cost per head during the nineteen years Cost per head in ending 31st December, 1894, was as follows:

46. In Provisional schools the average cost per head during the nineteen Cost per head in years ending 31st December, 1894, was as follows:

Provisional schools.

Cost per head in

on average

47. For all schools-State and Provisional-the total expenditure on Primary Education, £177,021 5s. 9d., divided by the average daily attendance, 45,050, gives a schools, based £3 18s. 7d. as the average cost of each pupil in attendance all over the service. In attendance. 1893 it was £4 7s. 10d. For ten years previous (1883 to 1892) the average yearly expenditure for each child was £5 4s. 9d.

all schools, based

on net

48. For all schools-State and Provisional-the total expenditure on Primary Cost per head in Education, £177,021 5s. 9d., divided by the net enrolment, 67,726, gives £2 12s. 34d. as the average cost of each child who claimed the right to instruction during the enrolment. year 1891. In 1893 it was £2 15s. 42d., the average yearly expenditure for the eight years (1885 to 1892) having been £3 7s. 03d. for each child enrolled.

contributions

49. The local contributions towards the cost of State school buildings received Local during 1894 amounted to £1,404 13s. 6d. The corresponding item for each of the received in 1994. nine preceding years is as follows:-1893, £878, 13s. 6d. ; 1892, £1,212 14s. 1d.; 1891, £1,419 16s. 8d.; 1890, £3,397 6s. 9d.; 1889, £3,799 9s. 4d.; 1888, £2,230 12s. 9d.; 1887, £2,573 16s. 5d.; 1886, £3,089 8s. 1d.; 1885, £4,054 6s. 9d. A statement of the local subscriptions account is given in Table M.

GRAMMAR SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPS.

50. With a view to extend the advantages of Secondary Education without additional cost to the State, and prevent an inequitable apportioning of the vote for scholarships through the gravitating of holders of scholarships to any particular school, the Government, at the end of the year, introduced certain changes in the terms and conditions of scholarships to Grammar Schools. The liberal endowment paid under statute to Grammar Schools appeared to warrant a claim for special terms

Candidates examined

in December, 1894.

in the case of State scholars, and the claim was conceded by the several bodies of trustees. Under the new provisions a fixed number of scholarships are allotted to each Grammar School, regard being had to the population of the district. The holders of scholarships are required to attend the school nearest to their homes; and for half of the scholarships thus allotted payment of school fees is made in full, while for an equal number no fees are paid.

51. At the annual examinations held in December, 1894, 54 schools sent up 150 boys to compete for scholarships to the Boys' Grammar Schools, and 34 schools presented 84 girls to compete for scholarships to the Girls' Grammar Schools. Of these candidates 91 boys and 29 girls obtained scholarships. In the following tabular summary the numbers for 1894 are compared with those for 1893:

Scholarship winners, how allotted.

52. The 120 scholarships granted were allotted to the several Grammar Schools as follows:

State scholars

in Grammar

schools.

53. The total number of State scholars attending Grammar Schools during the last quarter of the year 1894 was 179-namely, 137 boys and 42 girls, as tabulated below:

Conduct and progress of State scholars.

At the Sydney
University

Public
Examinations.

Nine

competitors.

54. The quarterly reports on the attendance, conduct, and progress of the State scholars in the Grammar Schools were, as a rule, satisfactory.

55. At the Sydney University Public Examinations 4 scholarship holders from the Brisbane Boys' Grammar School passed the senior, and 20 the junior examination. From the Brisbane Girls' Grammar School 2 scholarship holders passed the senior, and 6 the junior examination.

EXHIBITIONS TO UNIVERSITIES.

Nine

56. The usual examination for Exhibitions to Universities to be awarded to pupils of Grammar Schools was held in November, 1894, the examination papers having been prepared, as usual, professors of the Sydney University. candidates presented themselves-6 from Brisbane, 2 from Ipswich, and 1 from Rockhampton. Of these the examiners declared that 3 showed sufficient merit to entitle them to the award of an exhibition. Two were pupils of the Brisbane Grammar School, 1 was a pupil of the Ipswich Grammar School, and all had been holders of State school scholarships.

* Townsville has only one Grammar School, to which girls as well as boys are admitted.

State scholars.

57. Of the 51 exhibitions granted from the year 1978, when they were first Number won by established, to 1894, 37 have been gained by students who had previously won scholarships from the State schools.

ORPHANAGES.

Inspector of

58. The Inspector of Orphanages has furnished a separate report of the Report of operations of the Department in connection with the State and licensed orphanages. Orphanages. At the end of the year 1894 there were 1,584 children under the control of the State, showing a decrease of 95 for the year. The expenditure for 1894 amounted to £20,819 12s. 8d., there being a decrease of £3,397 12s. 3d. on the expenditure for the preceding year.

59. The distribution of these children is shown in the following table :

Distribution of orphans.

INSTRUCTION OF THE DEAF AND DUMB AND THE BLIND.

Institute.

60. At the end of the year there were 25 inmates in the Brisbane Institution Brisbane for the instruction of the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind. The expenditure on the Institution from public funds was £803 4s. 11d.

THE MUSEUM.

61. From the records of the Museum I learn that the number of visitors Visitors. during 1894 was 53,659-viz., 39,066 on week days and 14,593 on Sundays. This is a decrease of 5,683 on the number recorded for the previous year. The total Expenditure. expenditure on the Museum was £684 5s. 5d., showing a decrease of £1,326 17s. 8d. on the expenditure for 1893.

APPENDICES.

62. The tables which follow this Report show in detail the operations of the Tables. Department during the year.

The following is a list of the Appendices

Report of the General Inspector.

Reports of the District Inspectors.

Reports.

Examination papers given in December, 1894, to candidates for grammar Examination school scholarships, and to teachers and pupil-teachers.

papers.

Department of Public Instruction,

22nd March, 1895.

[L.S.]

ROBT. PHILP.