Calendar: 1888-1889 Page 686

678 REPORT its own expenses in all respects But the debt of nearly 000 for which interest has to be paid to the College remains heavy burden on its resources and diminishes unduly the remuneration of its staff The Council cannot but hope that this debt will before long be cleared off by the liberality of the friends of female education -In the Civil Service Department the numbers of students are as follows Male Div Men Clerks 320 Boy Clerks 128 Excise ora 85 10 Boy Copyists and Tel Learners 31 Div II 574 50 Female Div III Female Clerks 230 Fern Tel Learners and Sorters 182 624 412 1036 In the present circumstances this report is very satisfactory Men Clevis Examinations had until last year been held regularly three times year without single intermission for eleven years but since January 1887 only one examination has been held and there is no immediate prospect of another Of the last two half-yearly Excise Examinations one was omitted and the next which should be held in May is also to be omitted That the classes should be so well attended in such discouraging circumstances and that including the Female Classes which again show an increase there should be an inert ase of nearly 70 in the whole department is strong testimony to the genuine vitality of this work