TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 February 1919, Page 3

TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

DIRECTOR'S REPORT. The following report was presented on Wednesday by the director of technical education (Mr. A. Gray) to the Education Board: New Plymouth.—The day classes reopened on the 4th instant. The numbers in the various classes being: Engineering, 53; agriculture, 4; domestic, 12; arts and science, 15; commercial, 78; total, 107. With the increased staff we are enabled thh) year to conduct a fourth-year commercial class, and several of last year's students have availed themselves of the opportunity of attending. The' domestic class this year will be improved by the addition of a class for teaching the mending of garments. Hawera.—The numbers at this centre are: Commercial, 72; art 3. and science, 20; engineering, 21; agriculture, 4; total, 117. The commercial class requires four more typewriters. I beg to recommend that an assistant, mainly for the teaching of typewriting, be appointed at a salary of £l5O per annum. Engineering. —The engineering equipment applied for last year has not been granted by the department. We were compelled to obtain a small amount of equipment or lose the class. It is very important that the apparatus applied for should bo supplied, aa the class is increasing in size. Domestic—Two more sewing machines are required for this centre. When a technical high school is established, every junior girl will have to take domestic work, and the machines will be essential. The Foresters' Hall, where the commercial class is now taught, is in general very suitable for the purpose. During the year special advanced bookkeeping and accountancy classes will be conducted at New Plymouth and Hawera, and as these can be supplied for a very small fee they should attract a large number of students. MANUAL AND TECHNICAL COMMITTEE REPORT. The manual and technical committee made the following recommendations: That the senior pupils at the Ongarue and Okahukura schools be permitted to attend the manual classes held at Taumarunui, organised by the Auckland Board. That Mrs. Busing's application for increase in remuneration be referred to the Hawera advisory committee for its recommendation. That applications be invited for the position of instructor in typewriting for the Hawera technical class. That a commercial instructor for the Stratford classes be appointed. That application be made to the Department for a grant for the purchase of two sewing machines for Hawera. That the Department's request for additional cutoffices and windows in hall to be rented for technical purposes at Hawera, be referred to the overseer to report to the chairman of the board. The report was adopted.