TECHNICAL CLASSES ASSOCIATION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7971, 24 February 1906, Page 6

TECHNICAL CLASSES ASSOCIATION.

*." ANNUAL MEETING.

The annual meeting of subscribers to the Mastortoa Technical Classes Association was held in the Technical School last night. Mr E. Feist Was in the chair, add there were also present —Messrs W. H. Jhck--800, S. Brown, E. H. Waddington, S. E. Wright, D. B. Morton, A. W. Hogg, M.H.R., 3. Logan, and 0. J. Ashton.

The lalanw sheet the year ■ended December 30th w&ioh was adopted, shwed the receipts for tne ■year to have beea £478 13s 5d tprincipal Items—fees ££3o se, subscriptions Svhich were subsidised ok a £ for Xfesis, £111) Is €d, oapitatiou : on classes £9l 9s 3d), and the ex- > penditute £561 18s 94 (the principal items being—nalarios of instructors ) £406 &9s, furniture, fittings ami ! apparatus £23 9s, office expenses; £4l t'iis 2d, lighting and heating £25 Is lOd, rent £l7 10s, caretaker; £l3 15s). A debit balance **£ £S3 ; was shows. The increase <ot" liabilities over cash assets is JEIS 17s Bd.

trhe annual report of the Managers •stated, iuler alia, that the Mauaijyers desire to express their appreciation of the valuable HssistHnce to the Technical School fcy the Masterton Trust Land Trustee*, who again voted the sum of ■•£100 in aid of the technical classes. Largely owiie to the valuable help • thus rendered hy the Trust, the Managers have been onablea. not only to carry on the work on the lines of previous years, but have also been enabled to enlarge Lhe s«ope of its programme. The thanks of the Managers axe also doe to the .Education Department for the liberal manner in which the school has been dealt with during the past year In addition to the usual captation paymeuts and subsidies on voluntary contributions, grants amounting in all to over £4O have been paid by the Department in aid of apparatus, mater ial, etc., required in connection with the working of the classes. Early in the year an intimation was received from the Masterton Chamber of Commerce stating that they were prepared to offer' prizes to students, attending the technical classes. The Managers gladly accepted the generous offer of the Chamber of prizes (a) for regular attendance, and <(b) for diligence and merit. Taken on the whole the prize scheme has proved an incentive to regular attendance an& steady work on.the part of the pupils.

Free students tinder the Junior Technical Scholarship regulations were admitted to the classes for the first time this year, and the special capitation earned, by these pupils amounted to the sum of £l2 4s.

During the year three terms were held and in all 'fifteen olasses were established in the following subjects: Drawing, painting, modelling, dressmaking, plumbing, wood-work-ing, magnetism, and electricity, woodcarving, English and arithmetic. Civil Service subjects, shorthand, book-keeping, and typewriting. The attendance at the classes during the year was satisfactory, the figures for the three terms being as follows: Average number of pupils on the rolls, 186; Tvhilst the average number attending was 134.-

Two new classes were established during the year in dressmaking, electricity and maguetism, respectively. Miss Gillespie taught the Langer system of dressmaking successfully during the two latter terms of the year, and Mr A. N. Burns, 8.A., was placed in charge of the class in electricity and magnetism, which was well sapported during the whole of the three terms. The examiner of the latter classes expressed himself as being highly satisfied with the creditable nature of the practical work done by the pupils. The Managers r,ropose holding an exhibition of pupils 1 work on Friday and Saturday, 2nd and 3rd March. The Mauagers, last year, referred to the uncertain nature of the tenure of the present site of the Technical School. Unfortunately, no improvement in this respect has yet been made.

The receipts for the year, ending December 30tb last, amounted *to £478 13s sd, while the expenditure fir the same period was £561 18s 9d, thus showing a deficiency of £B3 5» 4d. This, however, does not by any means show the true financial position, as no less than five grants from the Education Department, all in respect of the period ending December/ 30tb, 1905, were not remitted to the Ecbools bank account until earl v m January, and are Dot included in this statement.

Ihe Managers consider that tbey aro justified in regarding the past year at one of the most successful that the School has yet experienced. On the motion of the Chairman, seconded by Mr Wright, the annual report was adopted. On tho motion of Mr R. Brown, 'the retiring Managers, Messrs E. Feist, W. H. Jackson, J. M.' Coradine, and J. B . Keith, were reelected, and the new Manacer elected was Mr E. H. Waddingtou.

Mr Hogg moved, and Mr Jackson seconded, that tho thanks of the subscribers bo forwarded to the Trust Lands Trust and Chamber of Commerce, for their generous cash grunts during the psst year. The motion was carried.

Mr Wright brought under the notice of the meeting the urgent want of some suitable place in tho town, whot'p information regarding the School could bo obtained. The Chairman stated that the Managers would giro tho matter their consideration, and uavo the deficiency remedied. The meeting then adjourned.

MEETING OF MANAGERS,

At n mooting of tho Managers, btlcl subsequently, tho mem hers propent were—Messrs E. Feist, E. 11. Jnckson and E. JJ. Wacldiitetcn. Mr

Feist was re-elected Chairman for tho ensuing year, it was decided to , meet again on Monday evening, to ' wake arrangements for the annual exhibition of work on Friday and Saturday, next.