7

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College examinations certificates were obtained in the following subjects by students of the Technical School: In freehand mechanical drawing, two first- and nine second-class certificates. In mechanical drawing four students obtained first-class and one a second-class certificate. In elementary mechanical drawing four students obtained first-class and two second-class certificates. In descriptive geometry and setting-out of work ten students obtained first-class and five second-class certificates. One first-class and four second-class certificates were granted in elementary steam, one second-class in the steam-engine (advanced), one second-class certificate in applied mechanics, and one first- and one second-class in mechanics of machinery. Thirteen students passed in Division I. in freehand mechanical drawing, and twelve passed in elementary geometry. There has been a further large increase in the attendances, there now being eighty-seven names on the books, and 426 hour-attendances per week. The steady rate of increase is shown by the following table, which gives the number of students during the first term of each year since the foundation of the school:— Year. 1890. 1891. 1892. 1893. 1894. 1895. 1896. 1897. Number of students ... 40 58 55 53 51 61 77 87 N rctpt h rek ttend l 219 254 308 391 426 Up to the present time 280 students have attended at the school, and 201 certificates have been granted in the various subjects; and a large proportoin of the holders of these certificates have obtained extremely satisfactory positions. lam still of opinion that much could be done by the extension of the scope of the school in the directions indicated in my last annual report. During the year tests have been conducted at the Engineering Laboratory for the Government and private individuals and firms on plates, timbers, oils, cements, and concretes.—Eobt. J. Scott, M.1.M.E., A.M.1.C.E., M.S.A.E., &c, Professor of Engineering." Museum. ~~ : • ■ ■ The curator reported : — " Towards the close of 1896 steps were taken to make the Museum more secure by adding three strong folding inside doors, and placing iron bars over the windows that look out to the back. The skylights of the ethnological and New Zealand rooms were painted on the outside, and the lead was repaired on the main staircase. Steady progress has been made in printing labels. The coins have been finished, the Maori skulls and New Zealand timbers have been relabelled, and the collection of birds has been proceeded with. Although the additions to the collections have not been so numerous or so valuable as they were last year, still we have obtained several important acquisitions by means of exchange. They are as follows : — " Geological Booms. —Bones of the gigantic fossil emus, from South Australia. " Natural History Booms. —Skin of the Australian eared seal; skeleton of La Plata porpoise and several bird skeletons, including an adult and young rhea, a crested screamer, and a penguin. All the mammal stands have also been newly painted. " Antiquity Boom. —A suit of armour, made towards the end of the sixteenth century, and several old swords and rapiers. These have all been placed in a new case. An old English leather bottle and tinder-box, and the cast of an Aztec statuette, the latter being presented by Dr. Hocken. "Ethnological Boom. —A raised map of part of the North American Continent and the Atlantic Ocean. An old Persian saddle and other Syrian objects. Sixteen old Japanese wooden figures. A collection of village pottery from New Mexico, and a collection from Samoa, including a canoe and a complete set of tattooing instruments. " New Zealand Boom. —Skin and skeleton of Apteryx laivryi, from Stewart Island. The arm and hand of a humpback whale. The skeletons of a number of small birds, and of a dolphin obtained from Governor's Bay, and presented by Mr. W. H. Teape; and some North Island moa-bones presented by Mr. H. Hill. "Herbarium. —The New Zealand herbarium has been rearranged and more space allotted to it. A number of mosses have been presented by Mr. E. Brown, and the whole collections of mosses and seaweeds have been mounted. " Library. —Presentations of publications have been received from the British Museum of Natural History, the British Association, the La Plata Museum, the Harvard University Museum, the Brussels Museum, the United States Geological Survey and Agricultural Department, the Smithsonian Institution, the Eoyal Society of Victoria, and the Polynesian Society. The Victorian Government has also presented a copy of Sir F. McCoy's Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria. " An arm-chair, formerly belonging to Mr. E. Gibbon Wakefield, has been presented by Sir John Hall, and placed in the library. —F. W. Hutton, Curator." School op Art. The Art Master reported on the work for the year 1896 as follows: — " As regards the attendance of students and the result of the work the past year has been one of the most successful in the history of the school. "Morning Class. —This class has again made a further advance. Compared with the two previous years the numbers are as follows : —■ First Term. Second Term. Third Term. 1894 ... ... ... ... ... 32 35 32 1895 ... ... ... ... ... 38 32 38 1896 ... ... ... ... ... 38 34 37 In 1887, the year in which I took the headmastership of the school, the numbers were : First term, 18; second term, 9; third term, 17.