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Mr. Pirani moved, as an amendment, That this Conference employ an official reporter. By leave of the Conference the motion and the amendment were withdrawn, and on the motion of Sir William Russell the Chairman was authorised to employ clerical assistance. Mr. Mackenzie moved a motion which was subsequently altered to read as follows: " That, in the opinion of this Conference, the Education Committee's recommendations regarding the expenditure of the ordinary building vote, adopted by the House of Representatives two years ago, have proved to be unsatisfactory in practice, and the Conference recommends that the same be repealed, and that the power formerly enjoyed by Education Boards regarding erecting new or adding to existing schools be restored." At this stage the Conference adjourned till 4 o'clock p.m. On resuming, consideration of Mr. Mackenzie's motion, which was seconded by Mr. Talbot, was proceeded with. After some discussion the motion was carried. The Conference then adjourned till 10 a.m. on the following day.

Wednesday, 13th September, 1905. The Conference resumed at 10 a.m., Mr. Russell (Chairman) presiding. There was a large attendance of delegates. The Inspector-General of Schools and the Secretary for Education were present, also Mr. F. C. Westall, an additional delegate from Hawke's Bay. Mr. Rice moved, That the Inspectors be asked to consider the subjects named in the items 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 13, 14, and 17 of the Interim Order Paper of Tuesday, the 12th September, and to submit motions thereon for the consideration of the Conference. Item No. 5 was withdrawn by leave of the Conference, and the motion as amended carried. On the motion of Mr. Pirani, item No. 2 was also referred to the Inspectors, with the addition of Mr. George George. On the motion of Mr McDonald, seconded by Mr. Luke, it was resolved, That an Inspector of Technical Instruction of the Colony be invited to be present at this Conference, with the right to discuss matters but not to vote. The Conference divided on the motion, which was carried. On the motion of Mr. Hill, seconded by Mr. Rice, the Conference then proceeded to deal with the motions handed in as they had reference to the items on the Order Paper. Mr. Pirani moved, and Mr. Hill seconded, That it is desirable all the school books and requisites used in public schools should be supplied by the State, pupils providing only books for home lessons. After some discussion the motion was carried. A motion, moved by Mr. Pirani and seconded by Mr. Hill, That the matters referred to in the foregoing resolution be referred to the Inspectors to bring down a motion, was lost. Mr. Bagnall moved, That the attention of the Minister be called to (a) the difficulty of obtaining suitable teachers for small country schools; (6) the need for fixing a minimum salary for teachers of schools under fifteen average attendance; (c) the need for providing a more liberal grant for the conveyance of children to and from schools according to the necessities of each case. Mr. Westall seconded the motion. It was agreed to take in the form of a motion, after Mr. Bagnail's motion had been dealt with, an amendment proposed by Mr. Pirani. Mr. BagnalPs motion was carried unanimously. Mr. Pirani then moved, That section 55 of the Education Act be amended so as to give to Education Boards the power to purchase and maintain out of the Board's funds vans for the conveyance of children for use in districts where it may be possible to adopt that system ; that a minimum grant of £1 5s. per week be made in respect of any contract in connection with conveyances; and that the three-mile limit be reduced to two miles. Mr. Fleming seconded the motion. After some discussion Mr. Pirani, by leave of the Conference, withdrew his motion in favour of a motion by the Rev. Mr. Barclay as follows: " That in case of small groups of children in isolated places, the Board be authorised by law to make the best arrangements they can in the direction of conveying such children to suitable schools in the vicinity, the Department meeting minimum expenses." Mr. Howell seconded the motion, which was carried. The Conference then adjourned to 2.30 p.m. The Conference resumed at 2.30 p.m., the Chairman presiding. The Inspector-General of Schools and the Secretary for Education were also present. It was agreed to invite Mr. Justice Cooper to be present at the Conference. On the motion of Mr. Pirani, it was resolved, That this Conference recommends that section 57 of the Education Act be amended to provide for the transfer or exchange of teachers when such course is considered necessary in the interests of the schools affected. Mr. Westall moved, That it is desirable that the payment on average attendance be abolished and a fixed salary substituted; which was seconded by Mr. McDonald. Mr. Gray suggested a motion in a somewhat different form, which was accepted by Mr. Westall, but which was withdrawn temporarily. A letter was received from the Right Hon. the Minister of Education, thanking the members of the Conference for the invitation to be present at the Conference, which, his parliamentary duties permitting, he would be pleased to attend. At the request of the Chairman the Inspector-General explained some of the provisions of the Education Act Amendment Bill now before the House, copies of which were distributed among delegates. The following motion by Mr. Gray was then considered: " That it is desirable that the payment on average attendance alone be abolished, and that in estimating the salary of a teacher the chief determining factors should be (a) efficiency, (b) literary qualifications, (c) length of service, and that average attendance play but a small part in the computation."