29

B.r- 5

GREY. Extract from thjs Report of the Education Board. Technical Instruction. —By the receipt of a grant of £75 for the instruction of teaohers, the Board was enabled to establish Saturday classes for teachers, and to assemble the teachers during the midwinter holidays for some days' training , . The Board has reason to believe that the money thus spent is wisely spent —in fact, if the scheme were extended, good results would follow.

WESTLAND. ExTBAOT FROM THE REPORT OF THE EDUCATION BOARD. Manual and Technical Instruction. —Ten school classes in handwork, recognised by the Education Department, were in operation during the year. The lower classes of a number of other schools have received instruction in handwork. The capitation received serves as a contribution to the cost of material and text-books supplied by the Board. The special class in woodwork carried on in a special building attached to the Kumara School has continued in operation, and closed the year with twenty-five students. Of these, twenty-one are pupils of the Kumara Public School. The school class in woodwork attached to the Hokitika District High School was closed at the beginning of the year owing to the death of the instructor. It was reopened in May under the direction of the headmaster, and has iucluded twenty-two pupils of the school. The Saturday classes for the instruction of teachers in physics and chemistry were continued until the 28th May, and were then closed. A further vote for the instruction of teachers has been received, but has not yet been applied to the purpose for which it was granted, as the Board is awaiting a reply to an application for a grant for a building to be devoted to practical science and cookery. When this is received, the Board will be able to decide as to the manner in which the vote will be expended. Report of Woodwork Classes at Kumara and Hokitika. Kumara. —This class at the end of the year consisted of twenty-five pupils, of whom twentyone are from the Kumara Main School. The instructor is Mr. G. A. Bell, and the progress of the class continued satisfactory. The use of the pencil and compass receives attention, but no systematic correlation with solid geometry it attempted. Statement of Account!!. Beceipts. £ s. d.. Expenditure. £ c. d. Balance, Ist January .. .. .. 712 8 Salary i f insiructor .. ~ .. 61 8 6 Fees of students .. .. .. 312 0 j Balance, 31 t December .. .., .. 12 11 8 Government capitation .. .. .. 61 8 6 Sale of furniture .. .. .. 17 0 £74 0 2 j £74 0 2 Hokitika. —Owing to the death of the instructor at the end of the previous year the class remained closed until May, when it was reopened under the direction of Mr. H. G. Wake, 8.A., headmaster. The instruction has been very thorough, and has included full instruction in solid geometry in connection with the exercises in woodwork. The class closed with a roll-number of twenty-two. Statement of Accounts. Receipts. £ s. d. Expenditure. £ s. d. Balance, Ist January .. .. .. 415 0 Salary of instructor (1903) .. .. 9 10 Grants from Eduoation Board .. .. 1 8 0 j Tools and appliances .. .. .. 14 8 4 Government oapitation .. .. .. 9 1 0 | Advertising and carting .. .. .. 03 0 Grant from High School Board .. .. 5 0 0 I Balance, 31st December .. .. .. 614 2 Pees of students .. .. .. 4 10 0 Sale of planes .. .. .. .. 512 0 £30 6 6 ; £30 6 6

north canterbury. Extract from the Report of the Education Board. Manual and Technical Instruction. —To the several centres previously actively engaged with technical or school classes, that of Kaiapoi was added during the year. The subjects taken have not differed materially from those of previous years, and the prominence mentioned in the last report as being attached to dressmaking lias been sustained. There has been some increase in the number of school classes compared with 1903, and good work has been done at many of the schools. The requirements of the new syllabus have no doubt deterred some teachers from commencing handwork. The space at the Board's disposal in this report hardly permits of any lengthy reference to the circumstances which have led up to the unsatisfactory position of the Christchurch technical classes. Briefly, the facts are as follows: In September, 1904, the Board of Managers gave up its management of the classes on the ground of insufficient and unsuitable accommodation. In order to prevent the classes from falling through, the Education Board agreed to carry them on temporarily, at the same time expressing the opinion that without the necessary financial assistance the work could not be placed on a satisfactory and permanent footing. The Board's appeal to the local bodies failed to elicit that support which the subject deserved, and as a consequence there is still much uncertainty as to the continuance of the classes. As the capitation paict by the Department is not sufficient to meet the expenditure entailed by the appointment of a director, whose services are indispensable if technical work is to be carried to a successful issue, the Board