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Mr. A. Cordon Macdonald, Director of the Westport School of Mines, to the Under-Secretary, Mines Department, Wellington. Sir,— Westport, 2nd April, 1908. I have the honour to report that the class attendance of the Westport School of Mines at the main school, and at the branches at Denniston, Granity, and Millerton, has been only moderately well maintained during the past year. The total average attendances were as shown in the following table :— Mathematics .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2-3 Drawing .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2-4 Mineralogy .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 3-5 Applied mechanics and steam-engine .. .. .. .. .. 1-2 Surveying; .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..1-7 Chemist I .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2-7 Assaying .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 5-2 Geology .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..1-1 Mining .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2-1 Metallurgy .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1-0 The total number of students on the roll lor the year was forty-six, of whom ten presented themselves at the annual School of Mines examinations held in December last. The results of these examinations were as follows : First class, three certificates ; second class, eight certificates ; third class, four certificates. One student, Mr. S. Hayes, obtained full marks in mathematics at the junior examination, also top marks for the Dominion in vent ilat ion (senior examination). Mr. Hayes, with 187 marks, and Mr. J. Milligan, with 144 marks, receive the Australian Mining Standard prizes for the highest aggregate of marks in the examination. Mr. K. Ross, an old student and an active member of the school, has passed his examinations for a second-class engine-driver's certificate, and Mr. Charles Mann, also a former student, has passed the Gove ment examination as a battery-superintendent.* During the year seventy gold assays, eleven coal assays, and twenty-eight assays and determinations of various minerals and rocks were made, a total of 109 in all. Chief among these were assays of different copper-ores from .Mount Radiant, including bornite and chalcopyrite, also cerussite, glauber salts, galena, antimony, and molybdenite. A petrological microscope has been ordered from England, and fills a long-felt want in the detection and determination of minerals and rocks. The Mines Department has kindly granted a subsidy for its purchase. In conclusion, I wish to thank all those who have given assistance to the school during the past year by the use of rooms, presentation of books, magazines, mineral and rock specimens, &c. I have, &c, A. Gordon Macdonald, 8.E., Acting Director.

Mr. .). Henderson, Director of the Reefton School of Mines, to the Under-Secretary, Mines Department, Wellington. Sir,— Reefton, 3rd March, 1908. I have the honour to report as follows in regard to the work of the Reefton School of Mines for the year 1907 : — Classes were conducted from March throughout the year in mathematics, surveying, mining, metallurgy, assaying, and chemistry. The class in mathematics, which was well attended, was quite elementary. The classes in surveying and mining were conducted to suit the syllabus of the minemanager's examinations, as were those in metallurgy and assaying for the battery-superintendent's. Several students sat for these examinations, but the results are not yet to hand. In the beginning of 1907 Mr. W. M. Durant was successful in obtaining the School of Mines scholarship offered for the West Coast. For the examinations at the end of 1907 only five students sat, and none did very well. The attendance for 1907 was as follows : First term, '21 ; second term, 34 ; third term, 25. During the year 152 assays were made for the public for gold, and twelve for other metals ; nineteen coal analyses were executed, and the nature of thirty-two samples determined. I have, &c, J. Henderson, M.A., B.Sc, A.0.5.M., Director.

Professor James Park, Director of the Otago University School of Mines, to the Under-Secretary, Mines Department, Wellington. Sir, — University of Otago, Dunedin. I herewith submit my annual report on the Otago University School of Mines for the year 1907. The mining school showed an attendance of twenty-one students, of whom nineteen were matriculated students of the University of New Zealand. Of the twenty-one registered students, six attended one subject only—namely, one in assaying and five in geology.