8.—2.

" 4. Riding-horses and bicycles are excluded from the means of conveyance on account of which the allowance will be made. " 5. The Government wil make the same allowance in every approved case, and the Boards, it is hoped, will endeavour to arrange so that a possible excess in one case shall be met by a saving in another. " 6. The allowance will be made at the rate of 6d. for each return trip, " return trip " meaning the conveyance of the child to and from school on one day. " 7. The Minister will be prepared to consider on their merits cases of ferrying and other special cases not covered or contemplated by these rules, and to make such allowances as the circumstances in each case may seem to require. "8. A similar allowance of 2s. 6d. a week may, on the approval of the Minister, be granted in aid of the board of a child who, through impracticability of conveyance, has to live away from home in order to attend a public school. " 9. Claims for payment of allowances are to be supported in each case by the head teacher's certificate in the form annexed. " 10. This circular is in substitution for the previous circular upon the same subject, which is accordingly cancelled." [4th June, 1907.] 1 n future no payment will be made for the board of any child unless such child has attended school at least 80 per cent, of the possible number of half-day attendances. If a child has been entered on the roll of a school during the quarter for which the claim is made, information to that effect should be given on the claim for the allowance." [sth June, 1909.] Conveyance, of School-children. —In 1908, £11,248 Bs. 10d., made up as follows, was paid for conveyance of school-children —viz. : (1.). Railway fares of pupils attending public schools, £2,868 ; of pupils attending private schools, £1,183 ; of holders of free places attending district high schools, £1,043 ; of holders of free places attending secondary schools, £1,488 11s. ; and of pupils, including holders of free places, attending technical schools, £2,760 10s. (2.) Grants for conveyance of schoolchildren by road and water, £1,905 7s. 10d.—viz., Taranaki, £12 14s. 3d. ; Wanganui, £98 Bs. 6d. ; Wellington, £275 17s. 6d. ; Hawke's Bay, £15 16s. 3d.; Marlborough, £23 os. 6d.; Nelson, £65 7s. 9d.; North Canterbury, £352 12s. ; South Canterbury, £327 2s. ; Otago, £434 3s. ; Southland, £300 6s. Id. Board of School-chiUrm.— ln 1908 £57 7s. 6d., made up as follows, was paid for board of schoolchildren whilst attending public schools : Wellington, £2 10s. ; Nelson, £6 ; _ Westland, £1 10s. ; North Canterbury, £11 ss. ; South Canterbury, £25 7s. 6d. ; Otago, £10 15s. School Journal. School papers comparable with the School Journal are published by the Education Departments of Victoria and South Australia. In New South Wales and Queensland there are similar publications, but these are ventures of private firms. The school papers of Australia are not, however, distributed free. In its aims and in the character and the sequence of its articles the School Journal differs very materially from the school papers above referred to —it aims at being instructive rather than recreative ; the courses are more clearly denned, and are upon more rigid lines ; and in the sequence of the articles it is a " continuous " reader rather than a " miscellaneous " reader. Though the policy mapped out for the Journal debars it from giving a preponderance of attention to current topics, no matter how important in themselves these may be, it still serves to bring the pupils into touch with events and ideas of the present time, and helps to gratify a desire for general information. Moreover, the information can be supplied in a more flexible form than is possible within the limits of an ordinary reader. The Journal thus forms a link, and an important one, between the " miscellaneous or non-continuous " reader and the supplementary " continuous " reader. It resembles the ordinary class reader in that more than one theme is dealt with, and it resembles the supplementary reader in that a theme can be followed farther than it can in the ordinary reader. For the current year (1909) the following courses have been adopted in the several Parts of the Journal: Part I (for Classes I and II) — Continuous fairy tales based upon New Zealand and Polynesian mythology ; nature-knowledge regarding common and well-known creatures ; glimpses of other lands and of the children of other lands ; simple stories in New Zealand history ; glimpses of land and sea. Part II (for Classes 111 and IV)—Stories in New Zealand history ; geographical glimpses of New Zealand ; people who watch over us and work for us (elementary civics) ; stories in British history ; fauna of New Zealand ; elementary lessons in hygiene. Part 111 (for Classes V and Vl)— Combined geography and history of the continents, with special reference to the British dominions ; Britain's sea story ; civics—State institutions, their|functions and history ; hygiene ; stories of the constellations ; nature calendar for New Zealand ; genera.] geographical information regarding New Zealand. There is also a fair amount of historical romance. In a monthly publication such as the School Journal it is not always possible to insure that every number shall contain a portion of every series of articles, but care is taken that the continuity is broken as little as may be. The publication of serial articles is sometimes held over, too, for the purpose of drawing attention to matters of immediate interest — e.g., Antarctic exploration, Empire Day, Arbor Day, &c. So far as the Department is able to ascertain, the Journal is eagerly looked for and heartily welcomed by the pupils, and the increasing and comparatively large number of sales to private schools shows that it has been received with favour by others than those for whom it was primarily intended. Apart altogether from whatever value it may possess as providing instruction in geography, history, &c, comin» as it does into the hands of the children each month it possesses a freshness and creates in the mindsof the pupils an expectancy that is a great incentive to reading. That the Journal has already proved to be a healthy stimulous to reading, and has in other ways produced beneficial results, will be seen from the reports of the Inspectors of Schools.

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