E.—s

46

one in the mar future. A lively interest was taken in the class, many farmers voluntarily donating fleeces. Thirty students enrolled. The success of this class should be an encouragement to provide further instruction for farmers. It is probable that a winter school for young farmers would be BUCCessful here. Mi. B. C. Isaac, Organizing Inspector for the Education Department, visited the school in November. In December an exhibition of school-work was opened by F. Pirani, Esq., Chairman of the Wanganui Education Board. This was in every way successful, the small charge for admission clearing all expenses, and its main object, that of making the work of the school better known, was achieved. Voluntary contributions to the school have during 1908 amounted to £173 12s. 3d. This includes the amount gained from the annual concert. The total number of individual students enrolled during the year has been 813. Marton.—Classes have been held here in vocal music, dressmaking, millinery, wood-carving, woodwork, book-keeping, and commercial law. with a fair anmunt of success. It is hoped that the young people of the township during 1909 will in large numbers show their appreciation of the establishment of a technical school in their midst. Bull's.—Successful dressmaking and millinery classes were conducted here, but, owing to lack of accommodation, no further classes were held. The new building is now ready, and better results should be reported during this year. Taihape. Only wood-carving classes were conducted in this township for the same reason as in Bull's. Here again a forward movement will be made. Huntervili.e. —The following successful classes have met during the year: Wood-carving, vocal music, dressmaking, and millinery. Turakina. —A home nursing class, attended, among others, by many Maori girls, should prove beneficial to the future life of those privileged to have worked under Nurses Pitt and Creech. I have to thank the staff, who have at all times and under all circumstances worked so well; the students, who, almost without exception, have conducted themselves admirably ; and the Press for its readiness to make the school known. Northern District (Mr. Browne). The names on the rolls in the various centres of the Northern District numbered 808 for the year. The individual students numbered 598. It will lie seen from the numbers given that the domesticcourse subjects are well attended, particularly the dressmaking classes. However, that 40^^ cent. of students take dressmaking is hardly a subject for congratulation, and a strong effort is beingjnade to put subjects of the agricultural course on a better footing. Until we succeed in this we cannot consider our technical i lasses as supplying the needs of a district such as this. On the whole, the fees were distinctly too low. Owing to the dearth of suitable instructors in the various centres, the travelling-expenses of those employed amount to a considerable sum. No change has taken place during the year in the matter of buildings. Thoroughly up-to-date technical schools are in use at Eltham and" Patea, and it is hoped that early in the new year Hawera and Manaia will be similaiU provided for. I could not conclude this report without referring to the splendid way in which tinlocal directors have worked to make the classes a success. They have given themselves whole-heartedly to the work. Southern District (Mr. Fossey). The Fielding Technical School was opened on the 11th March by the Hon. George Knwlils, Minister of Education ami Health; but, on account of lack of fittings and the building itself being incompleted, classes were not opened till the 16th April. The building contains the following rooms: Mam building, ground floor : Cookery room, commercial room, girls' room and lavatory, and Director's office. °First floor : Chemical laboratory, balance room, art room, and mechanical-drawing room. Auxiliary building: Woodwork and plumbing workshop. These rooms, however, are not fully equipped at the present time, as it is only during the present month that the Department has supplied funds which will enable the Board to furnish the art room with seats and desks, the room still lacking teaching-models of machinery details. For the first term the following classes were opened and very successfully carried on : Plumbing, book-keeping, shorthand, painting, English, arithmetic, metalwork, wood-carving, dressmaking, chemistry, and mathematics—these classes being attended by 119 students. In June the following additional classes were commenced: Machine-drawing, cabinetmaking, geometry and model-draw inu. cookery, book-keeping and commercial arithmetic, Maori, and a matriculation class, which classes were again augmented in September by classes in cabinetmaking and typewriting, which were attended by 190 pupils. The number of pupils actually admitted duringTthe year was~l92 individuals, and the average attendance for the year was 130. During the month of November a course of lectures on subjects dealing with agriculture was arranged for and delivered by the following gentlemen : Fruit-growing, 30th October, Mr. Boucher ; poultry-keeping, 6th November, Mr. Hyde ; milk, 13th November, Dr. Mason ; improvements of pasture lands, 20th November, Mr. Gillanders. These lectures were attended by an average attendance of thirty persons, and were very greatly appreciated by those who were able to attend, and, in my opinion, this is the best means of reaching the farming community on matters affecting the improvements of methods of farming. Attendance : The attendance of students at all the classes (except cookery, which class fell off altogether at the end of the first term) was very satisfactory, the average attendance for the last month of the term being 132, as compared with 138 for the month of August, which was the highest average for the year. Woodwork Classes : Five classes of boys attended this school for this subject: District High School, three classes ; Lytton Street, one class ; and one