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Statement of Receipts and Expenditure for the Year ending 31st December, 1909, in respect of Special Classes conducted at Blenheim, Canvastown, and Havehck by the Marlborough Education Board. Receipts. £ s. d. Expenditure. £ s. d. Balance at beginning of year .. .. 68 510 Salaries of instructors .. .. .. 159 18 1 Capitation on special classes .. .. 53 2 7 Office expenses (including salaries, stationery, Capitation on account of free places.. .. 914 6 &c.) .. .. .. .. .". 18 10 3 Training of teachers .. .. .. 120 0 0 Advertising and printing .. .. .. 015 0 Fees .. .. .. .. ..250 Lighting and heating .. .. .. 217 Material for class use .. .. .. 11 14 2 Cleaning .. .. .. .. ..2100 Refund of fees paid by teachers .. .. 14 0 0 Furniture, fittings, and apparatus .. .. 3 12 6 Balance at end of year .. .. .. 40 6 4 X £253 7 11 £253 7 11 E. Hylton, Secretary. NELSON. Extract from the Report of the Education Board. From the report of the Director of Technical Schools it will be noted that satisfactory results have obtained in this branch of education during the year. The number of students attending the various special classes throughout the district shows a substantial increase, whilst in the manual-training classes efficient instruction has been given at the various class centres. The regulations for the control and management of manual and technical instruction in the district were revised and brought up to date, securing a more adequate and improved system of dealing with this now large and important branch of instruction. The Board sanctioned the starting of a technical day-school in Nelson this year, and trusts that the school will be well supported. The thanks of the Board are due to the Department for the very liberal manner in which they have provided grants to cover the cost of equipping the various technical schools with fittings and apparatus, and also to the local bodies who have so generously contributed to the support of the classes. Now that the schools have been provided with suitable equipment, and an efficient teaching staff secured, the Board expects that every attention will be devoted to securing systematic and thoroughly efficient instruction in every branch of the work. The report of the Director sets forth' in detail the work carried on during the year. Extract from the Report of the Inspectors of Schools. Manual and Technical Instruction. —For the figures given under this section we are indebted to the Director of Technical Schools. Elementary handwork was taken in thirty-eight schools, modelling and brush drawing being the branchesjmost generally taken up. The opening of the at Westport has led to a marked development of school as well as technical classes, the children from Westport and from schools along the railway-line as far as Seddonville being assembled for ironwork and cookery. The school classes in ironwork are, we understand, the first of the kind to be instituted in the Dominion, and, besides affording a valuable training, they have proved exceedingly popular with both pupils and teachers. Different subjects of manual training have been taken in forty-two schools. Among the subjects taken up are ironwork, woodwork, cookery, agriculture, swimming, and physical measurements. The Minister of Education recently complimented this district upon possessing in proportion to its size so large a number of schools in which swimming was taught. Though pleased with what has been undertaken, we think that a knowledge of this useful art might be yet more generally imparted, as the time required makes little or no demands upon the ordinary time-table. * In connection with the woodwork lessons the boys in their drawing are now obtaining sound practice in isometric projection. We regret to find that occasionally a parent, through lack of appreciation of these " new-fangled " subjects of instruction, has attempted to debar his child from attending. Where travelling by rail is involved the objector may deserve some consideration, but the usual attendance at a certain room for cookery, woodwork, or ironwork ranks simply as an attendance at any other lesson on the school time-table, and a pupil wilfully absenting himself from any school subject commits a breach of discipline. It is the head teacher's duty, under the jurisdiction of the Board. Io arrange the course of lessons for all his pupils, and pandemonium must soon ensue if choice of times and subjects is left to the pupil. Cookery classes have also been formed for the benefit of St. Mary's (private) Schools, and classes in farm carpentry for the boys of the Stoke Industrial School. Teachers at Nelson received instruction in chemistry, physical measurements, geometrical, blackboard and model drawing, and woodwork. At Westport teachers' classes were formed for blackboard, model and light-and-shade drawing, cookery, and ironwork. At Takaka and Motueka short sessions for physical measurements and agriculture were held. The Technical Department has progressed. New classes in mechanical drawing, building-construc-tion, ironwork and wool-sorting have been inaugurated, and, in addition to other technical and continuation classes, have been successfully carried on, the dressmaking in particular being exceedingly popular. A day class for ironwork students was opened at Westport. and another for trade student? is about to commence operations in Nelson,