9

X—4

must be provided in the near future. An infirmary or general-hospital block, on bhe lines 1 indicated in ♦he plan I submitted-to you some months back, will also be necessary in the near future, where the many ordinary ailments so common to our children may be satisfactorily dealt with. That we shall not be immune from that most persistent associate of feeble-mindedness—tubercu-losis—is apparent from what has occurred during this year. We have had two cases of active tubercular trouble this year. Both cases were sent home for treatment, as our present facilities for isolation and open-air treatment do not permit of such cases remaining here. Inexpensive bungalows, adapted T to the needs of these unfortunates, will form a portion of our requirements in the near future. It will be interesting to compare the weights of the 31 children who were in residence on 31st March, 1910, with their respective weights on 31st March, 1911, as shown in the following table :

Scholastic and Industrial Training. We are severely handicapped in our attempts at school teaching and indoor manual occupations by the fact that we have no separate school buildings or industrial workshops. At present we utilize four separate rooms in different parts of the institution. This lack of centralization is apparent. Effective supervision is very difficult under these conditions, and. ;is the buildings are a considerable distance apart, much time is lost in transferring children from place to place for the various forms of instruction. Yet, despite these drawbacks, good work has been done by the teaching staff. The smaller children, in the kindergarten class, do not improve by leaps and bounds, but rather by slow and plodding steps. The principle underlying all the training in the school is essentially the awakening of the dormant faculties of the children through the senses. In this section of the school many subdivisions into small classes of perhaps three, four, or five children are necessary, according to the varying mental capacity and intelligence of the boys. Music drawing, colour-work, paper-folding, claymodelling, articulation, nature-study and walks, simple manual occupations, sense-training exercises, physical exercises and imitation drill, sewing, &c, form the chief occupations offthis department if the school. The middle division of the school contains the low-grade cases who are incapable of attaining any degree of proficiency in reading, writing, and arithmetic. Following out the theory of the development through the awakening and training of the sense-organs, the greater part of their day isjspent in suitable manual occupations, weaving, plaiting, mat-making, and basketry. The upper division of the school consists of high-grade children who are capable of deriving benefit from the ordinary scholastic curriculum. Very good work has been accomplished by this division. In this connection the case of one boy is worthy of special mention, seeing that when he came to the school, somewhat over twelve months back, he did not know his letters. It was a very proud moment for the little fellow the other day when he penned the first letter to his mother. The industrial training in farm, garden, stable, stores, living and dining rooms, the preparation of food, and the washing and ironing of the clothes, afford scope for the activities of a certain section of the children. Under the capable direction of the garden staff much valuable work in the shape of format ion of new roads. kitchen-gardens, and ornamental grounds has been accomplished. This kind of employment is very well adapted to the elder boys, and they are becoming quite useful in it. taking an intelligent interest in their work. lujthe manual branch we are now making our own door-mats and baskets. The progress made in this work is necessarily very slow, but we shall not only be able to supply our own wants, but also. as our numbers increase, supply the needs of kindred institutions. Recreation. Our phonograph afiords constant amusement for the children. Music lends its stimulus to all the senses, and it is astonishing to hear boys, when going about their work, singing a few lines of a song or humming, more or less correctly, fragments of a tune which have been acquired without any effort

2—E. 4.

Age. Date of Admission. Weight on n ■ Admission. Galn - II Age. Date of Admission. Weight on . Admission. '" 22 17 13 24 20 23 21 13 13 15 14 16 12 18 8 19 18/1/09 1/5/09 1/5/09 19/1/09 23/7/09 5/2/10 13/1/10 5/2/10 7/7/09 i:s I in 22/4 09 3/2 09 24 9 09 8/7/09 1/5/09 24/11/08 St. n>. lb. 7 !i 20 9 7 Left. 5 8 10 7 e 4£ 9 I 6J " '! H 8 I IO| 5 8 14 j 5 3 23| 6 11 11 4 6 30f 5 J 32| 3 11 14} 3 12 9" 2 8 164 7 6 m 17 20 18 15 19 15 14 12 L8 8 II 10 15 <i I'd /. 1/5/09 13/1/10 5/2/10 10/6/08 13/1/10 10/11/08 4/2/09 13/1 10 •SI 10/08 18/1/10 1/5 09 5/2/10 17/12/09 13/1/10 5/2/10 St. lb. lb. 7 6 26 6 1 11J 5 11J 10 4 I 2«J 9 9 13| 3 9 Homo. I 1 Home. I 6j 14J I ii 19 3 5 9J 1 I L9f 3 IO| 10J 4 9| 19 J 2 7f 9{ i> 5 Left.