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Boys' High School. In spite of the fact that the sum of £500 was contributed towards the extinction of the on the school buildings and £159 was expended on additions to the workshop, the Boys' High School Maintenance Account shows a profit on the year's working of £80, due chiefly to the increased revenue from the endowments. I propose to reduce during the present year the debt on the school buildings by a further sum of £500, bringing it down to £4,000; and 1 hope in the course of a few years to extinguish this debt also. Girls' High School. During the past year the overdraft on this account, which tit the Ist January stood at £2,090, was reduced to £1,365, a saving of £725 on the yen's transactions. During the current year I hope to see the overdraft still further reduced by at least £500, in spite of the fact that the salaries of the teaching staff have been increased by £230. The receipts from school lees and capitation for free-place scholars last year reached £2,815. as compared with £2,325 received in the previous year, and £2,042 in 1908." School of Art. The financial position of the School of Art is far from satisfactory, the year's work resulting in a loss of £515. The students' fees fell from £655 in 19011 to £170 last year, a decrease of £179, while the amount received from Government giants decreased by £139. The decrease in fees was primarily caused by the withdrawal by the Government of the free passes allowed to teachers in the country to enable them to attend the Saturday classes. The grant to the school funds from the Museum, Library, and School of Technical Science Endowment Fund, which in 1904 was reduced from £600 to £500, in 1907 to £450. and in 1909 to £300, should if practicable be increased next year. This should be possible now that the revenue of the Endowment Fund has increased by £280. Museum. The Museum Account commenced the year with an overdraft of £507, but the receipts from Government of the grant of £400, promised in the previous year, improved the position, and at the end of the financial year the debit balance had been reduced to £46, and I hope that the end of the current year will show a credit balance. Public Library. The position of the Library Account was considerably improved during the past year. In 1909 the account showed a loss for the year's working of £517, whereas last year the overdraft was reduced by £108. The subscriptions to the circulating department exceeded those of the previous year by £136, while the income from the James Gammack Estate rose from .£575 in 1909 to £750 last year. This improved position is due to the change that was made in the amount of the subscription, and if the policy thus outlined is adhered to, 1 hope that in a comparatively short time the finances of this institution will be in a much more satisfactory position. The Library sinking fund, established for the purpose of paying oil' the mortgage on the Library buildings, will, at the 30th June next, have exceeded £400, and this amount I propose to pay off the loan during the present year. Museum. As will be seen from the report of the Curator, a large number of valuable donations have been received during the year, not the least valuable and interesting being the manuscript of the " Piraki " log, which has been deposited for safe keeping by Mr. F. A Anson. Much interesting matter, bearing on the early history of the province, has already been collected by the Early Colonists' Committee, and is only waiting for suitable space to enable it to be exhibited. In connection with this movement for preserving the records of early Canterbury, it must be remembered that events of importance occurring at the present time will, in another quarter of a century, be unknown to the younger members of the new generation, and energy should be devoted not only to obtaining records of the past, but to preserving important records of the present. If such a view be kept steadily to the front as years roll on, that section of the Museum will be both historical and educative. The rearrangement of the whale-skeletons, which I mentioned in my last report, is now completed, and the space thus rendered available is being filled with the cases of New Zealand birds, mounted in natural surroundings. Not only does the scheme give a pleasing and improved appearance to the room, but the arrangement and setting-up of the birds proves of great value to art students and others in acquiring a fuller knowledge of the ornithology of New Zealand. The extension and completion of this scheme will be of great educational value to all bird-lovers. The exhibits, generally, suffer from overcrowding, and this is especially noticeable in the ethnological room, where lack of space prevents many of the newly acquired exhibits from being shown to advantage or placed in position. Unfortunately, owing to an oversight when the control of the Museum was handed over to the Board of Governors, the fee-simple of the land on which the building stands was not vested in Canterbury College, and the anomaly exists of a substantial building, containing a very large amount of valuable exhibits, standing on land belonging to another body. The Domain Board, in which the site is vested, is strongly opposed to the transfer of the fee-simple from itself to Canterbury College, and in view of the anomaly mentioned above, and the fact that additional land will soon be required for the extension of the main building, it will be necessary that, when legis

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