8.—5

80

Day and evening classes for adults, as noted below, have been established and directly controlled by the Board. The figures show the number that attended each class.

These classes have proved extremely successful. The Board records with pleasure the hearty local interest evinced and support accorded in connection with the most of them, and believes there is good ground for anticipating for them similar success in future years. The financing of these country classes for adults must, however, always be a serious consideration, as, after providing for the emolument of the teachers employed, there is but little, if any, margin from the fees and capitation to meet contingencies. The total number of pupils receiving instruction at the School of Art was 643, including 116 day students, 176 evening students, 133 day students of the Technical School, 139 teachers attending Saturday classes, 33 teachers attending week-day classes, 41 teachers attending special branch classes at Oamaru, 100 Training College students, and 13 teachers attending a special course to prepare them for their certificate examination. Training-classes for teachers were carried on as follows : Dunedin—Drawing, design, brushwork, modelling, cookery, needlework, dressmaking, physiology and first aid, agriculture (elementary and. advanced), vocal music, elocution, and physical training. Oamaru —Drawing, design, brushwork, modelling, elocution. The capitation received for all manual and technical instruction classes during the year was £2,615 6s. 7d., or £580 2s. 3d. more than for 1910. The advisability of introducing at the district high schools in this district the Department's scheme of rural instruction was considered by the Board in 1910, but in consequence of the disfavour with which it was regarded by the majority of the School Committees and headmasters concerned the Board did not deem it prudent to proceed with it at that time. The question was, however, reopened in June last, when it was found that the attitude of the School Committees and headmasters had so altered that they had withdrawn all opposition to the scheme, and were prepared to give it the very heartiest support. The Board accordingly decided to make arrangements for the introduction of the schime at the beginning of 1912. The work of initiating the scheme has been very heavy, involving as it has done the drafting of suitable programmes of instruction, the appointment of two qualified teachers in agricultural science, one teacher in woodwork, one in cookery, and one in dressmaking, besides the erection of the following buildings : Balclutha —cookery and science rooms, and enlarging of woodwork-room ; Tokomairiro— cookery and science rooms, and alteration of woodwork-room ; Lawrence—woodwork, cookery, and science rooms ; Mosgiel —science-room ; Tapanui —woodwork, cookery, and science rooms. All these buildings are now in course of erection. A grant for the necessary rooms at Palmerston has not yet been sanctioned by the Government. As may be inferred, the cost of providing the abovementioned technical rooms has been large, and the acknowledgments of the Board are due to the Government for the favourable consideration accorded to the applications for grants in connection therewith that the Board has found it necessary to make. As much expedition as was possible has been exercised in the erection of the buildings, but much yet remains to be done before the scheme can be considered in proper working-order. So far, however, the prospects are most encouraging, and the Board believes it is not too optimistic in expecting from the scheme, when fully inaugurated, the most beneficial results. Owing to the public-spiritedness of local bodies and private persona at Roxburgh, Alexandra, Clyde, oromwell VJ and Naseby in agreeing to provide for two years half the salary of an instructor in rural science, the Board was enabled to engage a third agricultural instructor, whose work will be confined exclusively to the goldfields district. The following is a summary of the receipts and expenditure in connection with the special and school classes for manual and technical instruction for the year 1911 : Expenditure —maintenance (salaries, material, &c), £3,696 18s. Bd. ; buildings, fittings, and apparatus, £630 13s. sd. : total, £4,327 12s. Id. Receipts —from Government: capitation, £2,615 6s. 7d. ; buildings, fittings, and apparatus, £678 2s. 4d. ; fees, £549 2s. 3d. : total, £3,842 11s. 2d. Dr. balance for year, £485 os. lid. Extract from the Report op the Inspectors of Schools. In most of our schools some form of handwork or manual training is undertaken, and in most cases deftness and mechanical accuracy are being developed very satisfactorily. The various subjects taken up lend themselves admirably to the cultivation of the power of oral expression, a phase of the work that is not receiving its due share of attention at the hands of the teachers. Observation, drawing, and manipulation must be supplemented by oral expression of what is to be done, how it is to be done, and why it is to be done, before manual training produces its full educative result. In order that the benefits of instruction in woodwork and cookery might be extended to pupils in the rural schools in North Otago, the Department sanctioned full day courses in these branches for that centre. This enabled the Board to engage additional teachers for these subjects, and at the same time to extend the instruction tc pupils in some of our southern schools. We wish to express our gratitude to the Inspector-General for his personal interest and valuable advice in connection with this movement. During the year the Board, after consultation with the Committees and head teachers of five of our district high schools, decided to introduce into these schools a course of instruction that will have

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