E.—s.

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Statement of Receipts and Expenditure for the Year ending 31st December, 1913, in respect of Special Glasses conducted at Timaru and Winchester, by the South Canterbury Education Board. Receipts. £ s. d Expenditure. £ s. d. Gr. balance at beginning of year .. .. 338 17 9 Salaries of instructors .. .. .. 79 7 0 Capitation on special classes, Winchester .. 5 7 0! Office expenses (including salaries, stationPees .. .. .. .. .. 500; cry, &c.) .. .. .. .. 13 10 7 Advertising and printing.. .. .. 0 17 0 Lighting and heating .. .. . ■ 2 11 11 Material for class use .. .. .. 21 16 0 Janitration .. .. .. .. 211 0 Refund fees .. .. .. ' .. 511 6 Furniture, fittings, and apparatus .. 22 11 i Or. balance at end of year .. .. 200 8 5 £349 i 9 £349 4 9 J. A. Valentine, Secretary. Extract from the Report op the Managers of the Timaru Technical School. With the close of the present year the school celebrates the thirteenth year of its existence, and the Managers have again to report a very successful year's operations. The school started work for the year on the 10th March, and continued till about the middle of October. Altogether 438 individual students joined the school during the year, and the following list gives the number entered for each class: Building-construction, 17; wood-carving, 8; millinery, 19; cookery, 66; woodwork, 45; dressmaking, 47; drawing, 14; plumbing, 22; wool-classing, 25; typing, 70; shorthand (junior), 47; shorthand (senior), 31; Standard VI, 12; elocution, 21; book-keeping, 72; commercial arithmetic (junior), 41; commercial arithmetic (senior), 51; matriculation-work, 9; electricity, 6; home nursing, 16; ambulance-work, 29; sheep-shear-ing, 11; painting, 20; commercial English (junior), 41; commercial English (senior), 45. The entries show a good increase on last year's figures, and compare very favourably with the attendances in other towns of the Dominion. One hundred and seven free students attended the school during the year —sixty-six junior and forty-one senior. When it is taken into consideration that most of these students are at work during the day, and that taking up a free place means attendance at the school on two three, or four evenings during the week, it is a splendid sign that so many students do take up free places voluntarily. There are so man}' influences nowadays to distract young people's attention from attendance at technical and continuation classes —local picture-shows and other distractions. Compulsory military training also considerably interferes with the attendance of the male students. On the whole the attendance of the free students was exceptionally good; very few failed to make the number of attendances required by the Act. During the year the Managers met ten times and attended to every detail in connexion with the school. Visiting committees were appointed each month, and official visits were paid to different classes whilst at work. The Technical Inspector, Mr. E. C. Isaac, paid a visit of inspection to the school on the 18th August, but, as lie was engaged on exhibition business, he did not have an opportunity of seeing all the different classes at work ; however, he expressed himself as satisfied with what he had seen. At the close of the session examinations were held in the different subjects and certificates were granted to deserving students. No examination was held in plumbing on account of the fact that the Plumbers' Registration Board now examines all plumbers who wish to qualify for licenses; a number of our students sat for this examination. Nine students sat for the Standard VI examination; four gained proficiency certificates, and three gained competency certificates. In the City and Guilds of London Institute Examination held last May Mr. Duncan Menzies gained a pass in Grade II plumbing, and Miss Dora King gained a first-class certificate in dressmaking. Twenty candidates sat for the Senior Free Place Examination, and they were all granted Senior Free Places by the Department. As the South Canterbury Art Society had arranged to hold an exhibition of pictures in the school, it was found impracticable to have an exhibition of work done by the students, as has been done in past years. The art exhibition opened on Tuesday, the 14th October, and closed on the 30th October. The exhibition produced a great display of pictures from some of the best artists in New Zealand; it was well patronized by the public, the different rooms being crowded every night and during the afternoons. The exhibition must have had a very beneficial effect, first, in educating the public of Timaru in matters connected with art, and, secondly, in advertising the school. In response to an application sent to the Department on the Bth July, 1912, asking for increased accommodation in the way of providing a room for teaching wool-classing, a sum of £250 was granted on the 18th June, 1913. For this amount an up-to-date wool-room has been erected on the west side of the present building. The room is complete with all necessary appliances and apparatus, and it should prove of great benefit in carrying on classes of such importance to the community. The room has been specially lighted with the idea of carrying on classes during the daytime, and it is hoped to be able to inaugurate such classes during the incoming session for the benefit of farmers' sons and others. As in previous years, definite courses of instruction have been carried out involving attendance at classes in related subjects on one, two, or three evenings per week. The courses carried out were a domestic course, a trades course, a commercial course, and an arts course. The domestic course, consisting of English, arithmetic, dressmaking, millinery, cookery, and domestic economy, was well attended, and there can be no question as to the value of the practical instruc-