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includes dairy science, agriculture, woodwork, metalwork, surveying, dressmaking, cookery, and laundry-work ; and, realizing that the farmer also needs to have some knowledge of accounts, the directors of the course last year included a class in book-keeping, conducted by an expert. The dairy class last year performed individually a large number of experiments on the properties of milk, butter, cheese, and rennet, and on the causes and prevention of defects in the quality of these ; and received lessons on such important subjects as the care, feeding, and physiology of the cow, and the manufacture of butter and cheese. They visited the Stratford Butter-factory and the Ngaere Cheese-factory, spending several hours at each, and taking careful notes on the various processes they observed. In the case of wood and metal work, the course pursued is chosen especially with a view to its practical utility on the farm. Instruction is given in mending common articles, and in making things in common use, in hammering out links for chains, in making, mending, and setting up wooden and iron gates, and so forth. The agriculture class during the past year conducted experiments on the effects of manures in common use on various pasture grasses, and on the spraying and pruning of fruit-trees. A good deal of time was devoted to work in the glasshouse, where grape-vines are in their second year, and much benefit was here derived from the instruction and advice of Mr. McMillan, a local amateur expert in viticulture, who kindly paid several visits to the school. On the principle that no man can work well unless he is fed well, the girls in the cookery classes received competent theoretical and practical instruction in all branches of ordinary useful everyday cookery, and in the economical purchase of supplies. Laundry-work was taken, and the work in this subject will be further amplified and extended next year. Extract from the Report of the Director of the New Plymouth Technical College. During the year technical classes were held at the following centres : New Plymouth, (368 students), Stratford (70 students), and Inglewood (75 students). Also, in connection with the scheme for providing instruction for farmers, classes in agriculture and dairying were conducted in various country districts. In spite of the difficulty in securing capable instructors this scheme worked out splendidly, and is perhaps worthy of a word or two of explanation, Briefly, the farmers combined for the purpose of paying part of the salary of the instructor. Nineteen dairy companies agreed to pay Is. per ton on the output of butter and 6d. per ton on the output of cheese, and the money thus raised was used as part salary of an instructor, who lectured to the various companies in rotation, and also visited farms for the purpose of giving practical advice. During the year about five hundred farmers attended the lectures ; and if each one received only one hint which might enable him to increase his output or to curtail expenses, he was well repaid for the small amount of money which would represent his share of the expenditure. As stated, the great difficulty in connection with this scheme was the obtaining of suitable instructors. It seems to be necessary that there be some central institution in New Zealand wherein agriculture and dairying instructors can be, trained. From this training centre, and by means of the trained instructors, the requisite information would be spread right through the country to the individual farmers and their sons. The principle of trying to educate the young farmers by requiring them to attend at a central college is, I think, a wrong one. I believe a much greater amount of good to a far greater number would result from using the central institution as a training college from which controlling authorities could obtain instructors when required. I have to express my gratification at the manner in which the various dairy companies took up the matter. I think it represents the most advanced point yet reached in co-operative methods. '' The day classes in connection with the New Plymouth Technical College continue to increase. The appointment of permanent instructors proved most satisfactory. The increased attendance quite justified the Board's action, and the quality of the work done showed that good selections wore made. The fitting-up of the engineering workshop was carried out entirely by the boys under the supervision of the instructor, and they made an excellent job of it. The boys showed keen interest in their work, and many of them give promise of becoming first-class engineers. One of the difficulties in connection with the engineering class is the fact that time put in attending the class does not count towards the time of apprenticeship. I think it only just that three years' attendance at the day classes should be reckoned as equivalent to at least two years' apprenticeship. The commercial class was conducted on practical lines, and all the senior pupils received good appointments at the end of the year. There is an increasing demand for third-year commercial students, who can obtain employment at a higher rate of payment than others. Although the evening classes were not as well attended as they should have been, yet there was an increasing desire on the part of employers that their staffs should take advantage of the opportunity to obtain instruction. Several employers expressed their willingness to pay part or all of the fees for boys employed by them. At the various examinations held during the year students from the school were successful as follows : Plumbers' Examination : One student. City and Guilds Electrical Engineering : Grade 1, one student; Grade 2, one student. Teachers' D Certificate Examination : One complete pass and one partial pass. Public Service Entrance : One student. Intermediate Examination : One student. In general the work was conducted on the assumption that a technical school is a place where specialized instruction is given to enable the students to progress more rapidly in their respective trades or professions ; hence the work was made to approximate as closely as possible to trade conditions. I am aware that this is not altogether the generally accepted view of the function of technical schools ; but I am convinced that this principle will have to be adopted before the public will give technical education that whole-hearted support which it deserves.

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