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carried on the work until the end of the year. Just about the same time Mr. C. T. Cox, senior commercial master, relinquished his position on the staff to commence business on his own account in town. It was with regret that his resignation was received. Mr. H. Burdekin, from the staff of Wellington Technical College, succeeded him to the position. Mrs. Taggart, instructress in dressmaking, resigned at the beginning of November, and Miss Smith'undertook some additional work till the end of the year. Regarding the various departments and classes in operation I have the following remarks to make:— Art Department. —This department was conducted by Mr. Seaward. It is pleasing to note that the position of this department is a great improvement on what it was in 1913. We have had considerably more students and the attendance has been better, so that, instead of finishing the year with a loss, as in 1913, this department can show a very fair credit balance. It should be noted that Mr. Seawards time has been very fully occupied during the year, for not only did he have morning and afternoon art classes for adults, but he instructed in drawing in several classes in the day school, besides taking classes at the Girls' College. In addition, he had evening classes four evenings per week, as well as teachers' Saturday classes ; and after Mr. Andrews left he took the classes in modelling. Applied Art Department. —This may be considered about the most unsuccessful year of this department since its initiation. The attendance was rather poor at the beginning of the year,«nd when Mr. W. Andrews left the classes fell away rapidly. For the last few months of the year not more than eight or ten individual students attended. There is no doubt that it was the ardour and enthusiasm of Mr. Andrews that kept the classes together. Mr. Frank Tarrant, who was really one of the senior students, did his best for the balance of the year, but was unable to increase the attendance. Classes in applied art have done so well for some years past that a decline in attendance was only to be expected. In technical as in other work there are cycles of success and interest, and we must iook for periods of inactivity. It must be remembered, too, that this department has no nucleus of students as is the case in the art department, where there will always be the day pupils and the teachers. Besides, the fees are heavier, and the cost of material is no small item. When these facts are borne in mind, the instructor must have a burning enthusiasm to keep his classes filled. It is hoped that the arrangements being made for next year (1915) will result in the applied art department soon being once again amongst the most prosperous departments in the school. Commercial Department. —The instructors in this department during the year were Mr. C. T. Cox (A.N.Z.A.A., F.R.A., N.Z.), Mr. H. Burdekin, Mr. James Inkster, Misses Bamber, Inkster, and Davey. The bookkeeping classes, though considerably smaller than usual, were very successful, as the examination results show. It is to be regretted that the senior class was so badly attended during the year. lam of opinion that both the junior and the senior bookkeeping classes should meet two nights per week instead of one as at present. This would enable more thorough work to be done and a better classification could be made of the students. It is proposed during the coming year to hold a special class for students wishing to obtain, the bookkeepers' certificate granted by the Now Zealand Society of Accountants. The shorthand classes are larger than ever, and we hope to hear soon of many successes in the Pitman's examination held early in December. Miss Davey was appointed at the beginning of the year to assist in the typewriting-room. We hope next year to have twenty machines, and thus allow the shorthand and typewriting classes to be conducted independently of r each other. It seems to me that we should have enough students to enable us to have a typewriting class for four evenings a week instead of two only as at present. Of the thirty-six students who sat for the Pitman's examination in December, 1913, thirty-one were successful in passing. Engineering Department. —This department is under the management of Mr. E. Crow, Assoc. Memb. A.S.C.E., assisted by Mr. F. Jackson (chief marine certificate). The enrolment and attendance showed an. improvement on the previous year. A good deal needs to be done still in the matter of grading our students. One source of trouble has been that the evtmings on which the classes are held, especially the practical classes, do not suit all students, so that on one night there may be a congestion of students in the workshop, and on another it may be almost empty. We were unable to remedy this last year. But with time and an improved financial position such defects will undoubtedly disappear. Tt appears essential, however, in view of the increasing number of students, that the workshop should be open three nights per week. It was very unfortunate that no class could be held in magnetism and electricity during the past year. There were many inquiries for such a class among students, but it was impossible to procure an instructor in the town. If we had a science master on our permanent staff this difficulty would disappear, and there would be a probable source of revenue available. There were no candidates among evening students for any of the examinations conducted by the City and Guilds of London Institute. Domestic Department, —(a.) Cookery : Two classes in this subject were held during the year under Miss B. Mollison. As usual there was a class for nurses, attended by about nine nurses. This class lasted for one term only. The other class commenced in the second term and continued until the end of the year. The attendance was not large, mainly because students willing to join could not agree upon an evening suitable to all on which to hold the class, (b.) Dressmaking and millinery : The enrolment in these classes was a great improvement upon that of the previous year, though not so large as we were led to believe would be the case under the new instructress. A. good feature about the dressmaking classes was that the attendance increased towards the end of the year, and at the time of closing the school it was at about its maximum. As the services of Mrs. Taggart were utilized in connection with the district high schools in the Central District, Miss. E. Smith*carried on the instruction in dressmaking during the year.

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