51

E.- 5

In October, Mr. J. T. M. Ilornsby was granted leave of absence, and Mr. D. E. Leslie was appointed to act temporarily as Director-secretary. Having been returned as member of Parliament for the Wairarapa, Mr. Hornsby forwarded his resignation to the Board of Managers in January last. Special acknowledgment is made of the financial assistance rendered to technical education by the Masterton Trust Lands Trust and the Masterton Borough Council. The Managers wish also to thank the staff for its loyal co-operation and the Press for its unfailing courtesy and valuable assistance on all occasions. W. H. Jackson, Chairman. Statement of Receipts and Expenditure for the Year ended 31st December, 1914, in respect of Classes at the Masterton Technical School. Receipts. £ s. d. Expenditure. £ s. d. Capitation on olasses .. .. .. 170 14 0 Dr. balance at boginning of year .. .. 32 14 5 Capitation on account of free plaoes .. 79 6 0 Salaries of teaching staff.. .. .. 620 5 6 Subsidios on voluntary contributions .. 91 13 3 Material for class use .. .. .. 23 19 8 Bents .. .. .. .. .. 20 5 0 Bont and repairs .. .. .. 15 19 10 Foes and other class paymonts .. .. 172 14 6 Caretaker .. .. .. .. 30 0 0 Sales of material .. .. .. 210 0 Lighting and heating .. .. .. 34 10 2 Voluntary contributions .. .. .. 125 3 0 Insuranco .. .. .. .. 810 0 Dr. balance at end of year .. .. 230 16 9 Office expenses .. .. .. .. « 99 12 2 Advertising and printing .. .. .. - " 9 10 0 Stamps and stationery .. .. .. "2 9 0 Telephone .. .. .. .. 0 19 Cartage .. .. .. .. 0 5 0 Bank charges, auditor, &c. .. .. 3 10 0 Interest on overdraft .. .. .. 3 9 6 Furniture, fittings, and apparatus .. 2 6 0 £893 3 0 £893 3 0 W. 11. Jackson, Chairman ) ~, t, .. , '. ~ a . of Managers. D. E. Leslie, Acting-Secretary) ° HAWKE'S BAY. " Extract from the Report of the Inspectors of Schools. A good deal of attention has been given during the year to woodwork, elementary agriculture with gardening, and physical measurements for the senior boys, cookery, dressmaking, and home science for the girls, with other forms of handwork for junior and preparatory pupils. Mr. Loten, the director of this work, desires much credit for the vitality shown in all schools where special classes are recognized. During the year 605 of the senior boys received separate instruction in woodwork, 1,960 in elementary agriculture and dairying, 500 girls in dressmaking, 580 in cookery, and 9,404 pupils were instructed in various forms of handwork such as modelling, brush drawing, &,c. All the subjects are much appreciated by the children, yet their extension to the schools outside the larger centres of population is but slow. Subjects such as aro taken in schools like Napier, Gisborne, Hastings, and other important centres cannot be tried in the smaller schools under present arrangements. It is certain, however, that classes for the training of boys and girls attending country schools in woodwork, elementary agriculture, cookery, dressmaking, and home science would be of especial value if the necessary funds were available for their establishment. We should like to see the grants for fostering this form of instruction so arranged as to make such classes as are suggested here possible. Several of the lady teachers in charge of country schools have come to recognize the importance of instruction in home science, and one of the plans adopted might advantageously be extended, if funds were available. A formal kind of lunch is arranged for the benefit of all children who stay at school during the midday recess. A movable table is fixed on trestles. This is covered with a white table-cover, the children sit round the table and partake of tea, or cocoa, each pupil having his own cup, which is kept at the school. Lunch over, cups are washed and put away, the room is swept, dusted, and tidied by the senior girls, who undertake the duty according to a rota. The general effect is very good and deserves encouragement. It is worthy of remark that gardening and milk study (theory and practice) claim increasing attention, and quite a number of schools obtain prizes at the agricultural and horticultural shows in open competition. The Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Association encourage the show of school exhibits, but it is suggested that by admitting all forms of children's handwork for exhibition and competition, such as dressmaking, darning, cookery, woodwork, along with garden-produce, grasses, &c, a great impetus would be given in the schools to manual training under the Department's regulations. At Gisborne instruction in cookery has gained greatly by increased attention to the theory of the subject. The woodwork-rooms operate satisfactorily, but we should like to find each class with a discriminating knowledge of the tools in use. A fine lot of useful articles was observed at Woodville. Great interest has been shown in swimming in centres like Gisborne, Napier, Hastings, Dannevirke, and Woodville, where school baths or public baths are available, and it has been possible to award certificates of ability to swim long distances and to render first aid to the drowning or apparently drowned. Extract from the Report of the Director of Manual and Technical Instruction. Handwork. —With the exception of the household schools some form of handwork was taken up by all the schools in the district. In the lower classes the branches,of work recognized by the Department were modelling, crayon drawing, paper-folding, and stick-laying, whilst in the upper standards