E.—l

cent.), and for manual instruction in connection with 61 per cent, of the public schools. The percentages for the several education districts were as follows : — Elementary Manual Handwork. Instruction. Auckland ... ... ... ... ... 76 52 Taranaki ... ... ... ... ... ... 72 71 Wanganui ... ... ... ... ... ... 91 78 Hawke's Bay ... ... ... ... ... ... 77 59 Wellington ... ... ... ... ... ... 75 47 Nelson ... ... ... ... ... ... 58 38 Canterbury ... ... ... ... ... ... 83 61 Otago ...' ... ... ... ... ... ... 100 86 Southland ... ... ... ... ... ... 88 71 The number of public schools (2,355 in all) at which approved classes were held was—for elementary handwork, 1,898 (an increase of 105), and for manual instruction, 1,445 (an increase of 47). In the lower standards hand-and-eye training is given through the media of constructive work in paper and cardboard, modelling in plasticine, and design and colour work with crayons or water-colours. In the higher standards these are supplemented where practicable by various forms of manual training, such as woodwork, ironwork, cookery, laundry-work, dressmaking, and various branches of elementary science, including agriculture and dairy-work. Woodwork and cookery are taught mainly on the centre system, there being now nearly ninety well equipped buildings for instruction in these subjects. In the larger centres these take the form of special manual-training schools; elsewhere suitable accommodation is provided in the local technical school, secondary school, or district high school, as the case may be. The cost to the Government of the conveyance of pupils to manual-training centres was £6,335. During the year 657 classes (an increase of 70) for wood or iron work, and 1,001 classes (an increase of 72) for domestic subjects (cookery, laundry-work, and dressmaking, associated in most cases with suitable instruction in home science) were held. The instruction is for. the most part given by special teachers, stationary and itinerant, seventy-three in number (woodwork 34, average salary £202; domestic subjects 39, average salary £139). Increased attention continues to be given to subjects bearing on. the home, and the teaching staff now includes a number of well-qualified teachers, many of whom as holders of home-science bursaries have completed their course for the diploma or the degree of home science at the Otago University. The number of classes for elementary agriculture was 1,446, an increase of 64. The instruction, which includes observational and experimental work in connection with school gardens and plots (combined in certain districts with elementary dairy-work), is supervised by specially qualified itinerant instructors, eighteen in number (average salary, £336). Special courses bearing on rural life, with in the case of girls a domestic trend, were carried on during the year in connection with the secondary departments of 63 per cent, of the district high schools (sixty in number) as follows :—

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District. Number of Schools. Number of Pupils. Capitation earned. Auckland Taranaki Wanganui Hawke's Bay .. Wellington Canterbury Otago 6 204 3 109 6 147 3 138 6 214 8 211 6 187 £ 1,416 704 808 1,035 1,313 1,381 1,137 Totals, 1916 38 1,210 £7,794 Totals, 1915 37 1,225 £7,687