39

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of this policy of reducing the claims upon the Department as much as possible the Board has during the year, as the statement of accounts shows, purchased necessary appliances and apparatus from its own funds. In accordance with the suggestion of the Inspector of Technical Instruction, an Advisory Board for the engineering classes was set up, consisting of the following gentlemen : Messrs. J. B. Shaddock (representing the Ironmasters' Association), M, Moloney and fi. Walker, jun. (Amalgamated Society of Engineers), and T. Scott (Technical School Board). Similarly an Advisory Board for the plumbing classes, constituted as follows, was brought into existence : Messrs. J. Harrison and F. E. flarridge (representing the Plumbers' Union), C. S. Jenkins and T. R. Christie (elected by the union of employers), and T. Scott (Chairman, Technical School Board). A question which has frequently been considered by the Managers was broughl before them again during the session, and definite action in the matter was taken. It has repeatedly been affirmed that free pupils must recognize their responsibility in receiving free technical education; it should be part of their training to learn that a benefit received from the State demands this recognition. Too many pupils in the past have failed to keep up their attendance, and thus the College has lost capitation, while still obliged to keep up a large and expensive staff. To check this tendency on the part of those who thus shirk their duty the Board lias passed the following regulation : " That all applicants for free places in technical classes under the Free Place Regulations be required to deposit the sum of 10s., the same to be refunded at the end of- the year in all cases in which the free student makes at least 80 per cent, of the possible attendances." The very large question of the reorganization of the elementary-school system in order to provide for earlier differentiation of study than prevails at present was raised by the Christchurch Technical School Board, and their suggestions were fully considered by this Board. The Southland League also wrote asking for joint action in seeking more liberal treatment for technical colleges than now prevails. While recognizing that there was need for a reorganization of the whole educational system of the Dominion in order to avoid the overlapping which at present so largely exists, and to bring the whole into a harmonious scheme —which should embrace every department of education from the kindergarten to the university—the Board did not consider that the question should be attacked piecemeal, and was not in full agreement as to the question of earlier differentiation. The Board considers that the whole problem should be taken into consideration by the Government. The Board has had under consideration the advisability of erecting a hostel for girls, as well as an assembly and recreation hall and gymnasium. While both are wanted, the latter is the more pressing need, and the architect has prepared plans of a, building suitable for physical exercises and recreation purposes. The statement of accounts for the year shows that the balance to credit at end of year was £1,855 18s. 10d., but outstanding cheques and other liabilities amounted to approximately ,£IOO. Thos. Scott, Chairman. Angus Marshall, Director. Extract from the Report of the Director of the Dunedin Technical College. For the year 1916 the total enrolment for all classes was 1,519 individual students. Of these, 315 attended the Technical High School, and were distributed over the various courses as follows: Domestic course —First-year girls, 16; second- and third-year girls, 24. Agricultural course —First-year boys, 20. Industrial course —First-year boys, 25; second- and thirdyear boys, 10. Commercial course—First-year pupils, 31 boys, 1.00 girls; second-year pupils, 9 boys, 56 girls; third- and fourth-year pupils, 24 girls. The pupils seeking instruction in commercial subjects numbered more than two-thirds of the total enrolment for the full-day courses, and this largo proportion, may be taken to represent the general tendency throughout the Dominion. The great demand upon our day school for training in commercial subjects, the conspicuous success of our students in the Government shorthand-typists' examinations, and the large number of important positions secured by the pupils of our day school, may all be regarded as tributes to the efficiency of the commercial training given in the Technical College ; but the fact that so few of our girls are prepared to undertake the full domestic course is certainly not a matter for congratulation. Although the girls attending the commercial course are required to attend for instruction in one or more domestic subjects, this training is not to be regarded as by any means equivalent to that received by girls taking the full domestic course. Further, strange as it may seem, sometimes the mother of a girl applying for admission to the day school objects to her daughter's learning either needlework or cookery; and usually such a mother, when informed that one of the two subjects mentioned is compulsory, generally decides to send her daughter elsewhere for her general education, and to the school of adversity or bitter experience for the training in domestic subjects. It is gratifying, therefore, to find that other educational institutions, in order to counteract this tendency, are taking advantage of the opportunities afforded by the Technical College, by arranging with us to hold morning or afternoon classes suitable to the requirements of their scholars. Under special arrangements the pupils from Columba College, St. Andrew's College, St. Hilda's College, the Convent and Catholic Schools, and also the domestic science students from the University, received instruction in cookery in muscimol during the year just ended. The day classes offering a preliminary training in the various branches of engineering are now on a, very satisfactory basis, and when the equipment for the steam-room and the engineering laboratories (costing approximately £1,600) can be obtained from Britain the provision for instruction in engineering will be fairly comprehensive and quite up to date. Referring to agriculture, I have to point out, although we have appropriate courses in ironwork and farm blacksmithing, woodwork, science and agriculture, wool-sorting, &c,