8.—5

16

Extract from the Report op the Waipawa Technical School Board. Classes were conducted during the year at Waipawa and Waipukurau. These classes were very successful, the instructors in all cases being conscientious and capable. A cabinetmaking class at Waipawa continued from January to December, the work of the class being carried out enthusiastically through four terms. Included in the class were two returned soldiers receiving free tuition under Government regulations. At Waipukurau classes for book-keeping and shorthand were conducted during two terms. The attendance was so good at the outset that the Board was able to provide the instruction on a class fee of ss. per student per term. There was, however, a falling-off in the attendance towards the end of the course. During the winter classes for wool-sorting were commenced at Te Ante College, Waipawa, and Waipukurau respectively, but owing mainly to the heavy cost of the travelling-expenses of'the instructor, who was required to travel from Napier on three days a week, the classes had to be discontinued. Local bodies having representation on the Board contributed £25 to the funds of the classes during the year. The Board authorized an expenditure to cover the cost of materials required to enable a disabled soldier to learn the art of frcnch-polishing. Gilbert McKay, Chairman. W. Smith, Director. WELLINGTON DISTRICT. „ Extract from the Report op the Director op the Wellington Technical School. The present accommodation is severely overtaxed and is entirely unsuitable. Temporary accommodation is difficult to find in Wellington at the present time, ami it would probably cost little more per annum to provide satisfactory permanent buildings than our present buildings and rented rooms are now worth in the market. The numbers attending in the several departments of the school-work show some increase over those for last year, and the total number of those who entered at the school is a record. The attendance in the Technical High School was satisfactory, and the numbers a record for this school. In the Technical School classes there is a progressive increase in the numbers of girls and women, and a similar, but not so large, decrease in the numbers of boys and men, though the former still constitute less than half of the total. The average class entries at the technical classes were as follows: Art and art crafts, 190; building-construction, 19; carpentry and joinery, 50; plumbing, 59; engineering, 198; science, 389; domestic economy, 155; English, Latin, and arithmetic, &c, 599; commerce, 523; " Amokura " classes, 109 : giving'a total of 2,291, as compared with 2,301 for 1916. The numbers of those who took grouped courses during the year 1917, and attended well enough to earn higher capitation, were as follows: Elementary commercial, 199; higher commercial, 101; science and mathematics, 41; trades, 186; domestic, 23; art and art crafts, 48; returned soldiers, 29: total, 627. Adding 59 "Amokura" boys and 336 Technical High School students, it appears that out of *1,592 students enrolled during the year 1,022 took -grouped courses of some value, a percentage of 643, as compared with 655 for the year 1916 and 674 for 1915. Leaving out paying students in day classes, who were compelled to attend grouped courses, there remain 719 fee-paying students, of whom 223 took grouped courses. The following is an analysis of the numbers of students admitted during the year 1917 : Technical High School— Free students, 326; paying students, 10: total, 336. Other classes: Junior free students— First year, 163; second year, 99; third year, 2; fourth year, 1: senior free students—first year, 114; second year, 70; third year, 31; fourth year, 3; fifth year, 1 : paying students, 719; returned soldiers,. 29; scholarship-holders and others receiving free tuition, 24: total, 1,256, of which number 708 were males and 548 females. In addition the school staff provided instruction as follows: Wellington Boys' College—woodwork and drawing, 65 pupils; Wellington Girls' College—drawing and design, 237 pupils; Training College students, # pubJ.ic-school teachers, and probationers —drawing, blackboard illustration, &c, 117: a total in all of 2,011 students. Classes in art have been conducted with considerable success not only in the Art School itself, but also in the Technical High School, in the Wellington Girls' College, in the Teachers' Training College for teachers in training, and on Saturday mornings for primary-school teachers, and for the Wellington Boys' College on Saturday mornings at the Technical College. The influence of the teaching is therefore widely felt in the primary and secondary school. The science and mathematics, engineering, and building trades classes continue to do satisfactory work in spite of the general inconvenience and inadequacy of our rooms and equipment. The numbers in the commercial and continuation classes are somewhat larger than those for last year, but the proportion who attended for special subjects was larger, and on the whole the volume of work done somewhat less. Class entries for domestic economy were somewhat larger than those for last year, but these classes should be considerably more popular, and would no doubt greatly increase if we had suitable rooms. The numbers in the Technical High School were considerably above those for 1916, and a pleasing feature was that mechanical trades classes received the greatest proportionate increase. There is little doubt that the Technical High School would benefit greatly if we were provided with reasonable buildings. The boys in the carpentry classes did some work for the military authorities. The school raised the following sums for patriotic purposes: Mayoress's Trench Comforts Fund, £31 19s. 6d.; Sick and Wounded Soldiers' All Day Fund, £41 10s.