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Of the 121 pupils whose names were on the roll, 24 came from the Auckland District, 4 from Taranaki, 9 from. Hawke's Bay and Gisborne, 34 from. Wellington, 1 from Marlborough, 4 from Nelson, 1 from Westland, 26 from Canterbury, and 18 from Otago. There were twelve of the above who attended as day pupils, eight boys and four girls. The remainder boarded at the school. By the end of the year the erection of an open-air dormitory at the Boys' Home was well under way. This has been planned to accommodate thirty boys, and will entirely do away with anything in the nature of overcrowding, and should greatly promote the well-being of the boys. Steps were also taken in the direction of installing the electric light at the Boys' Home, the provision of which has been greatly needed, especially in winter-time. We are now able to obtain electric power for lighting and domestic purposes directly from the Lake Coleridge plant. A scheme is being prepared for making use of the current for cooking purposes, laundry-work, pumping, &c. The health of the pupils during the year was on the whole very good, and the school-work suffered very little on account of illness until the outbreak of the influenza epidemic in October. Several of the staff and practically all the pupils contracted the disease then, but fortunately there were no serious cases amongst them, though the school had to be closed for a week, and for some time the attendance was much below normal. Two of the cases admitted on. trial at the beginning of the year were subsequently transferred to the Special School at Otekaike, it being apparent that their condition was due not to deafness but to feebleness of intellect. Two others who had suffered from defective speech were returned to the public schools after having received a course of instruction in articulation. In addition to these cases three stammerers were treated, all of whom made good progress in overcoming their disabilities. The affliction of stammering is a very painful one to the sufferer, and is an extremely severe handicap to him in every walk in life. It is a habit which can only be cured by implanting in the mind of the sufferer correct ideas as to the mechanism of speech, and by diligent and painstaking effort on the part of the sufferer himself. Excellent advice as to the treatment of stammering and of other speech-defects may be found in the late Alexander Melville Bell's '' Principles of Speech," and in the same writer's " Faults of Speech," which are published by the Volta Bureau, Washington, D.C. It is on the lines indicated by this distinguished phonetician that the work in speech-correction at this school is carried on. In addition to the classes for woodwork that were taught at the school fifteen boys attended the Technical College for instruction in woodwork. Very creditable work was done by them. The boys also received training in gardening and in general farm-work. The girls were taught dressmaking, laundry-work, cooking, and domestic economy Some particularly good work was done by the pupils in the dressmaking class. Despite a somewhat unfavourable season, farming and gardening operations were very successfully carried on at the school, and a plentiful supply of milk, fruit, and vegetables was obtained all the year round. The total value of the home supplies thus raised, including sales of surplus produce, was £574 2s. 3d. for the year. These results are made possible by the growing of lucerne, which grows splendidly on the light sandy soil of Sumner, and supplies abundance of green fodder and of excellent hay. The lucerne plots at the school were visited during the. year and favourably commented on by visitors from all parts of the Dominion, and an exhibit of lucerne grown at the school attracted much attention at the Christchurch Agricultural and Pastoral Show. The medical inspection of schools has revealed the presence of very many partially deaf children in the public schools, and a number of such cases have been brought directly under the notice of the Director. In a number of these it has been necessary to point out to the teachers the absolute necessity of placing these children in the centre of the front row of the classes to which they may belong, in order that they may be in the most favourable position for hearing the teaches: and the other pupils. The importance of this will be apparent when it is remem-

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