E.—s

Finance. —The statement of receipts and expenditure sent herewith shows that we opened the year with a credit balance of £4,211 Os. Iod., while at the end of the year the balance to credit was £699 16s, id. This is not, however, to be taken as indicating that the Dunedin Technical School Board has departed from its careful and economical policy, for during the year under review there were taken from the Board's own funds £2,549 for building and £1,507 expended upon the farm, while a larger sum than usual has been required for the purchase of material. The Board is indebted to tiro Otago University authorities for their liberality in granting free places to leading students in English, physics, and chemistry; to the public bodies and the general public for the liberal support accorded the school. Thos. Scott, Chairman. Extract from the Report of the Milton Technical School Board. Classes in book-keeping, typewriting, and shorthand were held for a period of twelve weeks, and were attended by fifteen pupils. Painting and beaten copperware classes were held in the technical buildings at the District High School for three terms of ten weeks each, and had a membership of eight pupils each term. The total income from the classes, including the balance from the previous year, was £116 Os. 4-d. The expenditure amounted to £62 7s. 5d., leaving a credit balance of £53 12s. Ild. J. R. Laing, Secretary. Extract from the Report of the Director of the Dunedin School of Art. During the year instruction was given to 498 students, made up as follows : Day students, 162; evening students, 104; pupil-teachers attending afternoon classes, 80; pupil-teachers attending Saturday classes, 32; teachers attending Saturday classes, 12; students in training, 108. Day students were provided with every facility to pursue a systematic study of art and art crafts. Free drawing and light .and shade from the flat, the round, from common objects, plant form, landscape, and life were methodically dealt with, the subjects being as closely associated as possible. Study of the antique and life were correlated with anatomy. Design, instrumental drawing, and perspective were provided for. Painting in oil, water colours, and pastel from still-life, life, and landscape showed constant progress. Modelling from life and the antique; relief work in leather, wood, pewter, copper, and stone; enamelling, jewellery, stencilling, &c, were prosecuted as successfully as the limited amount of material obtainable permitted. Students of the School of Mines were instructed in instrumental drawing, free sketching of mechanical details, and a course of drawing leading to sketching from nature. During the year an arrangement was come to which places the control of the teaching of drawing in the Otago Boys' High School under the direction of the School of Art. A class in outdoor sketching was also provided for Columba College for girls. The number of evening students was again seriously affected by war conditions, the increasing drain upon young men of the ages of twenty and upwards being very apparent. A wide range of art and art-crafts subjects of a similar nature to those enumerated above for day students was provided. The attendance was broken by the constant succession of war alarms and victories throughout the year. Excellent work was done at the life classes. Classes in painting in enamels on china, in painting on glass, and in leadlight work were successfully inaugurated. The interest displayed by the retail trade in the classes in ticket and showcard writing was maintained, as was also the revival of interest in art needlework. As in previous years, Saturday afternoon classes in painting were held, to provide opportunities for evening students to obtain daylight experience in colour. City and suburban pupil-teachers and probationers were provided with instruction twice weekly. The year's work, judged by examination results, was eminently satisfactory. On Saturdays provision was made, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., for the instruction of teachers resident outside the city. Pupil-teachers, probationers, and uncertificated teachers were afforded assistance in preparing for- their examinations, but a general effort was made to equip teachers with a thorough knowledge of the special drawing connected with handwork taught in the schools. Design, colour-work, brush drawing, modelling, brickwork, cardboard work, light and shade, plant study, &c, were all provided for. An experiment in the direction of widening the horizon of students in training was attempted during the year. Wherever possible the work was done from nature—outside, from landscape, in fine weather, and indoors from life when it was impossible to work in the open air. The result was decidedly encouraging. The interest of the students was maintained throughout the year; the standard of work done was higher and the educational value of breaking down imaginary barriers was evident. Under the present very complete system of instruction provided by the Board for pupil-teachers and probationers students almost invariably have passed their Class D examinations in drawing before entering the Training College. It is satisfactory to feel that the system adopted is succeeding in holding the interest of students and resulting in solid progress. For senior students in training a course of colour work and teaching method was provided. The annual exhibition of the School of Art was held in conjunction with the autumn exhibition of the Otago Art Society in May. A very complete and varied range of examples of the work of students in art and art crafts was offered for public inspection, and the Press comments were very favourable. In the annual students' competition held by the Otago Art Society in November, pupils of the Dunedin School of Art carried off prizes in still-life in water colour, and in art craft work in metal. t> tt t^R. TTawcrtdge, Director.

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