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Extract from the Report of Dean of Faculty of Home Science, Otago University. I am glad to be able to report a satisfactory year's work in spite of the difficulties we had to contend with last year in the way of inadequate rooms and shortage of equipment and material. Now we have brighter prospects to look forward to; the alterations and additions to Studholme House are complete, and the home-science buildings are rising higher every day. Forty-live students and four of the staff are in residence at Studholme House, as against thirty-six students and four of the staff last year. Sixty-one students (compared with fifty-fivo last year) are taking either the degree or diploma this year, and four others are taking special courses. Wo have now very ample dining-room accommodation at Studholme House, an exceedingly nice open-air study, two more bathrooms, an ironing-room, a pantry, and nine more bedrooms. All the latter are already occupied. Three degree and five diploma students finished the course last year, of whom six have been appointed to good positions. There have again been quite a number of posts which we have been unable to fill, for lack of trained .students. Several lines of work are opening up for which we ought shortly to make provision. There has already been a demand in three directions for ladies trained in dietetics to take charge of the feeding of the patients in nursing-homes; and the Auckland Education Board wants to start a course for those already teaching who are inadequately trained. Several of our former students who have been doing well and have now gained experience have been moved to more responsible positions. j Boys-Smith SOUTHLAND DISTRICT". Extract fhom. the Report of the Inveroargill Technical School Roard. The steady development of the school in all departments has rendered the shortage of accommodation more evident than before, even though two rooms formerly used for manual-training classes have been made available for technical-school purposes. There is still need for more general class-rooms, better laboratory accommodation, and more room for the teaching of applied mechanics and electricity. As, however, it is now understood that the present site and buildings of the Boys' High School will be occupied by technical-school classes when the new High School has been built, there is every prospect that in the near future the school will be able to expand without suffering inconvenience through want of rooms. As many boys and girls travel long distances daily to attend the Technical High School, and others board in town during the week, there is a necessity for establishing hostels for both boys and girls, and it is hoped that a boarding-allowance will also bo provided for pupils, as in the case of primary schools. Until both of these wants have received attention we cannot say that country children have in any way the same educational advantages as those resident in the towns. Technical High School. —The increase in the number of students attending the school has not been so great as in previous years, but it is pleasing to state that, despite adverse labour and economic conditions generally, an increase has again been recorded. The numbers in attendance during the past seven years were: 1912,139; 1913,162; 1914,178; 1915,200; 1916,223: 1917, 271; 1918, 280. The students were enrolled in the different courses as follows: Commercial, 169; domestic science, 42; trades, 53; agricultural, 16: total, 280. The number of boys attending was slightly less than in 1917, the decrease being mainly among country students, but, considering the difficulties under which farmers have carried on through shortage of labour, that was only to be expected. Of the 280 students in attendance, two held junior scholarships and 250 ordinary free places, whilst twenty-eight were paying students. Twelve of those counted among the free students qualified for their proficiency certificates after admission, so that the number of holders of competency certificates enrolled was unusually high. Some of them were still young, and might have remained to advantage in the primary school for another year. The .number of students withdrawn during the year was considerable, and the roll number had decreased by forty-four just before the school closed. In addition to these, fifteen were withdrawn before they had attended for eight weeks, and were consequently not included in the roll numbers given for the year. No exception is taken to the withdrawal of boys or girls who have attended the school for a reasonable time, as many enrol largely with a view to qualifying for occupations, and when they are reasonably fitted to start work they are allowed to leave whenever an opportunity arises of entering into suitable employment. But in order that satisfactory results may be attained from the wage-earning point of view, and from the still more important viewpoint of educational attainment, the average duration of attendance should be not less than two years. I therefore regret that it seems necessary after the year's experience to stress the futility of enrolling a student in the school for less than one year's training.