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The payment of largely increased grants for university education, and of an additional amount to the Workers' Education Association. The development of the work of the branch of the Department dealing with the State care of dependent and delinquent children under the probation system, and the extension of the policy of boarding children out in private homes in preference to increasing departmental institutions for the purpose. Classes for children afflicted with defective hearing or speech, and evening classes for deaf adults, have been established at the large centres, with gratifying results. The compulsory registration of all private schools. THE GENERAL COUNCIL OF EDUCATION. The Third General Council of Education, comprised of representatives of the Education Department, Education Boards, primary-school teachers, secondary- and technical-school teachers, the University of New Zealand, and certain members appointed by the Minister of Education met for its first session in June, 1921. Resolutions passed by the Council dealt with the following among other less important matters: The shortening of the present primary-school course; the curriculum for the new post-primary course ; the establishment of experimental schools of remodelled primary and post-primary types ; the establishment of an experimental school in a rural district; the establishment of farm schools by the Department of Agriculture ; provision for refresher courses for teachers in all subjects, with special reference to the needs of technical and manual-training teachers ; the establishment of correspondence courses for teachers in connection with the training colleges ; the recognition of senior mistresses in mixed secondary schools; the appointment of women on secondary-school Boards ; the domesticscience syllabus in secondary schools ; and the establishment and disestablishment of a number of district high schools and technical high schools. Several of the recommendations of the Council have been given effect to, and other proposals will be carried out as opportunity permits. A report of the proceedings of the Council is printed fully in a separate publication. COST OF EDUCATION. (See also Tables A-F on pages 53-54, and the Appendix.) The total payments made by the Education Department in the year 1921-22 amounted to £3,497,373, showing an increase of £273,315 over the corresponding figure for the previous year. If to the expenditure by the Department is added the expenditure by secondary schools and University colleges out of income from reserves, the total expenditure becomes £3,567,000, or 8 per cent, more than in 1920-21. As the increase in the number of persons receiving instruction was 3 per cent, in the primary schools, 7 per cent, in the secondary schools, and 8 per cent, in the University colleges, the greater part of the increased cost can be readily accounted for. Included in the total is an expenditure of £567,000 expended upon new buildings, which should be regarded as capital expenditure. The cost of maintaining and overseeing some 5,000 delinquent, dependent, and defective children, totalling £135,000, is also included in the cost of education mentioned, and as this is a social rather than an educational service the annual cost to the Department of the maintenance of the Education service alone (excluding capital expenditure) may be reckoned at approximately £2,800,000. The total cost of education per head of the population was £2 15s. 3d., or, excluding capital expenditure on new buildings, £2 6s. 6d., and excluding both capital expenditure and expenditure on more or less social services, £2 4s. sd. The cost of education in England and Scotland, as estimated for the year 1922-23, was nearly £104,000,000, or £2 Bs. 6d. per head of the population. Of the total cost to the Department of the maintenance of the system, 779 per cent, was on account of primary education; B*2 per cent., secondary education; 5 per cent., technical (including technical high schools); 2*7 per cent., University; 4-6 per cent., special schools, industrial schools, and probation system; and 1.6 per cent., teachers' superannuation and miscellaneous charges.

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