Appendix B.J

8.—2.

XIX

of books is not, however, used to the extent that it might be. The amount available for expenditure on new books each year is not large, but with a view to keeping the library up to date the stock of books is constantly being added to. Subsidies on Voluntary Contributions. —During the year applications were received for subsidy on voluntary contributions amounting to £1,169 13s. 3d. Of this sum. £797 Bs. Id. was raised for improvements to school gardens and grounds ; £86 13s. 6d. for school libraries ; £192 4s. 9d. for buildings, school equipment, and material; £23 9s. lOd. for the purchase of basket-balls; £65 15s. 7d. for the purchase of fuel; and £3 lis. 6d. for flags. Training College. —Of the forty-four pupil-teachers and probationers who completed their apprenticeship at the end of the year no fewer than thirty-three applied for admission to the Dunedin Training College- in order to further qualify themselves for more efficient service. Continuous Readers. — Due, no doubt, to the fact that Education Boards had credit balances on account of the School and Class Libraries Account, the Department made no grant to Boards this year for the purpose of supplying schools with supplementary continuous readers, and the free supply of class-books in necessitous cases and in cases where parents who have purchased new books for their children remove to another district. Again the Board would urge the Department to purchase all school material in. bulk from the manufacturers, and sell at cost price to Education Boards. Conveyance and Board of Pupils. —During the year the amount disbursed by the Board on the conveyance and board of children was £2,170 195., as compared with £1,936 in 1921. Once again the Board would urge the Department (1) to increase the allowance to children who are compelled to use a conveyance owing to the distance of their home from a school, and (2) to pay the allowance to children who ride to school if it can be shown that the road is dangerous for a vehicle driven by a pupil. The Board is firmly convinced that if the above recommendations are acted upon they would prevent the undue multiplication of small schools. School Certificates. —For the Proficiency Examination .1,055 primary-school pupils out of a roll number of 1,067 were presented for examination. Of these, 742 gained proficiency certificates, 155 gained competency, and 14 gained endorsed competency, while 144 failed. The percentage of passes was 85-4 (proficiency, 69-6 ; competency, 14-5 ; endorsed competency, 1-3). For the same examination the private registered schools in this district presented 95 pupils out of a roll number of 95. Of these, 58 gained proficiency certificates, 13 gained competency, and 2 gained endorsed competency, while 22 failed. The percentage of passes was 76-8 (proficiency, 61-1 ; competency, 13-7 ; endorsed competency, 2-1). Elementary Handwork. — Instruction in the usual handwork subjects was given in all schools throughout the district, the requisitioned material being supplied by the Department for instruction in plasticine-modelling, cardboard-work, paper-folding and paper-cutting, pastel-work, and brushwork. All handwork materials are now provided through the Department, but, owing to the delay m receiving supplies, considerable inconvenience was occasioned through schools having, in most cases, no materials to commence the year's work with.. The Board would also record its emphatic protest against the reduction that has been made by the Department in the quantity of material requisitioned for. It seems inevitable that work must be seriously hampered, if not discontinued, before the close of the year, through the inadequacy of the supplies available. Needlework. —Needlework was taught by special instructresses in twenty-seven schools where there was no female teacher. About 275 girls were thus enabled to receive instruction which would otherwise have been impossible. The Board feels, however, that the number of schools where needlework is not taken could be still further reduced, and that with a little effort on the part of Committees suitable, instructresses could be secured in other districts also. In forty schools instruction was given in advanced needlework, the average number of girls in attendance being 857. Woodwork and Cookery. —Classes in these subjects were held as usual in the manual-training schools at Invercargill, Gore, and Riverton. The Riverton classes were held for a period of three months, the average attendance from the thirteen schools represented being 105 boys and 97 girls. At Gore, which is a full-time centre, pupils attended from twenty-four primary schools, the average attendance being 232 boys and 226 girls. In addition four classes both of boys and girls were taken for instruction from the High School, there being an average of 68 boys and 68 girls in attendance. To the Invercargill centre came pupils from eleven town or suburban schools for halfday lessons, and from thirty-four country schools for whole-day lessons, the average number of pupils attending being 604 boys and 594 girls. Agriculture. —Recognized classes in agriculture were held during the year at 119 schools—an increase of six over the figures for the previous year. The total number of children who received insturction was 1,746. Continued interest is being taken throughout the district in the matter of effecting improvements to and beautifying school-grounds. With this object in view a sum of £797 Bs. Id. was contributed voluntarily, and with subsidy thereon a sum of nearly £1,600 was thus available for this important work. It is to be regretted, however, that in still too many cases the interest of residents cannot apparently be sufficiently aroused to enable a forward move to be made in this direction. The fact that, subject to certain conditions, a pound-for-pound subsidy is available on all contributions raised for purposes of having improvements carried out enables work to be undertaken which would not otherwise be possible. Physical Measurements. —This subject was given a place in the school curriculum in five schools —a decrease of two schools since the previous year. Only in cases where facilities are not yet available for the establishment of a school-garden is this subject now taken. The number of children receiving instruction was 249.