E.—l.

was made available for the inauguration of a scheme for a regular supply of books and expert library assistance to such libraries. An Officer and staff will be appointed to organize the scheme next year. Progress has been made in the co-ordination and the extension of the activities of the bodies concerned in adult education, and to this end a sum of £6,500 was made available this year. Part of this amount has been set aside for the extension of the classes under the Workers' Educational Association attended by workers employed on construction work in isolated districts and who are living in Public Works camps. Next year it is hoped with the aid of the Council of Adult Education to co-ordinate the activities of the various organizations that are engaged in the important work of disseminating education among the adult population of the Dominion. The rolls of Native schools continue to increase. The policy of providing a sound education suited to the present needs of the Maori youth and of making the school of value and service to the Maori community has been proceeded with during the year. The latter has been brought about by emphasizing the social and community aspects of education. Increased attention has been given to physical welfare, while attention to ordinary academic studies has not been lessened, with the result that the work of the schools shows increased efficiency. In the realization that those bodies mostly concerned in instruction in swimming and life-saving should receive some financial assistance to carry on their work a grant of £1,200 was made available to Education Boards for this purpose, while £560 was paid to the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association, which willingly undertook to co-operate with Education Boards in giving instruction. In order to make adequate provision for the teaching of subjects related to the home arts, a woman Inspector of Home Science and a woman Supervisor of Domestic Subjects will be appointed early next year. These officers will be concerned with the extension and development of domestic arts in the training of girls in primary and post-primary schools. Appointments will also be made of experienced women as advisers in the work of infant departments and kindergartens. It is proposed to subsidize the appointment of an officer in each of the four main centres who will be attached to the Training College stafi but whose work will be to act as a liaison officer between the museums and the schools. There is general agreement that the first consideration for children must be their health. Health comes even before education. While the subject is dealt with in the annual report of the Director-General of Health, I consider that it is of sufficient importance to record a few facts here. Up to May of the present year — 1938 —a period of two years and five months of the present Administration, four additional School Medical Officers have been appointed ; and five additional School Nurses, as well as twelve additional District Nurses, who usually do school work as well as carrying out their other duties, have also been appointed. On assuming office as Minister in December, 1935, I discovered that the number of student dental nurses admitted to the Dental Clinic in that year was only 30, and that this number was barely sufficient to maintain the system at its existing strength. In 1936 the number admitted was increased to 50, in 1937 it was increased to 75, and again in 1938 to 75. In November, 1935, the number of student dental nurses was 53. At the present time there are 140 ; an increase of 87. A very considerable number of these will shortly be available for work in the School Dental Clinics throughout the country. Twenty new clinics are being established in districts where until now this service had not been available. A number of existing clinics has been strengthened so that more children can be treated. The trainingaccommodation available was quite insufficient for even enough Dental Nurses to attend to the teeth of the children up to Standard IV, or the age of twelve, far less to give attention to the children in the upper standards and in the post-primary schools, which is the objective of the Government. It became early apparent that a new Dental Clinic was essential, and it is in the process of being built on the old Te Aro School site in Willis Street, Wellington.

2 —E. 1.

9