E.—2.

The most important of these additions are enumerated below, the schools being considered in geographic sequence. Auckland. —In the Auckland Technical School, equipment to the value of more than £5,000 was provided by direct grant. This was distributed among the engineering workshops, where provision was made for a universal grinder ; the junior engineering workshops, which received a new equipment ; and the woodwork machine-shop, which was equipped in part with new machinery. In order to provide land for the development of an agricultural course and a site for a hostel to be run in conjunction with it, the Government agreed to the lease of an area of 36 acres of land administered by the St. John's College Trust Board. The scheme is now in process of development. Pukekohe Technical School.—Additional equipment was provided for the engineering workshop, which has been reorganized, and is now reasonably well equipped for the courses provided in the school. Feilding Technical School.—A new refectory block has been added to the hostel accommodation ; three additional class-rooms have been authorized. Hawera Technical School. —Owing to the closing of the Manaia District High School at the end of 1936, and the conveyance of these pupils to Hawera, increased accommodation became urgently necessary, and three new rooms have been approved. Additions to the equipment included welding and brazing plants for the engineering and plumbing workshops. An additional area of land, known as Bayley Park, of an area of approximately 3| acres, was purchased. The land is situated right opposite the school, and will in the meantime provide an additional playing-area of great benefit to the school. Stratford Technical School.—During the year the engineering block was enlarged and completed, and the equipment was improved by the addition of machine tools, so that a good course in metalwork can now be provided at the school. A property of some 9 acres in extent close to the school was purchased for experimental work in connection with the school's agricultural course. Palmerston North Technical School.—During the recess the main school was plastered and redecorated. Two properties adjoining the school-site were purchased, to allow of expansion when necessary. The equipment of the workshops was added to extensively ; a new junior workshop was equipped, and equipment was also provided for advanced work in electrical and motor engineering. The woodworking machinery was reorganized and additional equipment approved. Wellington Technical School. —The north-eastern wing was added to by the building of a range of class-rooms, to be used for commercial and general work. The main school block has now been completed according to the original design of the architects. A substantial grant for equipment, chiefly for motor engineering, was approved during the year. Petone Technical School. —The evening school load at this technical school continues to grow at a greater rate than that of the day school, so that urgent additions to the workshop accommodation were authorized and put in hand. The new workshops are for electrical engineering and cognate subjects. During the year additions were made to the woodworking-shop of a band-saw ; to the engineering department of welding and panel-beating equipment. The art department also had additional equipment, including a guillotine and looms. Wairarapa College.—Following upon the decision of the Government, the Wairarapa High School and the Masterton Technical School were combined as from the beginning of the year 1937, and the combined school was given the name " Wairarapa College." The buildings occupied by the Masterton Technical School were abandoned, and compsehensive new accommodation was erected in the grounds of the Wairarapa High School. This comprised a workshop block with provision for engineering, woodwork, plumbing, wool-classing, mechanical drawing, and associated theory classes ; a home-science block with two kitchens, a laundry, art and applied-art rooms, and a practice flat above ; a class-room block for general class-work. The new buildings represented the accumulated ideas concerning school buildings gained in recent years and incorporated all points that experience had shown to be necessary and desirable. All blocks were equipped in a most complete way with the most suitable equipment obtainable, so that the new school started off on its career with all material advantages. In passing, a tribute must be paid to the work accomplished over a long period of years by the Masterton Technical School, which went out of existence as an entity at the end of 1937. Devoted service during the period of its existence by Board members, by the Principals and staffs of the school, had made it an institution of high repute and of great service to the community throughout the Wairarapa. There is no doubt that its successor, the Wairarapa College, with its immensely superior material resources and with its body of practical teachers drawn from the late technical school intact, will quickly take its place in the estimation of the public as a worthy successor to the institution which has come to an end after serving them so well for many years.

3—E. 2.

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