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on Physical Education for Girls and Women held in Copenhagen. One addressed the Congress on " Physical Education in New Zealand Schools," and the other was chairman of one of the major sessions. The Lingiad and the Congress were attended by representatives from over fifty different countries, and the experience gained by the two New Zealand representatives should be of great benefit to our work. 11. BUILDINGS The most important task of the school-building programme has been the provision of class-rooms to meet the rise in the school population. Building plans have to take into account not only the fact that the school population has already risen from 210,320 in 1940 to 247,600 in 1949 : it is expected that primarv-school rolls will total about 300,000 in 1954. Several new class-room blocks were completed during the year. Largest among them was a group of thirteen rooms built at Papatoetoe West School, in the Auckland District. Nine new class-rooms were built at Marton (Wanganui District), and six at Wairakei Road (Canterbury). Among major works in progress mention may be made of two large new schools (Rata Street and Naenae) in the Hutt Valley. Plans are being prepared for intermediate schools in Auckland, New Plymouth, Hastings, Christchurch, and Dunedin. 111. THE SUPPLY AND TRAINING OF TEACHERS The effects of the rapid increase in births since 1940 on the supply of teachers in the last few years were surveyed in my report for the year 1948. The problems of present shortage and future supply, which are accentuated by abnormally high resignations in the years after the last war, and by the movement of primary-school teachers to postprimary schools and to specialist education services, were fully discussed at a Dominion Conference in April, 1949, at which Education Boards, the training colleges, the New Zealand Educational Institute, and the Department were represented. Careful investigation of the supply position led to the conclusion that immediate action was necessary to cope with the existing shortage. To avoid unduly disturbing the regular course of training of students, a number of probationary assistants were selected for certification between June and October —that is, before they had completed their probationary year. This measure made available 178 certificated teachers who applied for permanent positions during the second and third terms. Among other measures taken was the continued employment of superannuitants and of married women as relieving teachers. Moreover, the decision previously made not to deduct married salary from the salaries of male teachers whose wives were thus employed was continued in 1949. An experiment was also made with the employment of part-time teachers. Furthermore, it was decided to discourage long periods of leave, and the total number of teachers on leave for any purpose decreased by one-third between September, 1948, and September, 1949. By these means the number of vacant positions was kept at a minimum, but the high proportion of relieving teachers and the difficulties experienced by Education Boards in keeping all schools adequately staffed continue to be a matter for concern. As regards less immediate measures, it was possible, by using to the full all available accommodation at the five training colleges, to increase the number of admissions by a further 175 to 1,225 students. Before the beginning of the third term, arrangements had been completed for a special one-year training course designed to increase the number of trainees by inviting applications from persons over twenty-one years of age. Selection committees chose, from nearly a thousand applicants, three hundred students to undergo the special course. Details of the shortened course were worked out at a conference of principals of the training colleges and officers of the Department. The additional burden of increased numbers of students was shouldered by the training college principals and their staffs, whose co-operation in meeting a difficult situation I greatly appreciate.

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