WESTLAND BOAED OF EDUCATION.

West Coast Times, Issue 6406, 2 February 1887, Page 2

WESTLAND BOAED OF EDUCATION.

Tuesday, Febbuaey 1. A special meeting of tbe Board was held at 8 p.m. .Present — The Chairman, Messrs Grhnmond and Rose. The Chairman said the meetiog was called to receive the report of the examiner on the Scholarship examinations. At his request the Secretary read the following report:— " I have the honor to submit to you the following report on the Primary Scholarship Examination, which I have recently conducted in compliance with your instruction". I was much pleased to observe a considerable increase in the number of candidates, as compared with last year. This shows that a wholesome and generous spirit of emulation is gradually spreading among the youth of the district, as to who shall secure tho honor of carrying off the valuable prize annually offered by the I Board. The competition this year has been very keen and very close, especially > belween the two candidates who stand at the top of the list. The eximination papers, of which a set is hereto appended, are drawn upon the usual lines, and are of such a character as fairly to test the comparative proficiency of pupils who have passed the Sixth ? tandard. I have much pleasure in stating that the answering of the various candidates in all the subjects," and particularly in English Grammar and in Arithmetic, was, on the whole, highly creditable— the reault of careful training and not cramming. This will be clearly seen from a glance at the tabulated results, which I send herewith. And while commending the general excel* lence of the papers sent in as to their matter, I should like to add a word as to the manner in which they were executed. And lam happy to be able to say that with the exception of those of three of the candidates they are all written with great taste and neatness. I think, however, that several of them would have done more justice to themselves and rendered the examiner's work somewhat lighter and pleasanter, if they had used a few additional sheets of paper instead of crowding their pages as they did. Frem these brief general comments it will be seen, that notwithstanding the in' crease in the number of candidates I have no occasion to join in the complaint that is raised in one or two quarters of candidates presenting themselves utterly unqualified to face the examination by which they are to be tested. On the contrary, of all those who entered the lists this year, not one failed to secure aggregate of over 50 per cent of the attainable marks ; two thirds of them obtained 60 per cent or tbe number necessary to entitle them to a scholarship, while "Thistle" and •' Shamrock " who head the list,* have made splendid scores of nearly 86 and 85 i per cent respectively. I can, therefore, J honestly and heartily congratulate you this year again on the exceedingly satisfactory results of the late examination. They indicate high efficiency in the sehoob tnat send up such candidate*, as well as good natural abilities and diligent app'ication on the part of the candidates themselves. The mottoes they have adopted for signatures are significant and seem to suggest the idea that they must be indeed tbe very flower of the schoo'going youth of Westland." The Chairman Baid that seeing the high terms in which the examiner spoke of the second highest on the list, he would move, before the letters were opened, that it be a recommendation for considering at the next meeting of the Board to vote a bonus of £50, to be spread over two yearc, to enable the second on the list to reap the benefit of a higher scholastic training if desired.— Seconded by Mr Grimmond and carried. The letters being opened it was ascertained that the two highest were Master Robert Wells (Thistle), Woodstock, and Master W. H. Gray (Shamrock), Arahura Eoad School, The following are the total! gained by

each candidate, the maximum attainable beiug 800 :— Thistle (Robert Wells) 685 Shamrock (W. H. Gray) 674 Lily (— Lamason) 607 Geranium (Annie Duncan) ... 686 Snowdrop (C. Malfroy) 579 Violet (Maud Tait) 577 Tulip (H. J. Marsh) 557 I Jessamine (R. Jack) 555 Rose (K. Bines) 534 Mignonette (Martha Williams) ... 528 Pansy (Ada Perry) 604 Crocus (Edith Perry) 492 Primrose (W. Boucher) 473 Lilac (K. M'Leod) 466 Daisy (Albert V. Williams) ... 465 Cowslip (James Little) 449 Fuchsia (E. Crowley) 412 Honeysuckle (W. Houston) ... 406 Resolved that the parents of Robert We. ls be apprised of the reault, and asked to name the High School at which it is desired he shall study.