L-8

14

they should not be considered as absolutely passing, but that some modification of the certificate should be adopted, or the certificate withheld, as in New South Wales, until their drawing came up to the standard required by the department. At present, when a teacher gets through, although he may have failed in drawing, he holds the full certificate without having done the necessary work on this subject. So long as the teachers find comparative failure in drawing does not affect the general result, they will give it the least attention, and hence indifferent results must follow. Ido not think I can say anything more with reference to public-school work. The next portion of my work is in connection with the school of design. One of the conditions under which I came to New Zealand was that I should establish a school of design, and that technical classes should be commenced. The technical classes were commenced in April last year, with 32 students. The total number of students now in attendance at the Central School is 124 ; at the Newtown-branch School, 32 ; at Masterton, 13 —making 169 in all. There are 126 teacher students in attendance. The usefulness of the schools may be ascertained from the following facts : There are 52 trade students, that is to say, young men connected with the various trades in the city; there are 55 general students, a large number of whom will devote their knowledge to some useful purpose at a later time, but are at present undecided as to their future course. It is intended to issue a circular to the trades in Wellington, urging them to encourage attendance at the various classes. [Copy handed in.] We are at present working under very serious difficulties from the fact that we have very little accommodation, and, unless we can provide funds within a reasonable date, it will, lam afraid, be necessary to close the school. The best possible way of giving the Committee an idea of the nature of the work would be for the members to visit the school if they could find it convenient to do so. I should be glad to meet them there at any time, and to show them the nature of the whole work, and how it is carried on. 144. Have you any recommendation to make?— The first and most important recommendation that I would mention now is the establishment of a science and art department. I think a department on the same principle as the South Kensington Institution should be established. 145. Mr. M. J. S. Mackenzie.] Do you mean the establishment of a department by the Government ?—With the aid of the Government. Nov/ the whole thing is split up. There are art schools in other districts ; but not technical schools. Such a department would be a very great help. It ought to be done at a reasonable cost. The school here has no funds. Tho Board of Education pay for our gas and advertising. Upon that the whole school is working. I think it is only reasonable to expect that schools could be established in other districts on the same basis with as little expense. Instructors could be appointed to such schools with power to direct the drawing in the schools of that district. I should consider that any one appointed to organize this department of art should have the duty cast upon him of supervising the instruction given in the public schools, so that the entire system of work should be the same throughout. This I consider important, as upon the thorough teaching of this subject in public schools depends to a considerable extent the success of future workmen. At the present time little drawing is done in some districts. Although directions for instruction have been issued by the department, this instruction has not been carried out as it should be. The basis is wrong in the lower standards; in this sense, that the mind, the eye, and the hand are not trained sufficiently together ; it is more a question of how accurate the copy can be made, than training the eye to see, the memory to retain the impression made, and the hand to convey that impression to paper. The system is not understood by the teachers, and the teaching is therefore not what it should be —that is to say, half of its value is lost. lam afraid that I could not, without seriously considering the whole matter, give you a detailed idea of the nature of this art department. If it is the wish of the Committee I could call the instructors together, and give the Committee a full report at a later date. We should be able to give all possible information as to the method of conducting such a department at the least possible cost. There is one more important point that I would urge on the attention of the Committee. It is this : that, if drawing were efficiently taught in all the public schools, its appreciation would be greater than it now is as an aid to the performance of the necessary work which the pupils will have to do through their future life. As matters are now, it is hard in many cases to make the scholars see the necessity for drawing in connection with their future trades and professions. That is one of the greatest difficulties we have to contend with. If drawing were taught thoroughly in schools, it would lead up to professional studies, and students would have a better idea than they can have now of the necessity of carrying on the study of drawing after leaving the public school for the sake of tho benefit it will be in the practice of their different trades and professions. 146. The Chairman.] You do not say much about your evening classes?— Yon have a return before you of the number of students attending the classes, and the fees paid on the lower scale, which is equal to about 5-J-d. a lesson of two hours. The fee for the lesson in the engineering and architectural class is rather higher, being about 10Jd. for a two hours' lesson. These classes meet on two evenings a week, and are instructed by professional men. But I should say that classes are held in the school every evening in the week. These trade students, through the knowledge they have obtained in the school, have derived very great benefit in various ways. As an instance of tho great value of one of the classes—that of mechanical drawing and engineering—a young fellow in this class, sixteen years of age, had received instructions upon the drawing of a cog-wheel. The instruction was not confined to the drawing only, but the student was taught to construct the object represented, and to apply his knowledge to practical results : so that you see this drawing was not simply a matter of representing the object upon paper; he was able to go to the workshop and there construct it. Another student has manufactured an engine upon a small scale, which I think would be a credit to any one. If the members of the Committee would be pleased to visit the school I could show them models made by the students as results of the knowledge gained there. Attached to the school we have a workshop, if we desire to use it, so that any student might at once proceed there and carry into practical effect the knowledge he has gained from