79

E.—l

children attending country schools, but of the latter three did not require to take advantage of th additional year conceded by the Board's regulations. . The two " Gammack " scholarships offered by the Board at the close of 1896, on the results of the University Junior Scholarship Examination, were awarded to Mr. M. C. Keane and Mr. R. E. Hall. Mr. Keane, who distinguished himself by securing first place on the list for the whole of New Zealand, went through his primary course at Kowai Pass, from which school he gained one of the Board's junior scholarships in 1890, and was thus enabled to continue a scholastic career of great promise. Mr. Hall, also closely identified with one of the Board's schools (Sydenham), and an old scholarship winner, came out second among the candidates who gained credit. School - books. —The subject of school - books occupied the Board's attention on several occasions during the year, the necessity of making a change being generally recognised, since many of those prescribed for use in 1890 were long out of date. After a personal inspection of the new works submitted, and after careful consideration of the whole question, the Board decided on a fresh list, which was forwarded to Wellington for approval. So far, unfortunately, the official sanction has been withheld, which has caused much confusion and inconvenience, as many School Committees, on the strength of adoption by the Board, have authorised the purchase of the new books. The unusual delay in giving effect to the Board's application is attributable to the fact that the Minister is having the list of books for use in the whole colony revised; but as the books decided upon are in every way suitable for school use, and are also recommended by the Inspectors, the Board has represented to the Minister that authority to use them should not be withheld pending a general revision, which may take many months to complete. Jubilee Addbess.—At a meeting on the 30th June, recognising the enormous advance made in education during the last sixty years, owing in so great a measure to the many advantages that have been enjoyed under the beneficent rule of Her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, the Board adopted a resolution placing on record its entire sympathy with those spontaneous exhibitions of pleasure and gratitude which, on the occasion of " The Diamond Jubilee," the unequalled length of Her Majesty's reign evoked in every part of her far-reaching empire. The resolution, in the form of an illuminated address, was forwarded to the Queen through the then Acting-Governor, Sir James Prendergast, and Her Majesty has been pleased to cause her thanks to be conveyed to the Board for its expression of loyalty. Teuanct.—Early in the year, acting upon the recommendation of the Appointments Committee, to whom the matter was referred, the Board consented to engage a truant officer for the city and suburban districts, in which, from the number of children to be observed about the streets during school-hours, it felt that definite action could no longer be delayed. In adopting this course the Board has in no way accepted the entire responsibility of enforcing the provisions of " The School Attendance Act, 1894," as it considers that the duty of seeing that children within their own districts make the required attendance is one of which the School Committees will be unable to readily divest themselves. Although the appointment of Mr. Blank, who, the Board is convinced, has discharged his difficult duties in a praiseworthy manner, was made in February, it was not until the end of the following month that his work could be said to be well in hand. By the end of the year, therefore, the system had been on trial nine months. In endeavouring to ascertain what the results have been, unfortunately there are no means of knowing to what extent allowance has to be made for sickness. That the attendance during the spring and early summer months suffered very much from this cause is admitted, and probably if this important factor could have been accurately gauged and allowed for the figures recorded would have given more encouragement. For the nine months ending the 31st December, 1897, the average attendance at the eleven schools fully affected by the Truant Officer's work was 85-9 per cent, of the average weekly roll-number, whilst for the corresponding period of 1896, when the influence of the Committees and teachers was the sole persuading power, the percentage was 858 per cent. Judging from the reports submitted from time to time, there are many difficulties in the way of effectually carrying out the law ; and in this connection the Board desires to draw the Minister's attention to several defects disclosed by the practical working of the Act of 1894, in the hope that, should amendments be introduced, provision may be made for enforcing the attendance not only of those children to whom the present Act is intended to apply, but also of those who, under the existing exemptions, are allowed to absent themselves from school. As the law now stands, the onus of proving that a child is exempt is supposed to lie with the parent, but in actual practice instances have occurred where the presiding Justices of the Peace have contented themselves with accepting the parent's sworn statement that the absence from school has been due to sickness, whereas, after patient investigation, the Truant Officer had previously satisfied himself to the contrary. Again, before coming within the scope of the Act a child must have made less than six attendances in any week in the course of which the school has been open nine times, which means that unless the school has been open for four days and a half during the week the Act becomes inoperative. When it is remembered that a full week consists of five days only, and that the closing of school for one single day during the week reduces the possible weekly attendances to eight, it will be realised how often the measures taken to compel attendance must be interfered with. With regard to children over thirteen years of age, who do not at present come under the provisions of the Act, if, after leaving school, they were provided with suitable occupations there would be no serious objection to their release from school and its attendant discipline ; but when their liberty is devoted to idle wanderings in the streets, as is only too often the case, the gravest objection must be taken to the exempting clause. Unfortunately, too, " The Factories Act, 1894," in forbidding their entrance into factories till the age of fourteen has been reached, compels this class of children to pass a year in idleness before allowing them to enter upon what to so many proves to be. their life work. The following statement gives the number of cases, at their different stages, dealt with by the Truant Officer during the period mentioned : Notices delivered to parents or guardians, 1,621; sum-