C.—3
24
Votes of Thanks. Votes of thanks were accorded to the Director (Mr. D. V. Allen), the President (Mr. T. W. Rhodes), the Secretary (M. W. Thomas), the Auditor (Mr. A. F. Steedman), and the Councillors for the past year. Uniformity of Ceetifioates. After discussion it was resolved, That, with a view to securing uniformity of certificates, the Mines Department be requested to prescribe the number of marks students require to obtain to entitle them to awards of respective grades, and to issue the certificates to the whole of the schools of mines throughout the colony. That the Councils of other schools of mines be requested to cooperate in this matter. An Incentive to Study. The President intimated that he would present a prize at next annual meeting to the student who showed the best progress for the year's work. WAIHI SCHOOL OF MINES. The Director, Mr. Percy G. Morgan, M.A., reports as under:— As Director of the Waihi School of Mines, I have the honour to submit the following report for the twelve months ending the 31st December, 1903 :— During the past year the number of students attending the school has been by far the largest for any year of its existence ; the average attendance of registered students being sixty-eight, and the average class-attendance 195. For 1902 the average attendance was fifty-one, and for 1901 forty-seven. It will be seen, therefore, that the school is being more and more appreciated and utilised by the mining community of Waihi. As will be gathered from the subjoined table, nearly all the classes were well attended, the most popular being mineralogy, mathematics, electricity, assaying, and surveying.
Table of Attendances for the Year ending 31st December, 1903.
Ac the beginning of the year a large number of new students joined the school, and as most of the old students also resumed attendance, it was found necessary to carry on junior and senior classes in mining, surveying, and theoretical chemistry. As in former years, the lectures and instruction given in the morning were repeated in the evening, thus enabling students working on different shifts to obtain regular lessons in every subject. Under the circumstances, a great deal of extra labour accrued both to myself and to the assistant-lecturer, Mr F. T. Seelye. The somewhat limited school-accommodation was severely taxed by the increased attendance, and by the necessity of carrying on two and sometimes three classes simultaneously. "Examinations. —Eighteen students presented themselves at the annual School of Mines examinations held during December. Forty papers were given and the results just to hand show that twelve first-class, eighteen second-class and eight third-class certificates were obtained. Very few papers fell below 40 per cent., and only two failed to reach the minimum required for a certificate. In themselves, these results, especially if the disadvantages under which many students labour be taken into account, are very satisfactory, but it is to be regretted that a very large proportion of the students did not come forward for examination, and therefore their work remains untested. As a partial explanation of these students' absence it may be mentioned that one or two were unable to obtain leave of absence from their work, whilst others stated that they could not afford to lose several shifts in order to sit for examination. Others again, being new students, thought themselves too new to the work to come forward in even one subject.
Name of Subject. First Term. Second Term. Third Term. Average. Junior mining Senior mining Mathematics Junior theoretical surveying ... Senior theoretical surveying ... Practical surveying ... Geology Mineralogy... Blowpipe ... Junior theoretical chemistry ... Senior theoretical chemistry ... Practical chemistry ... Wet and dry assaying Metallurgy ... Drawing Electricity ... 6 8 26 11 11 23 10 6 35 10 6 18 27 7 5 20 8 5 13 15 8 6 27 10 7 18 21 35 3 13 8 16 18 7 13 25 35 15 10 21 22 8 16 3 15 7 18 18 9 12 28 8 7 10 14 4 12 22 Totals 212 222 150 195 Individual registered students ... 74 72 58 68