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books on methods of teaching till experience has partially opened the eyes to the smooth and thorny places. The former method of sending pupil-teachers to a Training-college after their period of apprenticeship appears, notwithstanding the finding of the Committee, more in accordance with the precepts of the modern exponents of educational theory. It is said that with a pupil-teacher system a number of children suffer by being placed under incapable management, but the new system appears to result in a famine of trainees of any kind. In the Minister's last annual report it is mentioned that the Publicschool Teachers' Salaries Act appears to have strengthened the staff by increasing the ratio of adult teachers to pupil-teachers, the ratio being as follows : 279 to 1 in the year 1901, 398 to 1 in 1902, and 429 to lin 1903. It is true that the pupil-teachers have been reduced in number, but the main result so far appears to have been a reduction in the number of teachers in training. If the above ratios be taken to indicate the proportion of fully qualified teachers to unqualified it is deceptive. Included in the number of adult teachers are probably those in charge of little country schools of grades 0 and 1. These should rather, in many cases, rank not higher than pupil-teachers, for most of them have only a Sixth Standard qualification, and they are not subject to the advice and direction of skilled headmasters. These schools number 499, and in them 348 teachers are uncertificated. There must surely be many children in such schools who suffer from unskilled management. If, however, the suggestion be adopted that these teachers be drafted into the Training-colleges after, say, three years the defects of the present system would be largely remedied. In the country schools, without danger of doing much harm, they could get an idea of their deficiencies. It should be compulsory on them to proceed to the college at the conclusion of the term mentioned, and such as failed to qualify for higher work would nevertheless be better fit to carry on the smaller schools. Having such a course open before them they would be stimulated to proceed with their literary studies during the time of teaching. While on the inspection tour I was much struck with the fact that some schools were placed with more regard to appearance from the road than to the comfort of those using the buildings, the windows in some cases facing to south and west. This causes the schools to be very cold in winter. In other instances the form of the buildings, long and narrow, and the arrangement of doors, leave little option to the teacher but to keep the children so seated as to throw a shadow on their work —a state of affairs highly prejudicial to the eyes. Many of the schools and residences require repainting. Application was made in 1902, renewed in 1903, and again in September last for a special vote for painting—without success. By the new mode of calculating the maintenance vote this Board is likely to suffer severely. Small Boards should be granted an extra sum of £250, as is the case with general maintenance, for with small schools in out of the way places expenses of upkeep are more than proportionate to that on large buildings of corresponding capital cost. In some schools fifteen minutes' recess is allowed in morning and in afternoon. One school had twenty minutes in each case —twenty minutes a day is ample. Many schools had no summary attached to the time-table. This should be regarded as a necessary accompaniment of the time-table, as also should the time-tables of pupil-teachers' instruction, of ground supervision, and of alteration of subjects under the new syllabus. Although generally accurate, the registers were incomplete in a sufficient number of cases to call for a word of caution : as the register is the teacher's ledger it should be attended to with minute care. Slate-work generally was capable of improvement, both in writing and in the settingout of the work. In some schools the clocks were in bad order ; this requires attention from the Committees. There should be in each school an inventory of apparatus which each incoming teacher should receive and check. Papers on education, circulars, reports, &c, issued to the schools appear to be treated as the individual property of the teacher. All such should be filed and preserved as archives. Examination. —Fifty-seven puplic schools and two private (Convent) schools were examined. Under the new regulations the promotion of pupils from standard to standard is, unless in exceptional circumstances, left in the hands of the head teacher. As the small schools administered by the Board are permanently situated amid exceptional circumstances I shall continue the practice of the past and determine promotion on the yearly visits. The teachers in these schools are mostly young women and girls with a Sixth Standard qualification, and, as might be expected, there was considerable diversity of opinion as to what was necessary for promotion. The programme of examination was that of the former syllabus, but the results were laid out as far as possible in accordance with the latest regulations. This being my first examination visit in Marlborough I made a thorough test of all subjects. The two private schools examined had a combined roll of 156 pupils, of whom 143 were in attendance on examination-day. Twenty pupils were tested for leaving-certificates in Standard VI. Four certificates of proficiency and three of competency were awarded. In the public schools the roll at times of examination amounted to 1,935 as contrasted with 1,970 for the year 1903 —a decrease of thirty-five. There was also a decrease of ninety-one in the attendance —1,834 as compared with 1,925 of the former year. Twenty-seven schools had all the children on the roll present at examination. The Truant Officer's report summarised is as follows : twenty-one .informations, twenty convictions, one case dismissed. Fines, £2 lis. Costs (eleven cases), £4 10s. When the Flaxbourne Settlement is made the returns in Marlborough should improve. It is necessary that in the cutting-up of the estate provision should be made for school-sites in suitable localities. Sickness has not been so prevalent during the past year, although slight epidemics of measles, influenza, whooping-cough, scarlatina, and mumps were experienced. Where the irregularity of attendance was accompanied with weakness in pass subjects the certificate of proficiency in Standard VI. was withheld, and in the other standards the teacher was enjoined to take this into consideration in determining promotion. A school cannot be considered to be doing its duty if it is not open 420 halfdays in the year. This leaves ten weeks for holidays—enough to allow six weeks at Christmas, two weeks for midwinter, and two weeks for casual holidays. In actual fact, however, only twelve schools attained the standard.