4

E.—B.

f The event of the year of most vital importance to the school was the passing of & Government grant of £3,000 for increased accommodation. This work will be begun at once, and. will provide five additional class rooms and a proper science class room, and will allow a much needed subdivision and rearrangement of classes, and give very much improved, facilities for practical science work. Among the yeai's successes of past pupils of the school, that of Ada O'Callaghan, who won the Senior University Scholarship in Mathematics, is noteworthy, as it is the first time that a mathematical scholarship has been awarded to a lady in the University of New Zealand. The degree of M.A., University of New Zealand, was conferred upon Elsie Evans, that of B.A. upon Ada O'Callaghan, Mary Barker, Isabel Keith, and Mabel Osborne, all past pupils of the school. Gwendoline Opic gained the Exhibition for Applied Mathematics at Canterbury College, and Mary Barkas passed the Matriculation Examination of London University. The conduct of the approved school boardinghouse has been very satisfactory, and 11 pupils have been in residence there. Boys' High School. The numbers during 1906 were 206 for the first term, 203 for the second term, and 209 for the third term. Of this number the preparatory class for young boys below Standard V numbered 23, and did excellent work not only in primary subjects, but in modelling, drawing, and nature study. Samples of their work were displayed at the school on the 13th October, and are now in the Exhibition. The number of free places last year amounted to 50 Junior and 23 Senior, making a total of 73. The ignorance of the conditions on which free places may be obtained is very great, and even teachers of primary schools seem unaware of the privileges offered, and do net inform parents. A much larger number than usual of boys from the school presented themselves for Matriculation and the Junior Civil Service Examinations in December last. For Matriculation 25 boys presented themselves ; this number included all the Lower VI save two, and all the Upper V save 5. Of these 25 there were 19 who passed and 6 who failed. As the average number of failures for the colony in Matriculation is, I believe, some 50 per cent., this is a good result. Twenty-seven entered for Senior Free Places on the Junior Civil Service Examination, and all but 4 passed. A separate credit list of these is not published. Eighteen boys were from our Lower V, 3 from the Upper IV, and 6 from the Upper V. In addition, 7 boys entered for Junior Civil Service proper. All passed, 4of them on the credit list. Two boys passed the Senior Civil Service Examination, the former with distinction ; 6 boys of our Lower V competed for Senior Education Board Scholarships, and won 5 out of the 6 scholarships awarded —a satisfactory result. Finally, 5 boys sat for Junior University Scholarships ; of these one was awarded a Junior University Scholarship ; two Senior National Scholarships ; one was placed on the credit list, and one satisfied the examiners. One of the boys was top of all the University scholars in English, and one was sixth in chemistry. Two boys sat for the London Matriculation—the results are not yet known. It will be seen that of the Upper School comprised in forms Upper and Lower VI, Upper and Lower V, and numbering 73 boys, all but 14 boys were examined either by the University, the Government, or the Board of Education at the end of the year. A year ago only 15 entered for Matriculation, some 6 for Junior Civil Service, 4 for Junior University Scholarships, and 7 for Senior Board Scholarships ; making a total of 32 boys examined in public examinations in December, 1905, as against 59 in December, 1906. jjgk; This large increase of candidates is caused by the Senior Free Places being now awarded to all boys passing the above examinations ; the system only came into operation fully in 1906. It renders a formal examination by examiners appointed by the Board at the end of the year not only unnecessary, but really harmful; the strain of the two examinations, each lasting over a week, following one another would be injurious to most boys. Accordingly, there was only a short examination held by the masters themselves at the end of the year for the three upper classes ; and the examinations of the first and second terms were taken into account in awarding prizes. The examinations for the middle and lower school were as full as usual. The Senior Free Place system tends to make our upper classes larger, and a boy's stay at school longer. The numerous district high schools established have affected our numbers ; mainly, however, in cutting off the supply of boys who only stay a short time. One result of the facts enumerated is that the length of a boy's stay at school has increased. We were honoured last year by visits from His Excellency Lord Plunket and Sir John Gorst, who gave interesting and valuable addresses to the boys. On the 13th October the school celebrated the 25th anniversary of its foundation, when there was a display of school work and a large and enthusiastic gathering of old boys and friends. The old boys determined to raise funds towards erecting a gymnasium as a memorial of the occasion. At the annual speech night, on the 14th December last, Mr. T. H. Race, the Canadian Commissioner, was present, and gave an eloquent and stimulating address. The Miller Prize for English Literature and Professor Wall's Newspaper Prize were adjudicated by Mr. Harkness. Of the Miller Prize competition he says, " I have examined the papers sent in for the Miller Prize ; they were very even in point of merit, the chief difference being in literary style and clearness of arrangement. I congratulate the candidates on their good work." On the Newspaper Prize he says, " Donnelly's paper showed good judgment in the selection of important facts and the omission of unimportant details, combined with an excellent knowledge of contemporary history. I note also that, though sending in a paper ol fifteen pages, he was able to preserve a good literary style throughout, and to avoid errors of good taste. The papers generally display a very creditable knowledge of current events. Very few mistakes were made."