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examinations, and 2 students (G. C. Evans and K. Cowles) qualified for the bullion-assayers' certificate ssued by the Department of Trade and Customs. This record is by far the best obtained by any school of Mines in the Dominion. A comparison of the results is shown below : Waihi School —32 candidates— 24 first - class certificates, 25 second - class certificates, 8 third - class certificates, 5 failures ; other schools—s4 candidates—l 3 first-class certificates, 12 second-class certificates, 17 third-class certificates, 31 failures. In eleven subjects students of the Waihi School obtained the highest marks in the Dominion. In addition, the only School of Mines Scholarship awarded was won by a student of this school (C. Milne), with the excellent average of 78-5 per cent, in nine subjects. This scholarship is of the annual value of £50, tenable for three years, and entitles the holder to free, tuition at either Auckland or Otago School of Mines. The gold medal presented by the President (Mr. Gilmour) for the highest aggregate in any four subjects was this year won by J. R. Spearing. Mr. Livesey's gold medal for mining subjects was won by J. R. Halliday. Mr. M. J. Haszard's gold medal for surveying was won by A. N. Anderson, with 85 per cent, Mr. C. L. Clarke's gold medal for mechanical drawingwas won by C. Milne with 80 per cent. A number of other prizes, consisting for the most part of valuable text-books, have been donated by the Engine-drivers' Association and the School of Mines Council. Government Certificates. —At the 1908 examination for New Zealand Government certificates, held in January, 1908, 2 students obtained partial passes in the first-class mine-managers' examination. In the examination for battery-superintendents, 2 students gained certificates and 2 partial passes. At the 1909 Government examination, three students—Messrs. E. A. Katz, O. Bell, and J. R. Spearing —obtained first-class certificates of competency as mine-managers, and one student obtained a partial pass. Altogether 26 students of this school have obtained certificates as first-class metal-mine managers, 2 as first-class coal-mine managers, 39 as battery - superintendents, and 13 as bullionassayers under the Customs Department. General. —During the year much-needed additions and alterations were carried out to the school buildings. We have now a compact and convenient building, which should be sufficient for all requirements for some time to come. A useful adjunct is the students' library, while the museum will enable the thousands of specimens at present stored away in cabinets to be effectively displayed. The workshops should prove of great service to the students of electrical engineering, while the extra lecture-room will relieve the congested condition of the school, and enable a more convenient time-table to be formulated. A useful innovation inaugurated by the Mines Department is the establishment of a circulating library of standard mining literature. The books will be issued free of charge to mining students, who will be allowed to retain them for study for a certain period. By this means students have access to the best works of reference on mining and kindred subjects, which they would otherwise be debarred from obtaining on account of their high cost. In conclusion, I wish to express my appreciation of the excellent conduct of the students during the, past year, and of the zeal and ability displayed by Mr. F. Seelye, Mr. A. T. Ellis, and Mr. R. H. Mitchell, of the school staff. I take this opportunity also of conveying my sincere thanks to the Council and the secretary for their unfailing support and assistance. I have, &c, A. H. V. Morgan, Director.

Mr. W. H. Baker, B.Sc, Director of the Thames School of Mines, to the Under-Secretary, Mines Department, Wellington. Sir,— Thames, 17th April, 1909. I have the honour to report on the work of the Thames School of Mines as follows : — Attendance. —Owing to the continued depression in mining, the attendance remains practically the same as for the past year ; but as the mining-outlook is at present more hopeful, with the recent developments in the Taranaki District and the prospective deep-level developments, I anticipate a material increase. In order to centralise the teaching of chemistry, and to avoid duplication of lectures, a class in chemistry was commenced this year for the senior High School pupils. At the same time an elementary class has also been formed in electricity and magnetism for the benefit of secondary and advancedprimary school pupils. Both these classes have a very satisfactory attendance, and, as a certain proportion of students attending them will eventually become regular students, it is certain that they will beneficially affect the future of this school. The following shows the attendances during last and the present year : 1908 —Individual registered students, first term 24, second term 26, third term 34 : attendance at classes, first term 36, second term 48, third term 55 ; Saturday science class, first term 21, second term 18, third term 17 : total class attendance, first term 57, second term 66, third term 72. 1909 (first term) —Individual registered students, 29 : attendance at classes, 44 ; Saturday science class, 26; High School chemistry class, 28; elementary electricity, 17 : total class attendance, 115. Examinations. —At the annual examinations 13 students sat in nineteen subjects : 4 obtained first-class, 4 second-class, and 5 third-class certificates. Two students, John Pearce Rickard and Charles Bateman, qualified for the Government assayer's license. Two candidates sat for the Government examinations, one for gold- and one for coal-mine manager's certificates. In the previous examination Sydney G. Baker succeeded in passing the mine-manager's examination. A special note of congratulation is merited by Dr. James Malcolm McLaren, who is the first Thames School of Mines student to obtain the degree of Doctor of Science. Staff. —At the beginning of 1908 Mr. Henry Dodson was appointed electricity instructor, and is conducting the classes most satisfactorily. In August Mr. J. T. Mountain resigned his position as

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