E.—s

8

(A\) The local authority should have power to fix, after consultation with representatives of the employers and of the workpeople in each trade, the hours and seasons at which the compulsory continuation classes should be held. (I.) For the planning of suitable courses the local authority should establish advisory committees, including representatives of the employers and workpeople in each calling and of persons experienced in teaching. It need scarcely be added that the opinions, deliberately expressed, of a body such as the Consultative Committee of the Board of Education demand the most careful consideration of educationists everywhere. It is true that here in New Zealand questions bearing on the education of adolescents do not, fortunately, bristle with complications and difficulties such as are met with in older lands. It is, however, also true that under the voluntary system that obtains in New Zealand too large a number of young persons do not proceed to any school or class on the completion of their public-school course. So it seems necessary, at no far distant date, to consider the expediency of imposing some measure of compulsion designed to lessen as far as possible this undesirable discontinuity of attendance. The special grants to Education Boards for the training of teachers on subjects of manual and technical instruction have been continued this year. In one or two districts special sessions have again been held with satisfactory results. Agriculture and kindred subjects have received considerable attention in connection with these special sessions and the usual week-end classes. The Science and Art Examinations of the English Board of Education, and the Technological Examinations of the City and Guilds of London Institute, were held as usual, the former at fifteen, the latter at seventeen, centres. The number of entries for the Science and Art Examinations was 781, the number of passes being 501 ; while for the Technological Examinations the number of entries was 437, and the number of passes 268. Although the time, May to July, at which these examinations require to be held is not altogether convenient from the point of view of the schools, the number of schools making use of these examinations continues to increase. The following is a summary of the expenditure by the Government during the year on manual and technical instruction : — Capitation,— £ s. a. £ s. a. School classes ... ... ... 18,741 17 8 Technical classes ... ... 18,497 12 8 Free places ... ... ... 6,401 1 6 43,640 11 10 Subsidies on voluntary contributions, — School classes ... ... ... 43114 11 Technical classes ... ... 5,764 3 0 6,195 17 11 (.rants for buildings, equipment, and rent, — School classes ... ... ... 2,501 18 8 Technical classes .. ... 17,830 16 9 (limits for material for technical classes... 1,316 17 2 21,649 12 7 Railway fares of instructors and students ... 4,799 18 6 Examinations ... ... ... ... 646 3 3 Inspection and other expenses ... ... ... 1,051 0 4 Total ... ... ... £77,983 4 5 The total expenditure by the Government in the way of capitation, subsidies, and grants was —for school classes, £21,675 lis. 3d.; and for technical classes, £49,810 lis. Id. The expenditure for the previous year was £21,260 19s. 2d. and £54,163 Bs. 6d. respectively.