39

E.—s.

the advantage of nature-study cannot be overestimated, and there is no doubt that the children take a much keener interest in the work if they are taught to record their observations and impressions by means of the brush and the crayon. Woodwork and Domestic Science.—During the year four new manual-training schools were opened— v iz., at Devonport, Helensville, Pukekohe, and Waihi. The domestic-science teaching in the first three of these centres was placed in charge of Miss S. A. D. Griffiths, who was translined from Whangarei Manual-training School, where she had been doing excellent work for the past three years and a half. Mr. T. A. J. Askew, who was formerly an assistant in the woodwork department of the Newmarket Manual-training School, was appointed to take charge of the woodwork classes at Devonport, Helensville, and Pukekohe. The new manual-training school at Waihi was opened in the middle of the year, the instructors —Mrs. A. Forster-Denny (domestic science) and Mr. A. T. Smith (woodwork) —dividing their time between Thames and Waihi. As in previous years, the teaching of woodwork and domestic science was carried on at Thames, Whangarei, Cambridge, Hamilton, and the three Auckland City centres, whilst woodwork was also taught at the Otahuhu Manual-training School. The value of the teaching of such subjects as woodwork, cookery, and laundry-work cannot be overestimated, and it is gratifying to be able to record that the opposition shown by parents a few years ago has been almost entirely replaced by appreciation and enthusiasm of the work. Swimming <in<l Life-saving. —ln fourteen schools only, out of about six hundred in the Auckland District, was swimming and life-saving taught. This cannot be considered at all satisfactory, and it is regrettable that when- facilities for teaching the subject exist teachers do not avail themselves more of the opportunities provided. Needlework. —ln seventy-two schools below (.rade IV taught by a single male teacher, needlework was taught by external sewing-mistresses. Elementary Agriculture and Nature-study. —Steady pi-ogress has been made in the teaching of elementary agriculture and nature-study during the year, the number of schools taking up the subject having increased from 14(1 to 167. Although the increase in numbers is decidedly encouraging, yet one cannot help but feel that a much larger number of schools could with profit devote some time to the teaching of a subject related to a branch of an industry upon which almost the whole population of the district is dependent. Excellent work has been done by the itinerant instructor. Mr. J. P. Kalaugher, whose help and advice to the teachers has been much appreciated. The prizes offered by the Hoard for the best improvements during the year in connexion with the school-gardens were keenly contested for, and there is no doubt that the striving after these prizes had much to do with the improvement of the school-gardens generally. During September and October teachers' classes iii elementary agriculture and nature-study were conducted by Mr. Kalaugher at Whangarei and Auckland respectively. Teachers receivinginstruction at these classes were most enthusiastic over the work, and appeared to derive much benefit from their attendance thereat. The course at Whangarei was taken by eighteen teachers and that at Auckland by sixteen teachers. Instruction in woodwork, domestic science, and art subjects was, as in previous years, given to the students of the Auckland Training College, the number in attendance being twenty-nine men and seventy-two women. Special classes for teachers were held tit the Technical College in art, dressmaking and needlework, hygiene, botany, physiology, and agriculture. A cookery class for teachers was also held at Whangarei, and cookery and woodwork classes tit Hamilton. Technical and Continuation Classes in Country Centres. (lasses were held during the year tit Thames. Waihi, Whangarei. Cambridge, Te Aroha. Paeroa, and Helensville. Thames.- —Under the local Superintendent technical and continuation classes again proved very popular at Thames. The subjects taught included English, commercial arithmetic, short hand, typewriting, book-keeping, theory and practice of plumbing, high-class oookery, woodwork, dressmaking, and millinery. The number of individual students enrolled was eighty-one, the class entries being 262. At the December examinations seventy-four papers were worked, and Forty-eight passes recorded. Waihi. -During the year the new Manual-training and Technical School was opened at Waihi. Considering the troublous times experienced in Waihi during a great part of the year when the strike was on, the work of the technical and continuation classes was very satisfactory. The following classes were conducted during the year : English, commercial arithmetic, shorthand, book-keeping, commercial correspondence, building-constructiou, woodwork, cookery, dressmaking, and millinery. The building-construction class was again very popular, and two students were successful in passing the examination in building construction and drawing under the Board of Education, South Kensington, London. The number of individual students enrolled was sixty-nine, the class entries being 154. At the end of the year forty-three students sat for examinations, and of these twenty-three passed. Whangarei. —The following subjects were taught during the year : English, commercial arithmetic, book-keeping, carpentry and joinery, woodwork, drawing and painting, brushwork, poker-work, stencilling, and dressmaking and needlework. Of these, the drawing classes were the best patronized, and six successes were obtained in the various art examinations held by the Hoard of Education, South Kensington, London. The number of students enrolled was fifty-eight, the class entries being seventy-seven. At the examinations held at the close of the year twentyfive papers were worked and thirteen successes recorded.