X— /J.

theoretical engineering were on the whole well maintained. As the workshop is now fitted with several new lathes, and also with a dynamo, so that the whole building is brilliantly lighted with electricity, we expect the workshop to be filled with students next session. At the City and Guilds of London Examinations live students passed in mechanical engineering and three in surveying. Domestic department : Special classes were held during the year in various kinds of cookery, and wire well attended. In addition to the usual nurses' class in invalid cookery an evening class in plain cookery was held during the third term of (he year. The classes tn dressmaking and millinery were very well attended in spite of the fact that they were often disorganized through change of instructors. In this department we had a new departure this year by the introduction of a class in art needlework. The work done in this class is of exceptional merit. The classes for carpentry and joinery and building-construction are fairly well attended. We feel sorry that the apprentices in the building firms do not take greater advantage of the free tuition offered. Owing to a decline in the attendance it was found necessary to discontinue the classes for architectural drawing after the first term. The class for practical mathematics had a fair mil number, though the attendance was very irregular. If young fellows belonging to tinvarious trades could be got to see the immense advantage of this class, embracing as it dies practical workshop mathematics and trade science, they would not fail to take advantage of the great opportunity this class affords. Unfortunately this opportunity is missed because they do not see any direct relationship between it and the trade they are following. The plumbing classes were well attended, and the students maintained a keen interest in their work. The following are the examination successes : City and Guilds of London—Practical work, nine passes. Local examinations —Theoretical work, fifteen passes. Plumbers' licenses —Theoretical and practical examination, eight passes. The institution of classes in law was a new venture. In all ten students took the course, but owing to removal from town the numbers dwindled rapidly after the middle- of the year, and a considerable amount of the instruction was done by correspondence. As there does not seem to be sufficient demand for this class, we do not propose to continue it next year. Another new departure this year was the establishment of matriculation classes, but as the students who enrolled were hardly in a fit state of preparation to tackle work of this standard it was found advisable to discontinue these classes after the first term. It is expected, however, that a successful class will be formed this year. Classes on subjects of general education were conducted much as usual and were fairly well attended. A class in photography was carried on during the first term, and one in ticket-writing and lettering during the third term. » Compulsory continuation classes were commenced in July. The classes for boys in English and arithmetic were held on Monday evenings. The roll number reached forty. Though the attendance was not very regular, the majority of the boys came to the classes willingly, and evinced considerable interest. As regards the technical subjects taken, the majority had their instruction either in the engineering or the trades departments. The classes for girls were held on Thursday afternoons, between 1.30 p.m. and 5.30 p.m., and were weU attended by twentyone pupils. The subjects taken were English, arithmetic, and dressmaking. These compulsory classes were rather of the nature of an experiment, and the success obtained augurs well for the future. During the year continuation and technical classes were held for the first time at three suburban centres, Wanganui East, Gonville, and Castlecliff. The first of these centres had a particularly successful session. The subjects of instruction undertaken included commercial subjects, dressmaking, building-construction, vocal music, besides English and arithmetic. In conjunction with the technical classes other classes under the regulations for compulsory continuation classes were also inaugurated. The latter were well attended, and the number of students for the coming year will be considerably higher. The School Committees are to be thanked for the keen interest displayed in the management of the various classes. The classes at Wanganui East were attended by eighty-seven students, those at Gonville by thirty studentß. and those at Castlecliff by twenty-five students. My best thanks are due to the Press for the liberal m inner in which they have granted space for notices re classes and meetings connected with the College; to the members of the Technical Committee for their willing assistance and advice on numerous occasions daring the year; and to the Director of Education and the members of the Hoard's official staff for their patience and courtesy in supplying information and in rendering assistance and advice at till times. The day Technical School opened with 162 pupils for all courses. We must consider this a very good beginning. Unfortunately we have not earned capitation on all these pupils. The transfer of some twenty-one pupils from the district high school was not recognized by the Department, and so up to the present time we have been unable to receive any capitation grant for them. This means a loss of about £250. When to this is added a further loss of about .£35(1 owing to our not receiving, as we expected, all the secondary pupils from the District High School, our total deficit is about £600. However, in view of the recently passed Education Amendment Act all this should be remedied next year, and financial troubles will, I trust, no longer harass us. We have completed this year with 133 pupils on the roll. I have once again to call attention to the fact that we have suffered financially as well as otherwise by irregular attendance during the year, and also by pupils leaving without completing even their first \e.ar. The prospectus embodies a school regulation which states that students must join the school for one year at least, and 1 am of opinion that parents who withdraw pupils before the completion of that period should be compelled to make- up to us our loss in capitation, as this is our only source of revenue, seeiiiL: that practically all our pupils have free tuition,

7 -E, 6,

49