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Appendix A.j

Children's Teeth. —Over two years ago the Auckland Dental Association was granted permission to examine and report on the teeth of the children attending city and suburban schools, subject to suitable arrangements being made with the School Committees and head teachers of the schools concerned. The children at several of the large schools, have alreadj - been examined, and over three hundred children, whose parents could not afford to send them to a private dentist, have been treated at the Auckland Dental Hospital. The thanks of the Board are due to the members of the association for the gratuitous work undertaken by them. Physical instruction. —Arrangements were made during the year for the physical instruction of teachers at the following centres : Auckland, Hamilton, Whangarei, and Thames. Schools in those districts were closed for a fortnight to enable all the adult teachers to receive instruction. Due attention has been given to the requirements of the Act in regard to the teaching of physical exercises and military drill. Observation Schools. —The Board is of opinion that in districts wsliere necessary, certain Grade 111 schools should become "observation schools" for the purpose of providing opportunity for practice in teaching for inexperienced teachers, who would be required to get an insight into the working of an efficiently conducted school, and that provision should be made for an addition to the salary of the teacher of such observation school. Manual and Technical Instruction. —[See X.-5, Report on Manual and Technical Instruction.] Thanks. —The Board desires to thank the Education Department for the careful consideration of its recommendations, and the School Committees of the district for their cordial co-operation during the year. I have, &c, The Hon. the Minister of Education, Wellington. Geokge J. Garland, Chairman.

TARANAKI. Sir, — Education Office, New Plymouth, 31st March, ISJI4. In accordance with the provisions of section 174 of the Education Act, 1908, the Education Board of Taraiiaki has the honour to submit the following report of its proceedings for the year 1913 :— At the beginning of the year the Board comprised the following members : Mr. Ha cold Trimble (Chairman), Messrs. G. A. Adlam, A. Mel. Bradbury, A. H. Halcombe, W. McL. Kennedy, Li. Masters, A. Morton, W. Rogers, and J. Young. In accordance with the provisions of the Education Act the following members retired in July and were re-elected unopposed: East Ward —William McL. Kennedy; West Ward—G. A. Adlam; North Ward —Harold Trimble. At the meeting of the Board held on the 27th August Mr. Harold Trimble was re-elected Chairman. New schools have been erected at Waiugongora, Pukeho, and Patua; and a school was erected at Pitone by the settlers. A household school was opened at lierekapa, and the Opua School was closed in June. At the end of the year there were ninety-seven schools open, including two halftime schools. Eighty-seven were held in buildings, the property of the Board, and the balance in buildings leased to the Board by settlers. Fifty-three of the head teachers had residences attached to their schools, and the others were in receipt of house allowance. The number of teachers in the service of the Board was 205, graded as follows : Sole teachers, 40 female and 8 male; head teachers, 17 female and 31 male; assistants, 69 female and 12 male; pupil-teachers, 16 female and 1 male; probationers, 11 female. At the annual examinations six pupil-teachers and probationers gained a pass in the D examination, and four gained a partial pass. At the scholarship examination candidates from the following schools qualified :— Bayly Memorial Scholarship: New Plymouth High School, 5; Stratford District High School, 3. The scholarship was granted to a lad from the Stratford District High School. Board's Senior Scholarship: New Plymouth High School, 10 candidates; Stratford District High School, 20 candidates; New Plymouth Technical School, '2 candidates. The scholarships were granted to three candidates from the New Plymouth High School and six from the Stratford District High School. The National and Board's Junior Scholarshijjs : Central, 4 candidates; West End. 4; New Plymouth High School, 16; New Plymouth Technical School, 1; Opunake, 1; Stratford District High School, 14; Toko, 1; York, 1. The National Scholarships were granted to one candidate from Toko and one from Stratford District High School. The Boards Junior Scholarships were gianted to four candidates from the New Plymouth High School, two from the Stratford District High School, one from West End, one from Egmont Village, one from York, and one from Opunake. The two Taranaki Scholarships were won by pupils of the Stratford District High School and of tlie New Plymouth High School respectively.. The receipts of the Board from all sources, including £860 18s. 3d. credit balance from 1912, amounted to ,£40,347 15s. 9d. ; while the expenditure was as follows: Administration, £3,678 15s. lid.; teachers' salaries, £27,059 18s. 6d.; secondary education, £1,371 2s. 10d.; manual and technical, £2,601 4s. Id.; buildings, £3,008 ss. lOd. ; training of teachers, £151 13s. 10d. : leaving a credit balance of £2,476 14s. 9d. In the interests of education the Board considers dial this district should be enlarged so as to include at least the whole of the Taranaki Province.

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