B.—(>.

[Appendix.

eated by Major Temperley as follows : " It is obvious that every boy at a secondary school will have to serve later on in the Territorial Force, and that secondary schools will form an excellent material for the provision of officers. It is therefore extremely desirable to create a real military keenness and knowledge in secondary schools." Undertaken as an experiment, it is gratifying to note that Major Temperley and the headmaster regard it as having been entirely successful. The constitution of the Board of Trustees remains unaltered. Mr. A. G. Bignell was reappointed Chairman at the annual election. The interests of the Trust continue to be conserved by the efficient assistance and attention to his duties as secretary by Mr. J. P. Williamson. A. G. Bignell, Chairman. 2. Work of the Highest and Lowest Classes. Highest.- —The work prepares boys for the Junior University Scholarship Examination. English— Shakespeare, Henry IV, Parts I and II; Henry V ; Rabtz, Higher English ; Nesfield, English Past and Present. Latin —Cicero, Select Orations and Letters; Tacitus, Annals, I; Catullus; Lucretius, Book V; Luce's Sight Translation; Bradley's Arnold; Bradley's Aid to Latin Prose; Pelham's Outlines of Roman History. French —Bossuet's Oraisons ; Moliere, Bourgeois Gentilhomme ; Contes Choisis ; Specimens French verse ; Pellissier's Unseens ; Siepmann, Third Year ; Duhamel's Prose ; Spiers's Drill. Mathematics—-Pendlebury's Arithmetic; Baker and Bourne's Geometry; Borchardt and Perrott's Trigonometry. Science—Jones's Heat; Stewart's Tutorial Heat; Bailey's Tutorials— Metals and Non-metals and Inorganic Chemistry. Lowest. —Begins secondary education with boys who have passed the Fifth Standard. English— Stories of Arabian Nights; Laureata; Nesfield, Outlines. Latin —Scott and Jones, Course I; Kennedy's Shorter Grammar. French—Siepmann, Part I. Geography —Oxford Preliminary. Mathematics—Pendlebury's Arithmetic; Baker and Bourne's Algebra; Borohardt and Perrott's Geometry. History—Meiklej ohn ; Carmina. PALMERSTON NORTH HIGH SCHOOL. Staff. Mr. J. E. Vornon, M.A., B.Sc. ; Mr. J. Murray, M.A. ; Mr. J. A. Colquhoun, M.Sc.; Mr. W. P. Anderson, M.A. ; Mr. G. A. Lundie, M.A. ; Mr. E. G. Jones, B.A. ; Mr. B. Brennand ; Mr. D. J. Vernon, LL.B. ; Miss A. F. Ironside, M.A. : Miss M. F. Arnott, B.A. ; Miss E. Haselden, M.A. ; Mr. G. H. Elliot; Mr. W. Stephenson ; Mrs. Woolf. 1. Report op the Board op Governors. In submitting the annual report I desire first of all to record our pleasure at the return of Mr. Vernon to the Dominion and to his position as Rector. The Board appointed Mr. Murray (now first assistant) to the position of Acting-Rector during Mr. Vernon's absence and have every reason to be satisfied with the manner in which he carried out the onerous duties attached to the rectorship. Unfortunately, towards the end of the school year Mr. Murray was temporarily laid aside owing to a very severe illness. During Mr. Murray's illness Mr. Anderson was put and the Board recognize that he did good work under great difficulties. The numbers enrolled for the present year are 69 girls, 160 boys ; total 229. The average number for last year was 217. The honours gained by pupils at end of 1913 were as follows : Junior University Examination, 3in credit list; Teachers D Examination, 3 partial passes; higher leaving certificate, 7 ; Matriculation, 5 ; Matriculation completed, 2 ; Engineering Preliminary, 1; Matriculation, partial pass, 3 ; Senior Board Scholarship, 1 ; Public Service Entrance, 2. Lower Form. —In accordance with the Board's decision the lower-form class has commenced work and the roll number is now eighteen. This is quite a satisfactory commencement. At present a temporary teacher is in charge of the form, but an appointment of extra teacher on the staff will be made shortly. Applications for the position have been advertised for. The building known as the " Armoury " has been brought into use for the lower form, and will prove suitable. Some arrangement for heating this room will require to be made before the winter season. Girls' High School. —The Board have not so far been successful in securing a site for the proposed Girls' High School. The growing necessity of a separate establishment for girls demands a strong effort in the direction of obtaining assistance from the Government. College House. —College House continues to prove a most valuable adjunct of the school, and in this connection it should be remembered that if it were not for this establishment the Board's revenue would suffer by at least £340 per annum. The Board have on more than one occasion taken into consideration the matter of acquiring or obtaining tjie right to acquire College House. Two elements enter into this question—firstly, from the point of view of making an arrangement by which the full benefits of College House should be obtained at some time for the Board, and secondly, that some measure of safety is due to Mr. Vernon, who has provided the establishment, certainly with the Board's approval, but entirely at the mercy of a possible Board that might erect a separate boarding establishment and thereby render Mr. Vernon's outlay a total loss. This matter should receive full consideration from the Board and Mr. Vernon's position made at least secure from financial loss. Finance. —From the balance-sheet you will see that the finances of the High School are quite sound, the position being practically the same as at the end of last year, for, although the credit balance has been reduced from £348 to £117, a previous existing but non-recurring liability of £250 has been extinguished. ° * *•* * * * * * * Board. —The only change in the personnel of the Board has been the appointment of Mr. W. F. Durward in place of Mr. McNab, who did not desire re-election. Walter Rutherford, Chairman.

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