3

E.—s

Summary of Occupations of Students. Number of Percentage Students. of Total. Clerical pursuits .. ;. .. ..2,382 12-9 Professional pursuits .. .. .. .. .. 3.294 17-9 Students .. .. .. .. .. .. 3,320 18-0 Domestic pursuits .. .. .. .. .. 3,233 17-6 Agricultural pursuits .. .. ~ .. .. 1,117 6-1 Various trades and industries .. .. .. .. 4,696 255 Other occupations not included ia above .. .. 358 2-0 Totals .. .. .. .. .. 18,400 100-0 Numbee of Classes in certain Subjects or Technical Instruction held in 1916 and 1917. 1916. 1917. Art and artcrafts .. .. .. .. .. 255 224 Mechanical and electrical engineering, theoretical and practical . . 195 224 Building-construction, carpentry, plumbing, and other trades 193 185 Experimental and natural science, mathematics, &c. .. .. 170 132 Agriculture, wool-sorting, dairy-work, &c. .. .. .. 105 127 Domestic subjects .. . . .. .. .. 346 364 Commercial subjects .. .. .. .. ■ .. 322 365 Subjects of general education . . . . .. .. 329 341 Totals .. ..- .. .. 1,915 1,962 It will be noticed that the falling-off during 1916 in. the number of students over seventeen years of age, due largely to enlistments and the demand for women to fill the vacancies caused thereby, was arrested in. 1917, the returns for that year showing an increase of more than a thousand pupils over the number for 1916. Of the total number of students, more than half were females; while more than one-fourth of the students were engaged in. agriculture or in. various trades and industries. The wide range of occupations in which the students are engaged indicates that the curricula of the schools as a whole are drawn up with, a view to meet the industrial needs of the community. Lack of accommodation and teaching facilities renders it impossible at the present time to make provision for many trades more or less closely allied with those already provided for ; but it is realized that the ideal conditions will not be attained, until provision, is made for instruction in the principles and practice of the whole of the lesser trades that, Avith the principal trade, form a complete group. The increase in the number of classes I'or engineering indicates the growing demand for instruction in the principles of mechanical and electrical engineering. It is noticed, for instance, that as soon, as a town, abandons gas-lighting in favour of the electric light, or an electric tramway is installed, a demand arises at the local technical school for theoretical and practical classes in electricity and magnetism ; and it may therefore be expected that the increase in. the use of electrical power for industrial purposes will create a, demand for very considerable developments in connection with this important branch, of technical instruction. Thirteen, schools, including those in the four chief centres, are now provided with more or less well-equipped workshops, and are able to offer a fairly complete theoretical and practical course, both, elementary and advanced, while the Canterbury College School of Engineering provides full degree and diploma courses in mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering. The returns of the classes relating to building, plumbing, and. other trades show a, slight decrease, due to war demands, in the number of attendances, and also a falling-off in the number of the more mature students who attended the classes for the iove of working out some abstruse practical problem, in their trade, or for the gratification of a, desire to execute a piece of complex work. The classes, however, continue to be well supported by various industrial organizations. The advisory committees representing,masters and men continue to have a beneficial effect upon the trades and technical schools concerned by bringing the two into closer relationship. The demand, foi' instruction in agricultural subjects continued to be maintained, the number of classes being 127 (twenty-two more than the number for 1916). The