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both by the principal of St. John's, Battersea, and the English Inspectors under whose supervision he was a teacher for years, to do excellent work in assisting to train our young people in the art of teaching. I have again to acknowledge my indebtedness to the teachers of both departments of the school for the able and willing assistance they have always afforded me during the past year. I have, &c, The Chairman, Board of Education, North Canterbury. W. Malcolm, Principal.

OTAGO. Pbincipal's Eepokt. Slß,— I have the honour to submit my report of the training department of the normal school for session 1885. The following was the attendance at the classes : First-year students : males, 19; females, 30. Second-year students : males, 13 ; females, 12. Third-year students : males, 2. Grand total, 76. Of these, twenty-seven left before the end of the session, the most of them having received appointments in the public schools of this and other education districts. Since the attendance has so largely increased it has become a matter of considerable difficulty to provide adequate practice in teaching without injurious interference with the literary work of the students. Partly with a view to secure this practice, we have pressed the first-year students to prepare for and sit the examination for E certificate, and also that for entrance to the New Zealand University, looking to it for their D classification. In this we have been highly successful. At the examinations in December, 1884, and January, 1885, seventeen students passed for E, and eight for D except in one subject. Of these, twenty were first-year students; and, considering that they were thus freed from the operation of the regulation fixing the time to be devoted to literary work, they devoted themselves chiefly to practice in teaching. They were thus largely benefited, and the regular teaching-intervals were considerably relieved from pressure, to the benefit of the other students. A few of the best first-year students, who had not passed a certificateexamination, were also taken from their literary work for a week at a time and put to teaching. The experiment has resulted satisfactorily. They acquired confidence and skill through the continuous teaching, and their examination results do not seem to have been materially affected. This being the case, I can with confidence request the Board to alter the regulation prescribing the time to be devoted to literary work, leaving it to our discretion, and specifying only the minimum to bo given to practice in teaching. This being done, we are prepared to divide the whole of the student;, into five groups, and to give to each group in turn a week of continuous teaching. A number of the female students join us with a fair knowledge of French, but none of Latin. Latin is compulsory, and these are placed at a disadvantage in their classes, having to lay aside their French and take up Latin at the beginning. In addition, it is only in exceptional cases that they can be ready for matriculation at the end of their first year. Were they allowed the alternative of taking Latin or French, they might continue their study of French, and matriculate in science instead of arts. The double loss entailed by the sickness and death of Mr. Montgomery and the absence of Mr. Wilkinson on sick-leave made the work of the session of exceptional difficulty, and placed the students at considerable disadvantage. Mr. Farnie took charge of the English for one part of the session ; Mr. White for the other part. Messrs. Bee and Simmers, students of the previous year, assisted in Mr. Wilkinson's department. We are indebted to these gentlemen for the earnest manner in which they laboured to make good our loss. The examination results already placed before the Board show the success of the work. The normal-school students attending the University have done good work, distinguishing themselves especially in mathematics, physics, and chemistry. Seven kept their first year's term ; five are reported to have passed the first section of the B.A. degree. Twenty students passed the matriculation examination. I have, &c, The Secretary, Otago Education Board. W. S. Fitzgeeald, Eector.

EEPOETS OF SCHOOL COMMISSIONEBS. AUCKLAND. Sir,— Auckland, 11th March, 1886. I have the honour to report briefly as follows upon the administration of education reserves in this district for the past year : — The number of leases granted was eleven, comprising : Primary reserves—town sections, 3 acres 2 roods 15 perches, yielding £52 per annum; rural sections, 354 acres, yielding £30 4s. per annum; pastoral blocks, 8,053 acres, yielding £40 per annum for first term of seven years, increasing to £50 and £60 respectively for the second and third terms. Secondary reserves—rural sections, 103 acres, yielding £6 18s. per annum. As reported to the department in December last, the primary education reserves unlet are of little value for leasing purposes. This accounts for the small increase of the aggregate rental reported from year to year. By " The Gisborne High School Act, 1885," the small income available for secondary schools in this education district was reduced by £245, thus leaving only £293 for appropriation by the Commissioners. Independent of the claims of the Girls' High School and other secondary schools in the district, which are otherwise partially provided for, this insignificant sum is wholly inadequate for the requirements of those struggling schools in country districts which depend mainly upon this source for their support.