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instructor to collect suitable specimens of woods to form two museums —one for each centre on the north and the south of the Thames respectively. These specimens have been suitably labelled, and have cost £12 in all. The organizing instructor has also constructed specimen joints to be used at each centre. The regularly-recurring expenses for these woodwork classes include monthly salaries, which amount to about £650 during the year, for the organizing instructor and his assistants ; also, materials, equipment, &c, which costs not exceeding £15 per annum for each centre. About 1,450 boys are under instruction in the woodwork classes of the Joint Committee, and are working to the syllabus adopted by the Committee, and the progress, as evidenced by the results of the annual examinations, is eminently satisfactory. The following is the report of the examiners on the examination held in November, 1894 : — " The written work on the whole was satisfactory, but somewhat uneven. The class attended by the boys numbered 61 to 80, for instance, showed far and away the most intelligent knowledge of their subject. In this section only one single slip was made in naming the woods (Question I.), and not only were nearly all the questions answered, and answered well, but several of the boys attempted more than their instructions warranted. There were a few exceedingly good papers too in some of the other classes, notably those of 8, 16, and 128 ; but many showed striking evidence of superficial teaching, instead of educational training. The why and the wherefore of things seem not to have been sufficiently attended to ; and accurate observation does not appear to have received much attention. Nearly all the boys worked the drawings, and very few fell below good, while a large proportion were excellent. " The practical work was certainly good—on the average, better than last year, and the work was more even ; for, though there were fewer first-class boys, there was not many failures. The planing was very good almost throughout, but the sawing did not reach the same standard. The gauging was fair, but the paring with the chisel was inferior. Less mistakes were made than usual." (b.) Saturday Classes for Teachers. —With a view to more widely extending the instruction in manual training, and including it in the curriculum of a large number of schools, the School Board for London obtained permission from the Joint Committee to allow several assistant teachers in their schools to undergo a training for three months under the organizing instructor of the manualtraining (woodwork) classes; and some teachers availed themselves of the privilege, leave of absence from their ordinary duties having been granted by the school-management committee. It is gratifying to know that a number of other teachers have manifested their interest in fitting themselves for the woodwork classes established and to be established by the Board, by forming voluntary evening-classes, under the control of the organizing instructor, for the conducting of which the Joint Committee readily granted the use of tools, benches, &c, at the St. Andrew's Street, Wandsworth Eoad, and other centres. For the past two years the Joint Committee have had under their control these classes for teachers in woodwork. The teachers are prepared for the examinations (first year and final) of the City and Guilds of London Institute. The examinations are held by the Institute in June annually. In 1893 there were seventy-two certificates (first and final years, first and second class) awarded, and in 1894 there were seventy certificates (first and final years, first and second class) awarded. The centres where instruction to teachers in woodwork is given are: — Halford Eoad Board School, Fulham : Saturday, 9.30 to 12.30. St. Andrew's Street Board School, Wandsworth Eoad: Saturday, 9.30 to 12.30. Vittoria Place Board School, Barnsbury: Saturday, 9.30 to 12.30. The following is the report of the examiners of the City and Guilds Institute upon the examinations held in 1894 :— " In the practical woodworking examination the general level is considerably higher than last year, the chief weakness being shown in the lack of practical knowledge of the principles of construction. Very many of the exercises were commenced the wrong way, and, as a consequence, the work was less neat and accurate than it otherwise would have been. " The drawing to scale was better than at last year's examination; comparatively few mistakes have been made by marking off wrong dimensions. It is, however, evident that a great number of the candidates had little or no special preparation in drawing ; the final lines of the drawing, instead of being definite and of uniform thickness and darkness, being, as a rule, imperfect and indistinguishable from the construction lines. In the first year's examination, of the candidates who failed, 40 per cent, failed in both drawing and practical woodwork, 8 per cent, in the practical examination, while 52 per cent, failed in drawing alone. In the final examination the drawing was better. Of tb.9 candidates who failed, 27 per cent, failed in drawing and one other division, and 19 per cent, in drawing alone. " As regards the written examination, the average results were much in advance of those of last year. It is a curious fact that, whereas manual training is intended to promote habits of observation and to secure accuracy, it is in these very points that the candidates have most failed. The majority appear to have gained their knowledge of tools and timber from books instead of from the things themselves. Questions 6, 7, and 11 were the least well answered. Opinions were fairly divided as to which substance, steel or wood, possesses the greater elasticity, and few of the candidates seemed to appreciate the fact that to work from a drawing is a higher mental training than to work from a model, necessitating closer attention and more sustained thought." Metal-woek. (a.) Day-classes for Boys. —ln April, 1892, the Joint Committee had under their consideration the question of extending their existing scheme of manual instruction, especially in the direction of including working in metals, to be conducted upon somewhat the same lines as the then existing classes in woodwork. For the purpose of examining all the best methods of work, they directed the clerk to communicate with the leading technical schools, not only in England, but upon the 3—E. lc.