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Third Stage. — Some Practical Rules for promoting Health and Happiness in the Home. Lesson XIX. —(I) Thrift; the necessity for saving; (2) some safe ways of investing money, such as are offered through the Post Office. Lesson XX. —(l) Personal cleanliness and home tidiness, necessity of, aids to, and advantages from ; (2) revision of second stage. Lesson XXI. —(I) Recreation, its various forms; the best forms of exercise, and their effect upon the body; (2) recreation of the mind, its necessity and effects. Lesson XXll. —Oral examination and revision of theoretical and practical work of the three stages. Two courses of lessons are given during the year, and two examinations are held annually. The only centre where instruction is given to girls in housewifery* is— William Street Board School, Hammersmith —Nearest railway-station, Addison Eoad (Metropolitan Railway); on Saturdays only, from 10 a.m. to noon. The following is the report of the examiner on the examination held in July, 1894 : " This class has been most satisfactory, and the verbal replies to questions put during the practical work showed a thoroughly intelligent acquaintance with the reasons for all they were doing. Out of the fourteen questions set, only two were unanswered by four girls, and one by two others, while the far greater number answered all, and well within the given time. No one question seemed a special difficulty; the omissions were very varied. A fifteenth question about a sick-room was withdrawn, as that subject had not been included in their lessons; still, it was intelligently answered by six of the candidates. The class has been well taught, and was quite up to the number of questions that were set, and to the practical work required to be done. The girls showed great pleasure and interest in their work. One girl obtained all the marks possible, and a girl of ten years of age only fell short by thirteen." The Joint Committee, in addition to having given instruction in housewifery to girls, have trained six assistant-mistresses, who are now capable of giving instruction in the subject. Financial. The Drapers' Company and the City and Guilds of London Institute still continue to render generous financial assistance to the Joint Committee. In 1894 the Drapers' Company kindly gave £1,000, and the City and Guilds Institute £250. These sums are augmented by grants from the Science and Art Department on the result of examinations of boys trained in the classes of the Joint Committee. The income of the Committee is, approximately, about £1,400 per annum. The following analysis shows the actual expenditure during the year ended 31st December. 1894: Woodwork, £818 18s. 5d.; metal-work, £263 18s. lid.; housewifery, £48 45.; laundry, £71 18s. 9d.; sundries, £165 9s. Id.: total, £1,368 9s. 2d. DISTEIBDTION OF PeIZES. The Worshipful Company of Drapers have, since the year 1892, given the use of their hall to the Joint Committee every year for the purpose of holding the annual distribution of prizes. The prizes, consisting of bags of tools and instruments and books for boys, and work-boxes and desks for girls, have been presented to the students yearly by distinguished persons —this year by Lady George Hamilton (accompanied by Lord George Hamilton), on Tuesday, sth March, at the seventh annual distribution of prizes. Genebad. It is gratifying to the Joint Committee to know that the system framed by them both in respect of its syllabus and method of administration has been widely adopted in provincial towns and abroad; and, further, that several of the more prominent instructors in the provinces have had their training under the Committee. The organizing instructors evince a strong earnestness in their work, and the teachers and children who have been trained under the Joint Committee have felt the deepest interest in their work, and have made steady progress. Several gentlemen (members of Parliament, educationists from various parts of the United Kingdom and also from foreign countries, members and clerks of provincial School Boards, headteachers of middle class and of public elementary schools, and others) have paid visits to some of the centres, and have expressed their approval of the instruction. In addition, it is pleasing to note that parents express great satisfaction with the influence exercised by this instruction in manual training upon their children, and the zeal manifested by the scholars in connection with it. There appears to be a healthful spirit of emulation among the pupils. As the moneys contributed for the work are from sources outside the funds of the Board, facilities are offered for children from non-Board schools to avail themselves of the privilege of attending the classes of the Joint Committee.

* Since the date of this report a centre for teaching housewifery to children in the fourth and higher standards has been opened at Beresford Street, Walworth.

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By Authority : John Mackay, Government Printer, Wellington.—lB96. Trice Is.]