E.—s

16

First quarter: Number on roll, 10; average age, eleven; average attendance, 7. Second quarter : Class held thirteen times; number on roll, 11; average age, eleven ; average attendance, 6. Third quarter: Class held eight times, as two school holidays occurred in the term, also the drawing examination; number on roll, 8; average attendance, 7; average age, ten. In the last quarter the class was held five times. The boys are taught to draw the exercises, and make the objects with the tools. The boys who attend are young, and not strong enough to use the tools properly. The capitation grant was £2 65., and the expenditure nil. I have, &c, A. D. Riley, Esq., Education Board, Wellington. J. A. Smith, Teacher.

MASTERTON TECHNICAL SCHOOL. The Committee of the Masterton Technical School have pleasure in submitting the following report on the working of the technical classes for the past year:— They desire to thank the trust for its grant of £100 towards the maintenance of the classes for the year. The Committee has pleasure in reporting that it is able to refund the trust the sum of £15, being the saving effected on the working of the classes during the year. The Committee also desire to specially thank the trust for its generous offer of a site for a new technical school. In connection with this offer, a deputation waited on the Premier on the occasion of his visit to Masterton on the 3rd May last, and requested him to support the Committee's application for a grant for a building. The Premier promised to give the matter his heartiest support. On the day following a deputation waited on the Minister of Education and urged him to support the Committee's application. After viewing the site offered, and inspecting the Drill Hall, the unsuitability of which for a technical school was pointed out to him, he promised to give the application his warmest support. At a later date a deputation consisting of members of the Technical School Committee waited on the Minister in Wellington, and he assured x the deputation that a sum would be voted out of the first money available. The Committee has subsequently pressed the matter several times, but without satisfactory result. The Committee is thoroughly disappointed, especially so when other technical schools have met with different treatment. During the year three sessions were held, and classes were established in the following subjects: Cookery, dressmaking, drawing required in trades, agricultural chemistry, shorthand, bookkeeping, general knowledge. The Cookery Classes. —These classes were an unqualified success. Six classes were formed, with a total of 189 pupils. Two classes met in afternoons, three in evenings, and one —a children's class —on Saturday mornings. Plain cookery was taught in five of the classes, and advanced cookery in the remaining one. Keen interest was manifested by the pupils in their lessons, and a good attendance was maintained. A cookery exhibition was held in connection with the classes on the 20th-May. The exhibits were highly creditable, particularly the ones prepared and cooked by the members of the children's class. In connection with the latter class, a written examination was held. The questions were made to cover the work done during the session. Prizes, which were given by members of the Technical School Committee, were awarded to the scholars who stood highest in each division of the class. The thanks of the Committee are due to the Borough Council for its grant of a gas-stove for the use of these classes. The Dressniaking Glasses. —Six classes were formed, the total number of pupils being sixty-two. The pupils showed great interest in the lessons, and attended with the greatest regularity, the average attendance being sixty out of a total of sixty-two. As all the classes were practical classes, the number of pupils in a class was limited, in order to ensure that every pupil obtained a satisfactory amount of individual attention from the teacher. Of the six classes, four took the first course and two the advanced course. The Drawing Classes. —Instruction was given in the following branches: Model, scale, freehand, perspective, and mechanical. The average number of pupils on the roll was twenty-seven. This class is taught under great disadvantage. The room is altogether too small, the lighting is far from satisfaatory, and the available appliances are too limited. The Committee hope to remedy this latter defect during the coming year. A fairly large number of the pupils presented themselves for the second grade art examinations. The Agricultural Chemistry Class. —This class has again done an excellent year's work. It is a small class, but its members are earnest students. The average number on the roll was twelve. Five of the students presented themselves for the examination held in the subject by the Science and Art Department of South Kensington, London. All of the candidates passed in the elementary stage, four of them obtaining first-class certificates and the fifth a second-class certificate. The Committee is very pleased with these results. In no other technical school in the colony—-except in Lincoln College—is this subject taught, and the above passes are believed to be the first obtained in the colony. It is the intention of the Committee to place this class on a good footing by providing an additional supply of apparatus, so that students may not only see the experiments performed, but also have the opportunity of doing practical work themselves. The Committee congratulate the teacher and class on the year's work. The Shorthand Class. —This class has proved a very popular one. The average roll was twenty-one. The attendance has been highly satisfactory. It is to be regretted that the Education Department has decided to make no grants for this subject in the future. The grant for the class has amounted to over £10 a year. A number of the pupils have made excellent progress, one having attained a speed of 140 words a minute after two quarters' tuition. The Book-keeping Glass. —This class had an average roll during the year of thirteen. The class has proved a very useful one, and the attendance has been well maintained. Considering