15 C.—3. or the purposes of this class, a very fair collection of minerals and rocks, which, in fact, gained us a first-class award at the recent Auckland Industrial and Mining Exhibition. Mr. Harrison's class in mechanical drawing has been but poorly attended during the year, and unless half a dozen students, at any rate, signify their intention of taking up the class I cannot recommend that Mr. Harrison be asked to inconvenience himself for the benefit of one or two students. At the same time it is inexplicable to me that residents, other than miners, have not thought it advisable to attend this valuable course. At the annual Government examinations held in December last, twelve students were presented, gaining nine first-class, nine second-class, and seven third-class certificates. Considering that the examination papers are set for second-year students, this may be taken as a very satisfactory result indeed at the end of our first year. In one subject—viz., theoretical chemistry —a Coromandel student was several marks ahead of any other candidate. WAIHI SCHOOL. Mr. P. G. Morgan, M.A., Director of the "Waihi School of Mines, reports as follows:— I have the honour to submit the following report of the Waihi School of Mines for the year ending 31st March, 1899 :— During this period the school has made satisfactory progress, and though the enthusiasm shown at the first opening of the school may have somewhat abated, the majority of the students have applied themselves to their studies in a way which is deserving of the greatest credit, considering the disadvantages under which most of them labour. The chief of these disadvantages perhaps is the lack of general education, but amongst others may be mentioned the hardships of their daily occupation, the weekly change of shift (which seriously interferes with the work of the classes), and the discomforts of living in a comparatively new place like Waihi. The attendance at the various classes has been well maintained throughout the year, as is shown by the subjoined table :—

Table of Attendances for the Year ending 31st March, 1899.

From the above table it will be seen that the average number of students during 1898 was forty-three, with a class-attendance of 108 ; and that during the first term of 1899 the number of students has increased to forty-nine, and the class-attendance to 148. Prom present appearances this number will be more than maintained during the rest of the year. Though the attendance in the mining and mathematical classes has decreased, this has been more than counterbalanced by the large increase in the assaying and chemistry classes. The teaching of such a multiplicity of subjects, coupled with the substantial increase in the number of students, and in the laboratory-work, taxes the energies of one teacher to the uttermost, and I trust it will not be long before the Government grants the Committee the financial assistance necessary to enable the teaching-staff to be increased, and to provide the chemical apparatus, instruments, models, geological specimens, &c, needed for the proper teaching of the various classes. The following is a syllabus of the work done during 1898 in the several classes :— Mining and Mining Geology. — (a.) Methods of breaking down mineral and rock, (b.) Explosives—their use, composition, and relative strengths, (c.) Opening out mineral deposits by means of quarries, adit-levels, and shafts, (d.) Exploitation of mineral deposits, (c.) The timbering of shafts and mine-workings ; the use of iron and masonry ; filling in. (/.) Transportation of mineral —hauling-and-winding machinery, (g.) The ventilation of mines, (h.) Damming back water, and the construction of dams, (i.) Pumping and pumping machinery. (J.) Strength of materials used in mines, (k.) Nature and mode of occurrence of mineral deposits. (I.) Formation of lodes, (m.) Dynamics of lodes. Text-book : Gordon's " Mining and Engineering." Mathematics.- — (a.) Arithmetic — the whole subject. (&.) Algebra—elementary rules; simple equations ; use of formulae ; problems. Text-books : Hudson and Smith's " Arithmetic " ; Hall and Knight's " Elementary Algebra."

1898. 1899. First Term. Second Term. Third Term. First Term. Mining Mathematics... Theoretical surveying... Practical surveying Mineralogy and geology Theoretical chemistry ... ... ... Practical chemistry ... ... Assaying Metallurgy ... Drawing 22 23 17 6 4 9 10 10 24 22 20 5 8 13 13 8 15 13 14 14 4 6 16 17 6 6 13 10 14 8 12 21 24 30 11 5 Total attendance at classes 101 113 111 148 Individual registered students ... 44 45 41 49