E.— 5

14

7 failed. Plumbing, practice—l 2 candidates ; 8 passed, 4 failed. Brickwork—l candidate ; 1 passed. Mechanical engineering (ordinary)— 2 candidates ; 2 failed. Telegraphy and telephony —1 candidate ; 1 failed. Electric lighting (honours) —1 candidate; 1 passed. Electric lighting (wiring)—l candidate; 1 failed. Carpentry and joinery (ordinary)— 3 candidates; 1 passed, 2 failed. Carpentry and joinery (preliminary) —1 candidate ; 1 passed. Free Studentships. The work done by all free students has been of a steady character and satisfactory throughout. Library. This important department has now been removed to a special room on the ground-floor of the new "wing. The works have been completely rearranged and catalogued. The number of periodicals has been increased by purchase and by contribution. A sum of £10 was generously voted on behalf of the Library Fund by the Industrial Association of Wellington, this being a gift by Mr. John Eoss, of Messrs. Sargood, Son, and Ewen, to be dispensed as the association thought lit. The association also contributed three periodicals —viz., " The Art Journal," " Plumber and Decorator," and " The Architect." The number of volumes contained in the library is as follows : Fine arts, 251; architecture and building construction, 124; mechanical, 170; general, 443. The library, which has accommodation for readers, is open daily, and each evening from 7 to 9 p.m. This is one of the most important improvements made during the year, and will be invaluable to all technical students and teachers. The lending portion of the library has been largely availed of by the students during the year. Additional Glasses. Preparations have been made for the establishment during 1900 of the following additional classes: Arithmetic, workshop-drawing, electric light and power distribution, book-keeping, Latin and English. I have for years urged the necessity of the establishment of a sort of higher-grade school where boys may continue their ordinary school course for, say, a couple of years before entering upon industrial or other occupations. There are large numbers of youths who now leave school upon passing the Sixth Standard, and who would, from financial and other reasons, never attend any of our secondary schools. These youths, unfortunately, upon entering industrial occupations are more or less in an unprepared state for workshop practice without a continuation of their school-work, particularly in arithmetic, drawing, and plane and solid geometry. Special courses of work have therefore now been arranged in these particular sections, and boys under the age of eighteen years are required to continue this work previous to or in conjunction with their particular trade study, and thus prevent the waste of valuable time upon the part of the instructors in the more advanced work. I would again urge the advantages to be derived from a higher-grade school for Wellington, where the time of the students would be utilised in special courses of study such as chemistry, physics, mathematics, English, and manual instruction. Such anjuistitution would, lam sure, meet with success, and be invaluable as an aid to technical instruction. Ido not consider such an institution would interfere with the secondary schools, for it would practically mean that the present Seventh Standards, now conducted in our primary schools, would be centralised for the purposes of special instruction in the subjects I have named. General. Technical Bill. —l can only regret the fact that a new Technical Instruction Act is not yet in force. The want of funds and general aid to appliances has seriously hampered our work, and makes the successful working of the classes a double hardship. I, trust we shall see success attend the Bill this coming session ; if not, it will undoubtedly mean a heavy pruning of the work now successfully inaugurated. Loan Collection. —l further hope that my suggestions regarding the establishment of a small annual loan collection of works, and the purchase of suitable examples of industrial art from the South Kensington authorities, will be successfully brought into operation, for the value to the colony of such a collection cannot be overestimated. . Finance. The total cost for the year is £3,175 6s. 7d., and the total receipts amount to £1,499 18s. 7d., leaving a balance of £1,675 Bs. As against this sum the following items are chargeable : Instructions to 100 teachers at 15s. per quarter, £300; sixty-two scholarship-holders at 10s. per quarter, £124; twenty teachers in evening classes at 7s. 6d. per quarter, £30; cost of primary examinations, £165; inspection of schools, £120 lls. ; cost of cookery classes, £585 9s. 3d. ; vote of City Council for plumbing class for 1899 (due), £60 ; capitation for fourth quarter (Government), £79 Bs. 9d.; Wellington College fees, fourth quarter, £19 17s. 6d.: total, £1,484 6s. 6d. A. D. Eiley, Director.

MANUAL-INSTRUCTION CLASS, MAURICEVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOL. Dbae Sib,— The School, Mauriceville West, 9th February, 1900. I have the honour to submit the following report, for year ending 1899, on the manualinstruction class held in connection with this school: — The class is held during school-hours, and is attended by boys in Standards V. to VII. There are nine boys receiving instruction. The income and expenditure are nil. During the year I carried on the class at my own expense. The following is a list of the tools : One half-rip saw, eight chisels, one tenon saw, one draw-knife, two mallets, two screwdrivers, one spokeshave, two