E.- Ib.

tuted for any one of the class subjects except drawing, but the burden of the syllabus, and the scholarship programme existing in the district, practically made it impossible for the headmaster of a large school to make any substitution. The public pressure brought to bear on him to compete for scholarships was too strong to allow him to omit any of his class subjects, and, moreover, few of his teachers were trained for the work. A syllabus giving more freedom of choice to headmasters, and the extension of free secondary education by means of district high schools, will undoubtedly give greater impetus to manual instruction, besides providing relief from the necessity of preparing for a special scholarship examination. But before a teacher undertakes manual work he should make a careful study of the whole question, and have a practical acquaintance with the occupations he selects, and then see that those occupations co-ordinate with the general scheme of work he has laid down for the year. They are of little educational value if treated as independent and isolated subjects ; they must be linked with other subjects of instruction, fit in with the general aim of the work of the school, and thus supplement the usual intellectual instruction rather than act as substitutes for it. Nothing has yet been done to establish classes in wood-work, but the lectures now being given take up all the spare time of the teachers for the present. The cookery classes under Miss Ivey in Wellington and Miss Millington in the Wairarapa have been continued under the direction of Mr. Riley as heretofore. The room now occupied by Miss lvey's classes in the Technical School will, we understand, be required for other technical classes. To continue these classes applications have been made to the Department for grants in aid of buildings and apparatus for Mount Cook, and for apparatus, &c, for Newtown and the Terrace, the Board providing the rooms in the two last-mentioned schools. With these applications an application has also been made for apparatus and fittings for laboratory work in chemistry at Newtown and the Terrace. By " The Physical Drill in Public and Native Schools' Act, 1901," physical drill must be taught to all boys and girls over eight years of age attending the public schools in the district, the only exemptions being such children as in the opinion of the principal teacher are unfit to undergo the drill. When Sergeant-major McDonald was in charge of the drill of the district the Board issued a small manual of preparatory and physical drill (without apparatus), and this is still used by many teachers. Others take exercises with clubs, poles, or dumb-bells, as well as free physical exercises ; but to enable teachers to have a clearer idea of what the Act requires the Department should issue as a guide a model course in physical training, setting forth a minimum such as can be satisfied even in small schools. This can be supplemented by further and more varied physical training, including, where possible, systematic instruction in swimming, cricket, or other games. Leaving out the small aided schools in grade 0, we find that physical drill is taught in 115 schools, in about fifty of which the programme is satisfactory. To give the teachers an opportunity of becoming more efficient the Board decided to hold a class for female teachers on Saturday morning. Gunner Juriss was the instructor for the first six months, but when his services were withdrawn an offer was accepted from the Wellington Physical Training School of the use of a suitable room and the services of its instructor, Mr. Dovey. This class held forty-two meetings. The roll, which at the beginning of the year was only seventeen, rose to 108 before the end of the year. The highest attendance at any meeting was sixty-six, and the average attendance forty-four. As this class is doing good work, the Board decided to continue it, and, as a result, we hope to see a general improvement in physical drill, more especially in the smaller country schools. In three schools—Porirua, Pahiatua, and Mangatainoka —swimming has been taught, but we have not had an opportunity of seeing the result. Those schools situated near baths or other suitable bathingplaces might with great advantage during the summer months substitute lessons in swimming for physical drill, even if they find it difficult to comply with the regulation which enables them to claim a capitation of 2s. 6d. for each unit of average attendance. The credit of the organization of the military drill of the district is due to Sergeant-major McDonald, whose valuable services were required by the Government elsewhere. The Education Department has now taken up the work for the whole colony. An officer commanding the publicschool cadets of the colony, Major Loveday, has been appointed, and regulations relating to publicschool cadet corps have been issued. During the year eleven cadet corps, each with a total of not less than forty-eight of all ranks, representing nine schools, and twelve detachments, each with a total of not less than twenty-four of all ranks, from twelve schools, were recognised by the Department. The total number of cadets of all ranks for the whole district was 1,013. 'At a meeting of headmasters which was attended by Major Loveday arrangements were made by which inspections could be held by that officer at suitable times. When the different corps are formed into battalions the number of parades necessary to qualify for capitation can be attended. Besides the twenty-one schools mentioned above, military drill has been taught in twenty-five schools, but the number of boys in each was not sufficient to form a detachment. The Board's class for instructing the teachers in military drill held forty-two meetings during the year. When the services of Gunner Juriss were withdrawn, Mr. Poison, of the Clyde Quay School, who holds a captain's commission in the Volunteer Militia, succeeded him. The roll at the beginning of the year was fourteen, at the end of the year thirty, the highest attendance twenty-five, and the average attendance fifteen. The Department has now taken over the instruction of teachers in military drill, and Captain Poison has been appointed to instruct the teachers at the Wellington centre. A centre has also been established at Masterton, where a class will be held during the coming year under Mr. A. N. Burns, of the Masterton School. As several of the assistants who have shown great enthusiasm in military drill hold commissions in the Volunteers, we look forward to some good work in the corps under their command. The Board is indebted to those members of the Permanent Militia who for so many years have given the boys excellent instruction in company

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