3

E.—B

The John Tinline Scholarship, awarded by the University on the papers in English alone of the Senior Scholarship Examination, was awarded to an undergraduate of this College. Girls' High School. The school year has been, on the whole, uneventful, and, in consequence, salutory for purposes of steady work. The free places given at the Rangiora and Ashburton High Schools, and the district high schools opened in other centres, such as Lyttelton, Amberley, Southbridge, Darfield, and Kaiapoi, have slightly affected the attendance, but not so much as might have been anticipated, the roll for the third term of the year being 130, as against 140 for the same term in 1902 (which was unusually high), 127 in 1901, and 119 in 1900. The health of the staff and pupils has been generally excellent, and this in spite of the prevalence of somewhat serious epidemics in the city and suburbs during the winter and spring months. Shortly after the beginning of the second term the school was visited by the InspectorGeneral of Schools, who expressed himself as satisfied with the general organization and arrangements. The death of Mrs. Macmillan Brown in February last has removed one who took a deep interest in the higher education of girls, and to whom the school owes a special debt of gratitude. Mrs. Brown was a member of the teaching staff for over fifteen years—that is, from January, 1878 (shortly after its inception) until 1894 —and for the last eleven years of this period she held the position of Lady Principal. It was under her control that the school was first properly organized as a training school for a future university career, and the main details of her organization are still in force. At the time of her death Mrs. Brown was president of the Old Girls' Association, and in other ways showed a continued interest in the welfare of the school. Thirty-nine pupils have held scholarships, exhibitions, or free places at the school. Of these, twenty have received them from the Board of Governors, eighteen from the North Canterbury Board of Education, and one from the South Canterbury Education Board. In the December University examinations, two pupils were awarded Junior University Scholarships, and two others were placed in the Credit List of the same examination, one being awarded a Gammack Scholarship. Eleven pupils were also entered for matriculation, and all were successful, one also passing the Medical Preliminary Examination. In the examination for Senior Board of Education Scholarships, five out of the six scholarships were gained by pupils of this school. In the Junior Civil Service examinations one headed the list for the colony, while three other pupils who took this examination all passed successfully. Notable successes of past pupils of the school during the year are the degrees of B.A. conferred on Maude Herriott, Rachel Kain, and Wilhelmina Sievwright; while Ada O'Callaghan gained an exhibition in mathematics at Canterbury College, and in the annual examination was awarded first-class honours in mathematics, a distinction which has not previously been gained by a lady student at Canterbury College. Boys' High School. The roll-number at the end of the year was 229. During the year 1903 fifty-nine pupils in all have held scholarships or free places at the Boys' High School, of whom thirteen held scholarships from the Board of Education, and forty-six held free places provided by our own Board of Governors. We had difficulty in filling up the latter, and during the year four holders of exhibitions left before their exhibitions had expired; in two instances the exhibitions had another eighteen months to run, and in the other two more than a term. A memorial to old boys who fought in South Africa was erected in March last and unveiled by His Excellency the Governor. It contains the names of fifty-six who fought in South Africa, and underneath a brass commemorates the names of four who died in the war. Mr. A. Merton has removed to Harewood Road, Papanui, and takes boarders there; he began the year with six boarders, but they were reduced to three by the end of the year. The house and grounds are excellently adapted for boarders, the air being good, the grounds extensive, and the distance the house is from the streets of the town is a distinct advantage. The physical training system was modified at the beginning of 1903 by the partial introduction of the Sandow system. Complete measurements were taken at the beginning of the year and again at the end, and it was found that the average chest-measurement for the whole school had increased, for the normal chest, T|in., and for the expanded chest, 2 in. It may be added that two medical men, old boys, kindly examined the boys at the beginning of the year, and specially weak boys had exercises prescribed them suitable for their cases. The cadet corps went into camp this year for the first time, and the experience and training was very good for the boys. About seventy boys last year omitted Latin, and took commercial work and extra French or workshop, with a certain amount of European history. The commercial work has included prScis, correspondence, commercial arithmetic, book-keeping, accountancy; and the elements of- agriculture have been taught to those intending to be farmers. Shorthand and typewriting have been taught on Saturday mornings. Another special prize has been given this year—viz., one by an old boy, Mr. A. R. Craddock. for woodwork. Distinctions gained during the year are as follows : Among former pupils, C. J. A. Griffin obtained a Senior University Scholarship for Mathematics ; S. S. D. Robertson, his M.A. degree ; R. A. Campbell and S. Steele, the B.Sc. in Engineering; J. G. Lancaster, G. C. Mayne, and A. E. Currie won exhibitions at Canterbury College. Of present pupils, C. A. Cotton won a Junior University Scholarship ; T. C. Smith, and T. E. Guthrie, passed the Medical Preliminary, and five boys passed Matriculation; one boy obtained a Senior Board of Education Scholarship.