E.—2.

mostly under the supervision of Mr. Bruce. At the smaller schools, though the children have gardens, agriculture is not taught. The pupils are, however, learning the lessons of which experience is a good teacher. With them the subject may be called nature-study. In quite a number of cases that have come to my knowledge the pupils, having learnt to cultivate gardens at the schools, carry their enthusiasm to their homes and form gardens there. The horticultural gardens would be improved if some attempt were made at classification. At one school each child has for his gardening a notebook, into which details of operations are entered. In American colleges, where entrance examinations are at a discount, the production of such notebooks is compulsory in various subjects. The horticultural societies display a gratifying interest in the work of the children. The Board adopted the recommendation to grant the teacher three-fourths of the capitation earned by classes for learning swimming. Teachers' classes in agriculture, needlework, cookery, and woodwork have operated on Saturdays. Two first- and three second-class awards were made by the City and Guilds of London Institute to candidates in cookery. In 1907 twenty-one diplomas in cookery were awarded to students in New Zealand. Four of these came to teachers in this district. Eighty-four teachers and probationers, including several teachers from private schools, were also present at the Easter classes, where first aid and ambulance, botany and nature-study, agricultural chemistry, model-drawing and design were among the subjects dealt with. An additional science-room would greatly improve our Technical School. Mr. Bruce met the farmers in conference in several places. Small evening classes met at Blenheim in shorthand, book-keeping, English, arithmetic, and wood-carving. At Canvastown bookkeeping, commercial history, commercial geography., commercial arithmetic, and English were taught; and at Havelock book-keeping, English, and arithmetic. Scholarships.—ln the Junior National Scholarship Examination Marlborough pupils attained a very fair degree of success." Eight schools were represented by the thirteen candidates successful in qualifying. It is noticeable that no candidate from a sole-teacher school appears in the list. In 1907 only five schools were represented. By raising the age-limit of candidates for junior free places to under fifteen years on Ist December prior to entering a secondary school the Department has practically made secondary education free to all. These places are also now tenable in certain cases for a third year. If the Ist December were altered to the Ist January a needless restriction on Standard VI central examinations would be removed. Free School-books. —The grant is small, and it is doubtful whether it will do what is expected of it. Children in Class P. usually require two readers in the year, and the pupils in Standards I and II use two or three copybooks. The School Journal would be improved by the addition of spelling-lists, as is customary with Australian publications of this character. The lists would enable the Journal to be used as a spelling-book, and so facilitate the use of cheap continuous supplementary readers. Thus the grant might satisfy expectations. "The Education Act Amendment Act, 1908," renders teachers' salaries more stable. It does not, however, secure promotion. One step in this direction would be achieved by the publication of a monthly official gazette. The States of Australia issue these magazines regularly. The gazettes show all vacancies in the State, and thus facilitate application. By regulation, Boards could be brought to publish their lists, and thus assist the operation of the Act, which provides that applications from districts outside that in which the vacancy occurs shall receive due consideration. The magazines of the Australian States are the vehicles of much information valuable to teachers. They spur emulation in provision of libraries and school-decoration, announce results of school concerts, assist the teacher by authorised articles on hygiene, nature r study, school gardening, and other modern subjects, promulgate regulations, and in very many ways promote educational effort. As I contemplated the teachers at the Easter classes—and every teacher, except some from small remote household schools was there—and considered how they were labouring to make themselves more perfect instruments of public service, that they had come to our chief city at their own expense, bringing exhibits with them, that their co-workers might learn therefrom, and as I remembered that this was broadly typical of what was going on during the year, I could not avoid thinking .that the Board and people of Marlborough were well served —well served so far as loyalty and devotion yield good service. D. A. Strachan, M.A., Inspector. The Chairman, Education Board, Marlborough.

Summary of Results for the Whole District.

114

StandardJClasses. Number on Roll. Present at Average Age Annual of the Pupils Examination, in each Class. Standard VII VI v IV III II I 28 175 242 254 277 237 239 723 16 151 221 238 264 228 225 676 Yrs. mo8. 14 9 13 8 13 1 12 2 11 2 10 1 9 2 7 2 Preparatory .. Totals 2,175 2,019 11 5* * Mean at averaj ;e a; ; e -