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of the Scotch School Boards to the question of compulsory education for adolescents. It is of the utmost importance that no definite action should be contemplated until there is good reason for believing that the school district is ready for the change, nor until a well considered and practicable scheme of instruction suited to the needs of the district and of the young persons concerned has been formulated. The Education Boards in the various districts in which attention is being given to the question of compulsory attendance no doubt fully recognize that to put forward, for the sake, say, of being first in the field, some ill-considered scheme unsuited to the district and unsatisfying to the students would be to court failure at the outset. The chief sources of income and items of expenditure in respect of day and evening classes, exclusive of " College " classes, may be summarized as follows : — Receipts. £ Expenditure. £ Capitation on attendances and for free ! Administration, &c. .. .. 7,258 places .. .. .. .. 33.211 Salaries of instructors .. .. 31,534 Voluntary contributions and subsidies Buildings and equipment .. .. 16,720 thereon .. .. .. .. 8,569 Students' fees .. .. .. 9,428 Grants for buildings and equipment .. 9,226 KM| Totals, 19101 .. .. £60,434 ; £55,512 ! Totals, 1909 .. .. £63,931 £60,919 Free places were enjoyed by 3,244 students, of whom 2,098, or about 65 per cent., were under instruction at classes other than classes at day technical schools. The following table gives the school age and sex of students holding free places at technical schools and classes during the year.

Of the total number of students admitted to free places, 2,794, or 86 per cent., qualified for capitation. The courses of instruction taken up by students who so qualified were as follows : — Number of Students. Courses of Instruction. 1909. 1910. Science and technology .. .. ■ • . ■ .. 649 736 Pure and applied art .. .. .. .. .. 152 197 Domestic economy .. .. .. .. .. 319 422 Agriculture .. .. .. .. .. .. 21 42 Commercial instruction .. .. • • .. .. 1,066 1,397 Totals 2,207 2,794 Capitation payments on account of free places amounted for 1910 to £8,066 19s. 9d., being at the rate of £2 9s. per free place. It will be seen that about 50 per cent, of the free pupils under instruction during the year elected to take commercial courses in preference to other courses of instruction. The fact that a large proportion of the students holding free places are resident in or near the larger centres probably accounts to some extent for what appears to be at first sight an undue proportion.

Day Technical Schools. Otl Other Classes. her Claesi School Age. . . , .. I First year . . umor free pupils j Secon £ yoa ,. I First year .. lenioi free pupils \ Second year (Third year. . Males. Females. Total. 355 381 736 112 175 287 26 64 90 12 15 27 2 4 6 Males. 688 257 189 104 57 Females. 406 184 116 73 24 Total. 1,094 441 305 177 81 Totals .. 507 639 1,146 507 639 1,146 . 1,295 1,295 803 803 2,098 ! i