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Annual Examinations. (E.-8, 1911.) The annual examinations were conducted by the Department as usual for the various purposes of Junior National Scholarships, Junior Free Places in secondary schools, district high schools, and technical schools, Senior Free Places in secondary schools and district high schools, for admission to or promotion in the Civil Service, and for teachers' certificates. The examinations were held from 21st to 28th November, and on the 1st and 2nd December, 1910, and from 5th to 19th January, 1911, at forty-nine centres. The number of candidates examined in these two sets of examinations still shows an increase over those of previous years, although not so considerable as that for 1909-10. It will be noticed from the table below that the increase has been general in all examinations except the Civil Senior. 1908-9. 1909-10. 1910-11. Junior National and Education Board Scholarships and Junior Free Places .. .. .. .. 1,765 2,214 2,383 Civil Service Junior, Senior Free Places, Education Board Senior Scholarships, First Pupil-teachers .. 2,158 2,369 2,375 Teachers D and C.. .. .. .. .. 1,223 1,482 1,534 Civil Service Senior .. .. .. 373 443 390 Totals .. .. .. .. 5,519 6,508 6,682 The following table shows collectively, in comparison with the preceding year, the number who entered for the various examinations enumerated, the number present, and the number of absentees. In explanation of the number set down under the last of these heads it is to be noted that the relatively large proportion is to be accounted for partly on the usual grounds, but chiefly in the case of Senior Free Place candidates through the application of a, principle recently put in operation by which awards of Senior Free Places are made with the concurrence of the Inspec-tor-General on the recommendation of the principal of the secondary school attended or for district high schools of an Inspector of Schools. Number who entered, 1910-11 .. .. .. .. .. 7,553 Number who entered, 1909-10 .. .. .. .. .. 7,267 Number actually present at examination, 1910-11 .. .. .. 6,682 Number actually present at examination, 1909-10 .. .. .. 6,508 Number who did not present themselves, 1910-11 .. .. .. 871 Number who did not present themselves, 1909-10 .. .. .. 759 The Department's examination for Junior National Scholarships is now used by all the Education Boards of the Dominion for thejaward of their Junior Scholarships, superseding thus without exception any examination locally conducted in earlier years for this purpose. For the award of their Senior Scholarships the Boards commonly, but not exclusively, use the Civil Service Junior Examination. Apart from this extension of its functions, the Civil Service Junior Examination is employed for a variety of purposes. Either in its proper competitive form, or with certain modifications in selected subjects to meet the needs of a non-competitive qualification, it is thus used not only as an entrance examination for the Civil Service of the Dominion, but as a scholarship examination, an examination for the Senior Free Place qualification in secondary schools and district high schools, an examination for pupil-teachers of the second or third years, and a qualifying examination for the probationer appointments recently instituted under the provisions of the Education Amendment Act, 1908. In its non-competitive form this examination is better known as the Intermediate Examination, and will be hereafter so referred to. The cost of conducting both groups of examinations was as follows : — Total expenses, exclusive of cost of printing and £ s . d. clerical work .. .. .. .. 5,274 6 3 Less recoveries—fees paid by candidates .. 3,739 5 7 Net cost of examinations .. .. £1,535 0 8