E.—s

will make a determined effort where circumstances are favourable to give effect to the wishes of the Board and to the demands of modern progress, in taking up a course of elementary horticulture. Wo would remind teachers of a circular on gardening forwarded to them towards the close of last year, in which I, the Board signified its intention of offering prizes to those schools which obtained the most satisfactory results in making the school-garden a means of practical education. Extract from the Report of the Director op Technical ducation and Mandal Training. Primary Schools. Domestic Science and Woodwork. —The importance of these subjects is now fully realized in Auckland, and it is only a question of a few years when all the larger centres of population will be provided with Manual-training Schools. Cookery, laundrywork, and woodwork were taught at the Newton, Ponsonby, and Newmarket centres, woodwork and cookery at Whangarei, cookery at Thames, and woodwork at Otahuhu. During the year we lost the services of two domestic-science teachers, who for three years had done excellent work—viz., Miss H. S. Allan at Newmarket, and Miss. E. Lawson at Newton. These vacancies were filled by the transfer of Miss E. G. Lane from Thames to Newmarket, and by the appointment of one of our old students—Miss A. F. C. Marsdon—to Newton. Miss Hilda Atkin, another of our old students, was appointed to take Miss Lane's place at Thames. Great satisfaction was expressed at Whangarei by pupils and teachers alike at the excellent work done by Miss S. A. D. Griffiths and Mr. G. B. Woollcy, the domestic-science and manual-training teachers respectively. Pending the erection of the Manual-training School at Waihi, woodwork classes were not held at Thames, on account of the capitation derivable from such classes being insufficient to pay the salary of a fully qualified woodwork instructor. During the year a Manual-training School was erected at Cambridge, and provision made in the Hamilton High School for the teaching of manual training and domestic science. Grants were made towards the erection of Manual-training Schools at Devonport and Waihi, and these will be completed and in full operation this year. Handwork. —Handwork, including such subjects as brush drawing, paper-folding, cardboard and plasticine modelling, free-arm drawing, &c, was taught in 164 schools. The quality of the work. particularly in the city and suburban schools, showed a steady improvement, the drawing and painting from nature being especially good. Steady progress, too, was made in the teaching of drawing from objects; the practice of drawing from copies, which is now so strongly condemned by modern educationalists, being much less in vogue. Swimming and Life-saving. —This important subject does not receive anything like the consideration that it deserves. This is undoubtedly largely due to the lack of bathing facilities within easy reach of the schools. Several country schools have taken advantage of the fact that there are streams or tidal rivers in the vicinity. The total number of schools in which swimming and life-saving was taught last year was 15. Needlework. —Needlework was taught in 62 schools below Grade IV and having no female teacher, by specially appointed sewing-mistresses. In such cases special capitation is paid by the Department, which covers the cost of the salary of the sewing-mistress. Elementary Agriculture. —Up to the present the results obtained from the teaching of this important subject have been rather disappointing. Five years ago the Board appointed an instructor in elementary agriculturo and nature-study, to give special courses of instruction to teachers to enable them to teach this subject in their schools. During the three years that the instructor— Mr. V. W. Jackson, 8.A.-—held this position no less than 277 of the Board's teachers who had attended his courses obtained special certificates qualifying them to teach elementary agriculture. In spite of this, during 1910 only 73 schools took up the teaching of this subject. This, as I have previously pointed out, is largely due to the lack of encouragement given to the teachers who devoted themselves to this work. The decision of the Board made last year to give special prizes to schools for the improvement of school-gardens, and the advent of the new Chief Inspector—Mr. E. K. Mulgan, M.A.—whose sympathies are in this direction, will no doubt have the effect of largely increasing the number of schools in which elementary agriculture, including school-gardening, will be taught, as there is no doubt that, with the present system of grading, teachers are more anxious than ever to carry out the wishes of the Inspectors. At the end of the year the Board appointed Mr. J. P. Kalaugher as instructor in elementary agriculture and nature-study, and I feel sure that great benefits will accrue from his visiting the schools and giving the teachers the benefit of hi§ advice. Training of Teachers in Subjects of Manual and Technical Instruction. The students of the Auckland Training College, as usual, received special instruction at the Technical College in art, handwork, cookery, and woodwork. Special classes for teachers in art, handwork, hygiene, and physiology were conducted as 'usual at the Auckland Technical College. The number of teachers in attendance was 146. A cookery class for teachers was also held at Whangarei, the number in attendance during the year being 8. Technical and Continuation Classes in Country Centres. During the year technical and continuation classes were conducted at Whangarei. Waihi, Thames, Te Aroha, Cambridge, Pukekohe, and Paeroa. Whangarei.- —-Mr. E. C. Purdie, headmaster of the Whangarei Public School, was appointed honorary superintendent of the technical and continuation classes at Whungarei. The following classes were conducted last year: Commercial arithmetic, book-keeping, shorthand, English, English

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