69

E.—s

what may be an obstacle sufficient to prevent many from availing themselves of the present facilities for instruction, the Board has decided., with the co-operation of the Richmond School Committee, "T.o start branch classes at Richmond School, where students will be able to take the same subjects and the "same courses as at the Technical College, with possibly a much shorter journey, on two nights in .the week. The remainder of the course will be taken at the Technical College. If the classes are successful at'lßichmond it is the intention of the Board to establish similar classes in other districts. The Literary and Debating Society has continued its useful work, though the meetings, which for lack of any vacant room we have had to hold on Saturday evenings, have not been as well attended as we should like. During the year two very successful dramatic performances have been given— " She Stoops to Conquer " and " Tom Cobb." This society has so far been our sole welding agency, but we. look forward to the possibility of a more corporate life when the hostel grounds can be made available for the use of athletic clubs. No institution to-day can claim to have given all it can to its students if it does not see that they not only work well, but that they play well. Technical education in evening schools makes such demands upon the free time of the students that the requirements of the scheme for compulsory military training seemed likely to produce disastrous results upon the system. The Officer Commanding the Canterbury District has, however, met the wishes of the Board in every way possible, and has consented that our students, instead of being required to drill during term-time, may complete their drills during the vacations, which have been lengthened in autumn and spring to allow time for this to be done. There is a great need in this district for serious efforts on the part not only of educational authorities, but especially of employers and parents, to ensure that the able efforts which are made in our primary schools to lay the foundations of education at heavy cost should not be so largely thrown away by the failure of the pupils to continue the process of training and development. It is a matter receiving most earnest thought from statesmen as well as educationists in those great rival nations, Germany and Great Britain, and laws are being from time to time promoted to prevent that great dissipation of powers in the youth of the nation which renders to a large extent useless the educational efforts of earlier years. In New Zealand, with our shorter hours of work and higher standard of comfort, the leakage between the primary and continuation schools should be far smaller than it is. Technical education cannot fully repay the nation until it is made continuous with earlier education, and there is no loss of time and training. It is of the utmost importance to the prosperity of the country that there should be at that plastic time of life no gap to diminish the power of the student to profit by the instruction given. We have undertaken in one direction a very large expenditure to produce efficient soldiers ; let us leave no stone unturned to produce efficient workers, those who have day by day to engage in a very real industrial strife, upon which in the long-run the very existence of our nation depends. The country that does not lay the foundations of its greatness in the mind and character of its people is building upon sand. John H. Howell, Director.

Statement of Receipts and Expenditure for the Year ending 31st December, 1911, in respect of Associated Classes conducted at the Christchurch Technical College.

Extract from the Report op the Managers op the Ashburton Technical School. The session commenced on the 13th February, and was continued until the end of November, and was divided into three terms of twelve weeks each. The total number of students enrolled during the year was 299 (a substantial increase on last year), of which 272 attended technical and 27 continuation classes. The average attendance at the various classes were : Cookery, 47 ; dressmaking, 90 ; carpentry and joinery, 4; building-construction, 11; wool-classing, 20; copperwork and woodcarving, 11; painting, 8; millinery, 12; sheep-shearing, 10; commercial English, 23; commercial arithmetic, 23; shorthand, 20 ; book-keeping, 18 ; typewriting, 14. In addition to the above,

Receipts. £ a. d. Balance at beginning of year .. .. 471 14 2 Capitation, day Technical School .. 2,456 0 0 Capitation on associated classes .. .. 1,950 0 0 Capitation on account of free places .. 872 18 1 Buildings .. .. .. .. 3,100 0 0 Rent .. .. .. .. .. 116 13 4 Furniture, fittings, and apparatus .. 230 5 7 Material .. .. .. .. 330 9 2 Subsidies on voluntary contributions .. 798 0 0 Fees .. .. .. .. .. 962 9 0 Voluntary contributions .. .. 1,092 6 2 Sessional charges and deposits .. .. 167 18 6 Sales of books and stationery .. .. 384 14 0 Materials and apparatus sales .. .. 59 5 6 Refunds by Education Board and Canterbury College .. .. .. 490 9 8 Refunds by Education Board on account of' salaries of instructors, rent, material, &c. 119 19 2 Prize fund .. .. .. .. 22 16 3 Refunds—Working Account .. .. 11 14 5 Cadet corps—repayments (final) .. .. 57 9 1 Refunds—building and property .. 26 13 4 Expenditure. £ s. d. Salaries of instructors .. .. .. 4,606 17 11 Office expenses (including salaries, stationery, &o.).. .. .. .. 1,105 13 7 Advertising and printing .. .. 95 5 6 Lighting and heating .. .. .. 236 10 5 Insurance and repairs .. .. .. 33 3 9 Rent .. .. .. .. .. 216 13 4 Material for class use .. .. .. 613 11 11 Books and stationery .. .. .. 296 2 4 Refunds—deposits and fees .. .. 46 5 6 Scholarships .. .. .. .. 106 13 4 Prize fund .. .. .. .. 39 17 3 Contracts (new buildings, additions, &c).. 3,720 5 7 Furniture, fittings, and apparatus .. 869 17 10 Land-purchase .. .. .. 400 0 0 Balance at end of year .. .. .. 1,334 17 2 £13,721 15 5 £13,721 15 5 Charles Allison, Chairman i , ,, John H. Howell, Secretary f of Managers.