E.—s

34

I have to express my appreciation of the sympathetic assistance rendered by the College Advisory Committee. The members showed a keen interest in the work, and gave me all the help they possibly could. The members of the staff are also deserving of great credit for the manner in which they carried out their duties. At the Stratford centre (Mr. Tyrer, Supervisor) classes were conducted in the following subjects, viz. : Advanced Latin and English, cookery, dressmaking, shorthand, and mechanical engineering. These classes were fairly well attended, and good work was done. At the Inglewood centre (Mr. Stratford, Supervisor) the only class held was that in dressmaking. Classes in dressmaking were also conducted at Lepperton, Oakura, Okato, and Rahotu. Alfred Gray, Director. Statement of Receipts and Expenditure for the Year ending 31st December, 1914, in respect of Classes conducted at New Plymouth by the Taranaki, Education Board. Receipts. £ s. d. Expenditure. £ s d. Capitation on classes .. .. .. 563 8 1 Dr. balance at beginning of year .. .. 340 9 3 Capitation, free places .. .. .. 262 19 0 Salaries of teaching stall .. .. ..1,166 9 2 Buildings .. .. .. .. 350 0 0 Material for class use .. .. .. 45 2 8 Rent .. .. .. .. .. 1 10 0 Rent .. .. .. .. .. 3 9 0 Material .. .. .. 34 7 6 Repairs .. .. .. .. 26 10 11 Subsidies on voluntary contributions .. 34 17 0 Caretaker .. .. .. 42 2 0 Fees and other class payments .. .. 160 17 6 Lighting and heating .. .. 17 16. 8 Sales of material .. .. .. .. 12 12 9 Insurance .. .. .. .. 411 6 Voluntary contributions .. .. .. 87 2 6 Advertising and printing .. .. ... 62 9 5 On account of instruction of classes other Rates .. .. .. .. .. 3 17 6 than special classes .. .. .. 20 0 0 Refunds.. .. .. .. .. 4 3 0 Deposit fees .. .. .. 23 15 0 Stationery, &c. .. .. .. 20 9 8 Discounts .. .. .. .. 0 4 7 Buildings .. .. .. .. 344 19 1 Refunds.. .. .. .. .. 4 13 6 Furniture, fittings, and apparatus .. .. 592 8 2 Rents .. .. .. .. .. 250 Dr. balance at end of year.. .. ..1,116 5 7 £2,674 18 0 £2,674 18 0 P. S. Whitcombe, Secretary. Statement of Receipts and Expenditure for the Year ending 31st December, 1914, in respect of Classes conducted at Stratford by the Taranaki Education Board. Receipts. £ s. d. Expenditure. £ s. d. Or. balance at beginning of year .. .. 13 0 4 Salaries of teaching staff .. .. .. 60 0 2 Capitation on classes .. .. .. 26 5 3 Repairs .. .. .. .. .. 012 6 Rent .. .. .. .. .. 510 0 Caretaker .. .. .. ..1200 Furniture, fittings, and apparatus .. .. 315 6 Lighting and heating .. .. .. 0 5 3 Fees and other class payments .. .. 50 10 0 Advertising and printing .. .. .. 011 0 Sales of material.. .. .. .. 6 10 Cr. balance at end of year .. .. 31 13 2 £105 2 1 £105 2 1 P. S. Whitcombe, Secretary. Statement of Receipts and Expenditure for the Year ending 31st December, 1914, in respect of Classes conducted at Inglewood, by the Taranaki Education Board. Receipts. £ s. d. Expenditure. £ s. d. Cr. balance at beginning of year .. .. 18 10 6 Salaries of teaching staff .. .. .. 18 14 7 Capitation on classes .. .. .. 5 2 0 Advertising and printing .. .. .. 017 6 Subsidies on voluntary contributions .. 10 10 0 Stationery .. .. .. .. 0 13 Fees and other class payments .. .. 9 7 6 Cr. balance at end of year.. .. .. 24 5 9 Refunds.. .. .. .. .. 0 9 1 £43 19 1 £43 19 1 P. S. Whitcombe, Secretary. WANGANUI. Extract from the Report of the Education Board. Agricultural Education. —This is perhaps an appropriate time to refer to the progress r{ agricultural instruction in this district, which was inaugurated systematically on the day Mr. G. D. Braik took office as Chief Inspector by the appointment of Mr. J. Grant as our first agricultural instructor, and the district was fortunate in having chosen as its Chief Inspector a man who was heart and soul in the work of agricultural instruction, who had the ability requisite to prescribe the desirable developments and the business acumen to, make the necessary provision for the work. Agricultural instruction which included extensive school-garden work, progressed so rapidly that two additional instructors had to "be piovided—the main portion of whose salaries are paid out of public subscriptions—and the Board has now decided to inaugurate a system of training young students as instructors, and as they develop in ability and experience, appointing them as secondary assistants in our district high schools. Hitherto such assistants have been trained on purely academic lines, and it is only natural that their influence should be in the direction of persuading pupils to take the commercial or purely educational