E.—l

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ten schools, including those in the four chief centres, are provided with wellequipped engineering workshops, and offer fairly full courses, both elementary and advanced, while the Engineering School in connection with Canterbury College, Christchurch, offers full degree and diploma courses in mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering. The classes relating to the building, plumbing, and other important trades continue to be well supported, particularly in the larger centres, by various industrial organizations. The setting-up in some districts of advisory committees representing masters and men has had a beneficial effect in bringing the trades concerned and the technical schools into closer relationship. Classes bearing on rural pursuits were held at seventy-eight centres during the year, and were attended by 1,626 students. The subjects dealt with included agriculture, dairy-work, wool sorting and classing, shearing, horticulture, and orchard-word. It is gratifying to note, as an indication that the value of the instruction is recognized, that the farmers willingly contribute to the funds of the classes. Classes for domestic subjects were held at most of the schools. There was a decrease both in the number of classes and in the number of students in attendance, due no doubt to the fact that the services of a large number of young women have been availed of for patriotic and other purposes arising out of the war. The special courses in home science and domestic arts at the Otago University continue to meet with satisfactory support. The number of students in attendance during the year was thirty-six, of whom twenty-one were prospective teachers of domestic subjects holding Government bursaries. Of these bursars twelve took the degree course and nine the course for the diploma. Payments totalling £1,160 were made by the Government on account of homescience bursaries, being at the rate of £55 per bursar. Fourteen students have on the completion of their courses been appointed to positions in various schools in the Dominion. Number ok Students taking Group Courses. ~ , . .. Number of Students. Course of instruction. .„._ ~ Elementary and higher commercial, and general courses for publit; examinations ... ... ... ... 2,682 3,055 Industrial (including agriculture) ... ... ... 1,417 1,480 Domestic ... ... ... ... ... 855 711 Pure and applied art ... ... ... ... ... 684 671 Totals ... ... ... ... ... 5,638 5,917 Group courses occupying not less than four hours a week and eighty hours a year were provided at fifty centres, an increase of 9 per cent. About 34 per cent, of the students in attendance took such courses, the total number doing so being 279 more than last year. The attendance at commercial and general courses shows an increase of 14 per cent., and at industrial courses of 4 per cent.

Number of Students receiving Free Education under the Rugulations for Free Places.

Nearly 25 per cent, of the total number of students in attendance at classes held free places as above. The total number of junior free pupils was 2,368, an increase of 110, and of senior free pupils 1,692, an increase of 59. Over 50 per cent, of the students who entered technical classes as first-year junior

1915. 1916. Males. Females. Total. Males. Females. Total. T . . .. (First year Junior free pupils | gecon^ year (First year Senior free pupils \ Second year (Third year 850 549 447 305 162 501 358 348 262 109 1,351 907 795 567 271 820 534 433 310 175 596 418 354 273 1.47 1,416 952 787 583 322 Totals 2,313 1,578 3,89.1. 2,272 1,788 4,060