Appendix O]

E.—2.

No. 2. EXTRACTS FROM THE REPORTS OF INSPECTORS OF SCHOOLS, DIRECTORS AND SUPERVISORS OF MANUAL INSTRUCTION, ETC. [For Reports on Rural Courses in District High Schools see 8.-6, Report on Secondary Education.] AUCKLAND. Extract from the Report of the Supervisor of Manual and Technical Instruction. During the year 1918 school classes in woodwork and cookery were conducted at Whangarei, Te Kopuru, Dargaville, Helensville, Devonport, Newmarket, Newton, Otahuhu, Ponsonby, Pukekohe, Hamilton, Te Kuiti, Taumarunui, Cambridge, Matamata, Rotorua, Te Aroha, Waihi, Thames, Tauranga, and Coromandel. The classes at Rotorua and Taumarunui were held in temporary premises. Arrangements have been concluded for the erection of manual-training schools at Northcote, Rotorua, and Ngaruawahia, and at each of these centres classes will begin early in 1919. As the result of the deliberations of a committee appointed to consider the question of domesticscience instruction, the Board resolved to apjioint an Organizer for Domestic Science for the Auckland Education District. Miss A. B. Juniper, from Victoria, British Columbia, was selected, and took up her duties about the middle of the year. It is anticipated that her efforts will result in considerable development, and also in raising the standard of efficiency of the work. There is urgent need for additional accommodation in the manual-training schools in the city and suburbs. The centres at Newton, Ponsonby, and Newmarket should bo converted into double centres, and new manual-training schools are needed at Avondale and Onehunga. Recognized classes in swimming and life-saving were held at twenty-nine schools during 1919. During 1918 232 public schools and eleven Native schools held recognized agriculture classes, and ninety-six schools took a combined course of agriculture and dairy science, whilst one school took dairy science. Needlework was taken by special sewing-mistresses at eighty-four schools without female teachers. 580 schools took recognized classes in handwork.

TARANAKI. Extract from the Report of the Director of Agricultural Instruction. Owing to various interruptions, many fewer visits were paid to primary schools than in past years, and many schools in the country between Stratford and the Main Trunk could not be visited at all. This was most unfortunate, as we always hold that the most important phase of instructional work is that of the primary schools. Altogether, just over two hundred such visits were paid during the year. In many schools there is a great improvement both in the scope and style of instruction and in the keeping of records. It is pleasing to note the high standard of work in many of the schools in charge of women teachers. Among others, Huirangi, Bell Block, Opunake, Matapu, and Stanley arc worthy of special mention. The experimental work at Oaonui School, winner of the Cuthbert Shield, was of very high order, and the arrangements re recording observations and results were indeed excellent, all work being done by groups of children in charge of a leader, and merely keenly supervised by the teacher. Observational work was not confined to a particular day, but was continuous, anything worthy of record being -at once noted down. In all schools here making a success of instruction this is the method pursued. To any one interested in the development of rural instruction, an examination of the exhibits at the New Plymouth winter show gave a good idea of the scope of work undertaken successfully in the way of notebooks, plans of grounds, seed and weed collections, records of yields of herds, experimental growing of various crops, root selection and judging, &c. Altogether this was a very complete and worthy exhibit.

WANGANUI. Extract from the Report of the Director of Manual and Technical Instruction. Agriculture. —158 schools had recognized classes in agriculture or dairy-work, the average attendance being 2,456. The Supervisors- report that the notebooks show a general improvement, and that in a number of schools the indoor experimental work has reached a high level. An all-round improvement both in the character of the instruction and the appearance of the grounds was noticed. In regard to the latter, the efforts of some of the teachers were well seconded by Committees and residents. The closing of the schools on account of the epidemic interfered with the results of many garden

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