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and manual-training instructors, and a corresponding system of payment of salaries. As salaries constitute by far the largest item in the expenditure of Boards, the introduction of a Dominion classification of technical-school teachers practically involved the abolition of capitation and the substitution of a more direct means of providing for the cost of technical education. In framing regulations to give effect to the provisions to this end of the Education Amendment Act, 1920, care was taken to avoid, as far as possible, any alteration in the powers of controlling authorities and Boards of Managers in respect of the selection and control of the staffs of their schools. As, however, the staffing of any school had previously been limited only by the capitation available for the payment of salaries, it was necessary to specify in the new regulations the maximum staffing which could be regarded as permissible in view of all the factors, financial and educational, which entered into the question. The same rules of staffing were adopted for technical high schools as for other secondary schools. From the point of view of educational efficiency the resulting size of class is in many instances too large. It is very doubtful, however, if, with the money available, smaller classes under a larger number of teachers would be found to do better work. In fact, the difficulty experienced in getting men and women to enter the service of Technical Boards from office or workshop indicates that the salaries are not at the present time too high as compared with emoluments paid in other callings. The abolition of capitation payments involved making direct provision for the incidental expenses incurred by Technical School Boards and controlling authorities in connection with the schools, including supervision in those cases in which the appointment of a full-time director was not considered necessary. The allowance for incidental expenses for any school or class was made proportional to the total salaries paid by the Department for that school or class. In this way the different schools receive fairly uniform treatment, and on the average the payments made are sufficient to meet legitimate expenses on the same scale as heretofore, though in one or two cases, where incidental expenses had previously been much higher than the average, some little difficulty might be felt. A small beginning was also made in the year 1920 in the direction of the training of young people in trade and commerce for technical-school teaching. Regulations were issued providing for the appointment of student-teachers in technical schools, and for their training in methods of teaching and in subjects connected with their trade or profession. It is hoped in this way to arouse the interest of intelligent and active young workers in commerce or industry in teaching, and to provide gradually a supply of better-trained teachers with good practical experience for both day and evening work. It is, of course, too early yet to form any definite opinion as to the possible success of the experiment, which has been thus begun on a modest scale. The fact, however, that it merely extends a practice which has been found fairly successful in one or two of the schools is some evidence that it may serve a useful purpose, and perhaps point the way to a more comprehensive and elaborate scheme for training specialist teachers for technical schools. The work of the schools generally proceeded on the same lines as in previous years. A slight falling-off was recorded in numbers attending the technical high schools, due entirely to decreases in the numbers of girls and boys taking a commercial or a general course. The numbers in other technical-high-school courses show increases. It is satisfactory to note that there is an increase in the attendance at technical classes, an increase mainly of students over seventeen years of age. The total number of students receiving instruction in all technical classes was 21,394, as compared with 20,876 in the previous year. Of this total 2,576 held free places at technical high schools, 3,966 held free places at other classes, and 1,636 were attending continuation and technical classes held under the regulations for compulsory attendance. Voluntary contributions in money to the funds of technical schools and classes amounted to £6,333, as compared with £2,975 in 1919, and subsidies were paid during the year 1920 to the amount of £5,020, as compared with £4,640 in the previous year. A considerable proportion of the increase in voluntary contributions for the year 1920 was due to special efforts in two or three schools in connection with raising funds for war memorials.