D.—9.

4

Zealand boys who are attending the school) at the end of their school course in order to gain further experience before taking up farms of their own ; (4) to take up eventually some branch of farming on their own behalf when they have gained the necessary experience. As their stay here will probably be limited to one year, and as they are all well grounded in the ordinary subjects*of the curriculum, it has been deemed advisable to arrange for them to take special work. The school week of thirty-five periods has therefore been divided up as follows : Laboratory work in agriculture and dairy science, nine periods ; woodwork, six ; metalwork, two ; book-keeping, two ; arithmetic, one ; geography of New Zealand, one ; farm practical work, fourteen : total, thirtyfive periods. There is a farm of 35 acres attached to the school, carrying a small dairy herd, farm-horses, pigs, &c. Arrangements have been made for boys to assist with the following: Fencing (repairing and erecting) ; milking and feeding stock ; sawing and splitting posts, &c. ; cutting hedges, gorsegrubbing, and eradication of noxious and other weeds ; top-dressing pastures. Arrangements have also been made with the manager of the Golf-links Farm, which is in easy reach of the school, for the boys to assist him with the work carried on during the year. On this farm is a flock of 350 ewes, and those boys wishing to gain a knowledge of sheep-farming will therefore be able to do so. Periodically the boys visit well-known local farmers, and are thus able to see some of the best pedigree herds in the Dominion. The well-known Jersey breeder, Mr. John Hale, who lives in the vicinity of this school, has very kindly offered his assistance, and is at all times willing to give them the benefit of his advice and experience. On several occasions the boys have been allowed to attend pedigree and other sales, in the hope that they will thereby gain valuable knowledge. It is perhaps too early to venture any opinion as to the success of the scheme. One thing, however, is certain—that the boys will be able to take their places on the farms to which they are allocated with much more chance of making a success of their work than would be the case had they commenced work immediately on their arrival in New Zealand. While having a good general knowledge, they are in most cases totally ignorant of many things with which New Zealand boys are familiar. The year at school will no doubt remedy this defect, and will enable them to compete on even terms with our own boys who are each year leaving school to take up farming. Under the Flock House scheme (administered by the trustees of the New Zealand Sheepowners' Acknowledgment of Debt to British Seamen Fund) two parties, consisting of fifty-three boys, were met and conveyed to the training-farm in the Rangitikei district. The ages of these lads range from fourteen to seventeen years, and they are chiefly the orphans of British seamen. Under nomination of the Salvation Army seventy-four lads arrived—thirty-eight of these were boys who had already received a course of training before leaving England—and were placed direct with farmers in both the North and South Islands. The remaining thirty-six were sent to the Salvation Army training-farm at Putaruru, where they are receiving a general course of training in all branches of farm-work, at the completion of which they will be placed in suitable situations. Owing to the fact that such satisfactory results have been obtained from this class of migrant, it is hoped to materially increase the numbers during the coming year. The total number of arrivals in New Zealand from the United Kingdom and Ireland during the year ended 31st March, 1925, was 12,451 (6,733 males and 5,718 females). Out of the total number of persons arriving — namely, 12,451 —8,924 were assisted to New Zealand by the Imperial and/or Dominion Governments. The number of assisted immigrants is made up of persons nominated from New Zealand, and of persons themselves applying for assisted passages in London. During the year the following steamers brought out assisted immigrants :—

Number of Passengers, showing by which Government assisted.

s"S ° a o a jj! § q 'll ® O Vessel. ! J "l to °, f jg 3 9 O | Total . Vessel. ° £ g 3 I ° | Total. Arrival. > g g g Arrival. > B g g |o fa |o *<£ | a £ fl « K fl FQ Ruahine .. 9/4/24 .. .. 301 301 Ruahine .. 13/12/24 .. .. 168 168 Arawa .. 30/4/24 .. .. 229 ■ 229 Pakeha .. 16/12/24 .. .. 614 614 Rotorua .. 17/5/24 .. .. 277 ! 277 " Sophocles .. 7/11/24* .... 1 1 Dorset .. 21/5/24 .. .. 316 316 Ormuz .. 18/10/24* .... 1 1 Ruapehu .. 9/6/24 .. .. 92 92 Dorset .. 4/1/25 .. .. 331 331 Atlienio .. 10/6/24 .. .. 396 396 Corinthic .. 7/1/25 .. .. 326 326 Remuera .. 27/6/24 .. .. 305 305 Rotorua .. 24/1/25 .. .. 196 196 Suffolk .. 22/7/24 .. .. 355 35-5 Port Denison .. 30/1/25 .... 4 4 Corinthic .. 22/7/24 3 .. 381 384 Ionic .. .. 18/2/25 .. .. 356 356 Ruahine .. 9/8/24 .. .. 326 326 Hororata .. 19/2/25 .. .. 657 657 Ionic .. 1/9/24 .. .. 400 400 Aorangi .. 24/2/25 1 2 3 Rotorua .. 18/9/24 2 .. 153 155 Remuera .. 7/3/25 .. .. 259 259 Arawa .. 12/10/24 .. .. 287 287 Arawa .. 12/3/25 .. .. 268 268 Remuera .. 2/11/24 .. ] 170 171 Tainui .. 30/3/25 1 243 244 Tainui .. 7/11/24 .. .. 310 310 Suffolk .. 31/3/25 .. .. 290 290 Athenic .. 24/11/24 .. .. 378 378 Port Wellington 31/3/25 .... 1 1 Rimutaka.. 26/11/24 .. 1 262 j 263 j — Ruapehu .. 7/12/24 .... 260 j 260 i 7 2 8,915 8,924 I 1 ' * Date of sailing.