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technical high schools shows the tendency of the people to realize that education should be closely related to life's activities, and that such a type of education may be as truly cultural as the traditional secondary education. Indeed, there is a growing conviction that a constructive piece of handwork may have a more potent influence on the development of character and on the formation of high cultural ideals than has the translation of a perfectly good piece of English prose into somewhat indifferent Latin. But education has no royal road to offer, and different pupils realize themselves in different ways. Some develop best through the manual arts, and others through literary studies. It is for the schools to provide equal opportunities for all, and this will be one of the chief aims in any reorganization of the school system that may be formulated, Cost .of Education. The appendix to this report shows in detail, under various headings, the expenditure on education during the financial year ended 31st March, 1928. The total expenditure, including endowment revenue, amounted to £3,847,545, as against £3,987,416 for the previous year, a decrease of £139,871. This decrease is largely due to the fact that the expenditure on buildings shrank from £501,292 in 1926-27 to £368,479 in 1927-28. In the former year the Department was committed to abnormal expenditure on buildings in connection with educational institutions of the higher type. Two cases in point were the expenditure of £65,966 on the new Medical School at the University of Otago and of £49,354 at the Massey Agricultural College. In the year 1927-28 the Department did not have such heavy commitments, and was consequently able to keep the expenditure almost within the limit of the amount made available for building purposes. If from, the total sum of £3,847,545 expended on education in 1927-28 is deducted the sum of £368,479 spent on buildings, the net amount remaining is £3,479,066, which is equivalent to £2 Bs. 4d. per head of the mean population of New Zealand. (1,438,814) for the year 1927. The cost per head in the previous year, excluding cost of buildings, was £2 9s. 4d. School Buildings and Sites. Considerable progress was made during the year in providing for increase of school population, and. the continual movement manifested between district and district. The Department is still pursuing its policy of replacing rented accommodation by permanent buildings, with the result that the allocation for rent is steadily decreasing. Further, the policy of making special provision for small country districts has been continued. Among the larger primary schools completed during the year may be mentioned Turu Turu Boad, near llawera, and Linwood Avenue Fresh-air School, Christchurch. The Terrace End School, Palmerston North, has been partially rebuilt; also the Kakaramea School, Wanganui District. Secondary departments were provided at Foxton, Ohakune, and Te Aroha. The Bongotai Boys' College, Wellington, and the Marlborough Junior High School were completed. A hostel for the Girls' High School at New Plymouth was also erected. Some of the more important schools to which substantial additions were made were those at Point Chevalier, Auckland ; New Brighton, Christchurch. ; Timaru Boys' High School; Hurt Valley High School, Wellington ; and Waitaki High School, Oamaru. The Memorial Hall at Wellington College, towards which a substantial grant was provided by the Old Boys' Association, was also completed. A heavy building programme is at present being undertaken, including the Massey Agricultural College, Palmerston North ; a new infant department and remodelling of the main building at Hawera ; additions to Wanganui East ; a new school at Fry's Lane, Hurt Valley ; additions to Somerfield, Christchurch. ; remodelling of Tokomairiro, Otago ; rebuilding of infant department, Bangiora, Canterbury ; new workshops at the Auckland Technical School; and additions to Hamilton and. Palmerston North Technical Schools. >