E.—4

18

is possible to bring within their reach, and that to keep them at home when they should be at school is to retard their progress and to cause extra work to their teachers in any endeavour to redeem the time lost. Cases have occurred where parents, noting the improvement in their children after some training here, have assumed that the children can be taught at home or in public schools. Uninstructed effort based on such ideas can only result in the children's retardation in progress through lack of skilled instruction. " The necessity for teachers in public schools noting any indications of a hard-of-hearing condition among their pupils is important. Speech defects among school-children are often due to a condition of impaired, hearing, and this condition may easily cause children to be classed as dull or retarded. Statistics in this connection are not easily available, but in Berlin, where there are 290,000 schoolchildren, investigation over a long period showed that there were many thousands with impaired hearing and over seven thousand who were very noticeably hard of hearing. Dr. Bock, in his researches in the United States found that three times as many children dropped back to repeat their grades through impaired hearing as through any other cause. " The special classes established in Auckland, Wellington, and Dunedin have done good work during the year. These classes are staffed by teachers from Sumner, and are attended by partially deaf children who are unable to profit by instruction in public schools, and whom it would be otherwise necessary to send to Sumner ; by children who have lost their hearing after having learned to speak ; and also by children who stammer or have other speech defects. Apart from preventing congestion at Sumner, these classes in correcting speech defects do a real service for the general education of the pupils, as it is an established fact that defective speech is a fruitful cause of retardation in school subjects. Apart from the evidence of writers on the subject, several cases are known of children with acute speech defects who, though naturally intelligent, are much below standard in general education. " Besides the ordinary school-work, instruction was given in technical subjects. The boys did garden-work and woodwork, and the girls laundry-work, and some general housework. Instruction in sewing and in cooking are part of the usual school-work. "A team of girls from this school who had been trained by Miss MoEwan won the Rotary Club's Challenge Cup at the annual sports field by the Christchurch Girls' Sports Association. As there were over two hundred competitors, this was a particularly good performance." Classes for the Adult Deaf. The classes held at Wellington and Auckland for the instruction of the adult deaf in speech-reading were attended by about the usual numbers. Considering the number of adult deaf there are it is surprising that these classes are not more largely attended. The classes in Christchurch are conducted by the Director of the School, assisted by two of the senior tea.chers. Pupils at School for the Deaf. Boys. Girls. Total. Pupils on the roll as on Ist April, 1927 .. .. ..60 61 121 Admitted during the year .. .. .. 6 15 21 Left during the year .. .. .. .. .. 8 13 21 Resident pupils, 31st March, 1928 .. .. .. 46 53 99 Day pupils .. .. .. .. .. .. 8 6 14 Not returned from vacation, 31st March, 1928 .. .. 4 5 9 On the roll as on 31st March, 1928 .. .. .. 58 64 122 The numbers attending the special classes are —Wellington, 35 children, 20 adults; Auckland, 3! children, 22 adults. Expenditure on School for the Deaf, 1927-28. £ s. d. £ s. d. Salaries .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 5,881 16 9 Advertising, &c. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 7 8 7 Maintenance of pupils and sundry expenses .. .. .. .. 1,868 6 0 Travelling-expenses .. .. .. .. .. .. 354 810 Maintenance of building, furnishing, &c. .. .. .. .. 174 12 8 8,286 12 10 Bess parental contributions and amount received from Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards .. .. .. .. .. 2,500 17 1 Sales of farm-produce .. .. . . .. .. .. 317 8 National endowment . . . . . . .. . . . . 210 0 0 2,714 14 9 £5,571 18 1 Net expenditure for the year 1926-27 was £5,754 lis. 9d.