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Central Ward two nominations were received, and the subsequent election resulted in the return of Mr. L. Evans. A minute in appreciation of the long and faithful service of Mr. Trotter as a member of the Board was duly recorded and a copy transmitted to Mr. Trotter. At the meeting of the Board held in August Mr. P. A. de la Perrelle was unanimously re-elected Chairman for the ensuring two years. Board Meetings.—During the year to which this report refers the Board met twelve times, and the Executive Committee, which consists of all the members of the Board, met twenty-two times. In addition to attendance at these meetings, Board members have devoted a considerable amount of time to visiting various parts of the district to confer with Committees and residents on matters affecting the welfare of their schools. Schools. —Two schools were the course of the year —viz., Port Craig and Etalvale — the former school 011 account of a complete exodus from the district of all families due to the closingdown of the large sawmill in that locality, and the latter as a result of reduced attendance. One new school, Sandstone West, was established during the year. Special School.- —Towards the close of the year the Board accepted a tender for the erection of a special school on the Park School site, the building to be ready for occupation in March. Applications were invited also for a teacher to take charge of this school, and it is pleasing to record that one of the Board's own teachers, Miss M. A. Macdonald, was recommended by the Department for appointment to the position. That the school will meet a much-felt want is evident when it is stated that the school is expected to open with an attendance of fifteen pupils. To " Cousin Betty " and her band of Little Southlanders " the thanks of the Board are due for their efforts in raising the sum of £250 towards the building fund. Without such substantial help the erection of such a school in this district would not yet have been possible. Organizing Teachers. —About the middle of the year Mr. D. Brown, organizing teacher, resigned, having accepted an. appointment under the Canterbury Board. There is therefore now only one organizing teacher in the Board's service, and the steady reduction in the number of uncertificated teachers in the district makes it apparent that soon the Board will be in the happy position of no longer requiring an organizing teacher on its staff. Conveyance and Board of Pupils.—The steady increase in the amount expended by the Board under this heading will be evidenced by the following figures, covering a period of three years : 1926, £2,573 19s. ; 1927, £2,942 6s. lid. ; 1928, £3,277 ss. lid. School-grounds. —Good work still continues to be done in the matter of improving and beautifying school-grounds, and it is marvellous in some cases the improvement that has been affected within a few years where a well-planned scheme has been carried out. The continued assistance given by the Department by way of subsidy on voluntary contributions is largely responsible for this increased interest in the appearance of school surroundings, and there can be no doubt that the results achieved are well worth while. During the year to which this report has reference contributions totalling £802 ss. were received from School Committees for the improvement of their grounds. This means that, with subsidy from the Department, a sum of over £1,600 was available for expenditure in this direction. Woodwork and Cookery. —For some considerable time it had been evident that an increase in the number of manual-training centres was necessary, as it had been found impossible to accommodate all the children available. The Board, therefore, was very pleased to hear towards the close of the year that its representations to the Department for additional centres were successful, and that centres were authorized at Winton and Wyndham. The erection of the necessary buildings was commenced before the close of the year, and the rooms are expected to be ready for occupation early in the new year. Subsidies on Voluntary Contributions.—During the year 171 applications were received for subsidies on voluntary contributions, the total contributions in cash amounting to £1,867 ss. 7d. The purposes for which the contributions were raised were as follows: Improvements to school - grounds and gardens, £802 55.; purchase of books for school libraries, £188 ss. lOd. ; purchase of pianos, £446 10s.; school equipment and furnishings, £136 Bs. sd. ; fuel and water, £191 4s. 4d. ; gramophones, £67 I Is. 3d.; pictures, £25 os. 9d. ; hot-water services in residences, £10 : total, £1,867 ss. 7d. Though the total number of applications for subsidies received during the year exceeded the number for 1927, yet the total contributions received show a decrease over the corresponding figures for 1927. Following are particularas of the contributions received over a period of four years : 1925, £1,311 2s. lid. ; 1926, £1,602 Bs. lOd.; 1927, £2,043 7s. lOd.; 1928, £1,867 ss. 7d. School Libraries. —From the particulars already given in regard to contributions received for subsidy purposes it will have been noticed that the amounts raised during the year by School Committees for the purchase of books for school libraries totalled £188 ss. lOd. In addition to subsidies of an equivalent amount from the Department, sums totalling £36 Bs. 6d. were also provided by the Board on the basis of 3d. per unit of the average attendance for the previous year. This means a total sum of £413 os. 2d. was made available during the year. Dental Clinics. —Excellent work continues to be done at the school dental clinics established in Invercargill, Gore, and Otautau. For a portion of the year the dental nurse at Otautau was transferred, with her equipment, to Riverton, a temporary clinic being established in the Manual-training School. A further addition to the number of clinics was made by the completion during the year of a new building at Winton, the erection of which is already proving a boon to the children of that district. It is pleasing to record also that arrangements in connection with the erection of a new clinic to serve the needs of the Wyndham district are already under way, and it is expected have the building in readiness for occupation by the end of March, when a nurse will be available. School Furniture. —During the year the Board continued its policy, as fast as funds would permit, of replacing the obsolete type of desk and form with the modern dual desk, with the result that