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OTAGO. (Chairman, Mr. J. Wallace.) Unemployed Teachers. —The decision to provide all unemployed teachers with work at £60 per annum, and boarding allowance where necessary at £24 per annum (increased at Ist August to £72 and £36 respectively), proved a satisfactory solution of the difficulties attached to the allocating of work under the scheme in existence during the past two years. It was welcomed by the unemployed teachers as providing a definite year's work, and by the schools as providing a greater measure of continuity in the teaching staffs. Training College Admissions. —For the first time since November, 1930, new trainees were selected to begin their training in 1935. The number of qualified applicants for admission as Division A students was 89, while the Otago quota to be selected therefrom was 38. The number of applicants for admission as Division C students (graduates) was eight, and the quota three. This is the first time that trainees have not been required to serve as probationers in schools for one year before entering college. Teachers of experience regard this probationary year as a most valuable year's training. It is possible that it is dispensed with on this occasion more for economical than for sound educational reasons. School Committees. —A good School Committee is one of the finest assets any district can have. It can band a whole community together in the interests of the local school, while a headmaster and his staff can do better work when they know they have the support and encouragement of a good Committee. Not many Committees now hold the opinion that our " free " system of education means that the Government should provide everything. In recent years School Committees have had much to discourage them — the withdrawal of pound-for-pound subsidy, reduced incidental grants through removal of five-year-olds, and lessened help from the Boards owing to the reduction of the maintenance grant. In many cases, however, these set-backs have spurred Committees to greater efforts, and during the past twelve months some phenomenal amounts have been raised for individual tables and chairs, central heating, washing facilities, and other amenities. The amount paid to School Committees for incidental expenses was £9,769. Thirty-eight Committees suffered a reduction in their incidental grant, while only four received an increase. The additional grant of £415 was used to assist those which had suffered most. Milk for School-children. —During the winter term the children of eleven Dunedin schools were provided with a mid-morning ration of milk. The method generally adopted was to give the milk free to the children of relief workers and to undernourished children, all others paying from 2d. to 4d. per week for i pint a day. The cost of the free milk was found in equal proportion by the Board and the School Committees. A total of 1,504 children were provided with milk, those receiving it free and those paying being about equally divided. Intermediate School. —The Dunedin North Intermediate School was opened for use on Monday, sth February, and officially opened by the Minister of Education (Hon. R. Masters, M.L.C.) on 23rd February. The opening roll was 348, but by permission of the Minister the school was staffed as for Grade Vla (361-400). There were actually sufficient pupils in the Fourth Standards of the contributing schools to place the school in Grade Vla, but a number of parents were disinclined to take advantage of the new type of school. With the growing prestige of the school, it is expected that this disinclination will gradually cease to exist.

SOUTHLAND. (Chairman, Mr. S. Rice.) Agriculture, Science, and Nature Study. —During the year a considerable advance has been made with reference to the correlation of the work of various classes and the employment of improved methods, particularly in regard to nature study. Many schools, however, find difficulty in carrying out science and agriculture experiments because of lack of apjiarat.us and material. Much apparatus can be and is improvised, but there are certain essentials which are indispensable if a complete course is to be carried out. In this connection the Board would again draw attention to its dissatisfaction with the system whereby capitation provided for the purchase of materials is based on the salaries paid to Instructors, as districts such as this having only one Instructor are severely handicapped. Building Operations.—New building operations were very restricted during the year, expenditure of grants provided by the Department being as follows : — £ s. d. Sunnyside —New school. . . . . . . ■ ■ ■ • • 465 2 7 Colac Bay —Rebuilding school and residence destroyed by fire .. 721 17 10 Te Waewae —Remodelling school . . .. .. . ■ 75 10 2 Invercargill North —Concrete paving .. .. . . .. 97 19 5 Invercargill South —Concrete paving . . .. .. . ■ 57 5 0 £1,417 15 0 Grants received for maintenance of school buildings amounted to £4,311 17s. 6d., an increase of £1,232 15s. on the amount received for 1933, and the Board has been able, owing to the increased amount available, to make some progress towards overtaking arrears of maintenance work.

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