E.—2.

lii order to meet an extraordinary demand for the training of special Territorial reservists in connection with the training-camp at Trentham, a special workshop was equipped to teach carpentry and building, and an instructor attached to the Education Department was appointed to carry on this work. The scheme has not been under observation for a sufficiently lengthy period to permit of an estimate of its probable success in training useful workers in the building trades. Salary Improvements. In October, 1938, an amendment to the regulations was gazetted whereby what was known as the " C salary bar in technical schools and combined schools was abolished. The effect of this was to allow teachers whose salaries had been halted at the limits previously set by the bar, but whose personal classifications entitled them to higher salaries,, to receive scale increments of salary until the higher bar or the personal limit of salary is reached. At the same time, the anomaly which gave different maxima for a " B " position for both men and women in technical schools and combined schools respectively was removed by fixing the new maxima at the higher maximum in each case. Each of these amendments was highly appreciated by all teachers, not only by those who immediately benefited, and one ol' the main causes of dissatisfaction with the salary regulations as these existed before the coming into force of the amendment was removed. Notable Advances and Improvements ■ during the Year. These comprise important additions to sites, buildings, and equipment, and are dealt with in geographical sequence. Otahuhu Technical School—An area of 1.5-f acres of land was purchased from the Railways Department to provide additional playing-fields for the school. Additional equipment, including three heavy lathes, was granted for the engineering workshop, and other equipment for woodwork, agriculture, and home-science. Pukekohe Technical School-■ An area of 5| acres of land was purchased and added to the school property, to be used for the purpose of the teaching of agriculture. Feilding Technical School.- —Additions to hostel were completed. Petone Technical School. —Additions to workshops were completed. Levin Technical School: liorowhenua College. —A contract for the erection of this new school was let and the work is well advanced towards completion. Christchurch Technical School.—Equipment for engineering and woodwork received substantial additions, and a grant was made for equipment for a new biological laboratory. Papanui Branch Technical School. —Additional woodworking machinery was provided for the workshops. Stratford Technical School. —A contract has been let for a new woodwork-room and for additional class-rooms ; these are now in course of erection. Hawera Technical School.— A contract has been let for additional class-rooms and the reorganizing of the heating system of the school. Substantial grants were made for additional equipment for the engineering and woodwork shops. Matamata District High School and Intermediate School. —A new metalwork-room was erected and equipped and is now in use. Wanganui Technical School. —Two additional class-rooms were erected. Wairarapa College. —Fifteen acres of laud was purchased and added to school-site. Timaru Technical School. —Additional land was purchased to provide room for extension at a future date. Greymouth Technical School. —A contract was let for the erection of a new workshop block ; this is nearing completion. Dunedin Technical School. —Grants were made for alterations and additions to the workshops and electrical laboratories, and for the renovation of the heating plant. General. Plumbing.—Grants were made to fourteen technical schools for additions to the plumbingequipment to enable instruction to be given according to the new requirements of the Plumbers' Registration Board. The equipment included apparatus for iron and copper pipe bending, and for annealing, welding, and brazing such pipes. Typewriters. —The Government made grants sufficient to provide some four hundred additional typewriters to post-primary scliools, and these have been distributed as far as possible according to the needs of the schools. Most post-primary schools are now reasonably well equipped in respect of typewriting-machines. In conclusion, I desire to express my thanks to the Inspectors of Technical Schools and the Inspector and Supervisor of Domestic Subjects for their help and co-operation during the year. The work both in the field and at Head Office continues to grow both in volume and in intricacy, and the staff is called upon to carry an increasingly heavy burden. I also desire to place on record my thanks to those clerical officers of the Department who arc more closely associated with the work of the technical schools and who also, by their attention to detail and general devotion to duty, have made my task a much lighter one that it would otherwise have been. I have, &c., F. C. Renyard, Superintendent of Technical Education. The Director of Education, Wellington.

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