he Committee of Management has pleasure in laying the Thirteenth Annual Report before members. Seven meetings have been held during the year, and the attendance has been very satisfactory. There are 15 members on the Committee, and the average attendance has been 8. The Committee has to express regret that owing to removal to another educational district, Mr. Selby found himself compelled to resign his place on the Committee, and desires to express its sense of Mr. Selby's services to the Institute.

The 1890 Council.

The Council of the New Zealand Educational Institute met this year at Dunedin, and our Institute was represented by Messrs. A. Wilson, Jas. Reid, C. Chilton, W. S. Fitzgerald, W. Milne, and D. A. M'Nicoll. The meeting was in all respects a very successful one, a large amount of important business being transacted. As a full supply of the report of the meeting of Council will be available at the Annual Meeting, it is unnecessary to give a resumé of the business dealt with.

Suggestion for Closer Union.

A Special Committee of the Institute was appointed at last Annual Meeting to confer with the Committee of Management with regard to preparing a plan for a closer union among teachers. It was resolved that the subject be sent on to the Council for discussion. The matter occupied a large share of the attention of the Council, as may be seen by reference to page 10 of the Report. The constitution of the Institute, however, comes up for consideration again at the forthcoming Annual Meeting, when members will have an opportunity of again discussing it.

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Appointment of Teachers.

A deputation, consisting of Messrs. Milne. Fitzgerald, Chilton, and M'Nicoll, waited on the Education Board in order to lay before it the resolutions passed at the last Annual Meeting respecting the appointment of teachers. The Board has, repealed the resolutions of March, 1889, but has not, however, deemed it advisable to adopt the system of appointment recommended at last Annual Mooting.

In this connection the Committee of Management adopted the following resolution:—"That the Committee of Management desires to thank the Board for the courteous reception given to the deputation of teachers appointed by the Otago Educational Institute in re appointment of teachers; and at the same time to express regret that the resolution of the Board not to hear Mr. White was not previously communicated to the members of the deputation, who were in ignorance of the Board's determination till they were made aware of it by the Press."

Mr White's Case.

The Committee of Management, after considering the action of the Board in censuring Mr. White for certain criticisms of the Board's policy, made at the last Annual Meeting, unanimously adopted the following resolutions:—(1) "The Committee of Management regrets that whereas the Board recognises the right of teachers, along with other members of the community, to express their opinions regarding any line of policy adopted by the Board; and whereas Mr. White, when requested by the Board to explain the words to which it took exception, affirmed that he had criticised only the Board's line of policy in regard to the 'three-name system,' the Board, in the face of this explanation, has seen fit to pass a vote of censure on Mr. White." (2) "The Committee is further of opinion that the Board was unjust to Mr. White in proceeding to put an unfavourable interpretation on Mr. White's words before asking him for an explanation."

Vote of Censure.

At its meeting in August the Committee of Management unanimously censured the action of certain members of the Institute who signed and forwarded to the Board counter resolutions referring to the appointment of teachers, to those unanimously adopted at the Annual Meeting. Copies of the resolution of censure were forwarded to the various branches, who, without exception, approved of the Committee's action.

Defection of the Tuapeka Branch.

A sub-committee, consisting of the President, and Messrs. M'Nicoll and White, met the members of the Tuapeka Branch page 6 at Lawrence for the purpose of discussing in a friendly way the question of its relations to the Institute. The Committee regrets that the Tuapeka Branch has seen fit to persist in its intention to constitute itself an independent association.

The Publication of Percentages.

The Committee, at the suggestion of the Waitaki and Dunedin Branches, decided to bring the question of individual examination and estimation of results by percentage values before the Council. The Council expressed its sense of the harmful effects resulting from the publication of percentages of individual schools.

Entertainment of Delegates.

The Committee of Management, in consideration of the great kindness invariably shown to Otago delegates in other centres, felt it incumbent upon it to extend a fitting hospitality to the visiting delegates who attended the Council of 1890.

Reading Books.

The Inspectors having advised the Board to make a regulation insisting upon the use of two Readers in Standards I. and II., the Committee has requested the Board to defer consideration of the matter till after the Annual Meeting, in order that members from the various branches may have an opportunity of discussing the question. The Board deferred consideration until its meeting in August.

Scholarship System.

At the suggestion of the Dunedin Branch, the Committee has also requested the Board to defer consideration of the Scholarship system until teachers from town and country have had an opportunity of discussing it at the winter meeting. This matter has also been deferred until the Board's meeting in August.

Annual Meeting.

At the suggestion of the Milton Branch, the Committee has this year decided to depart to some extent from the programme usually drawn up for the General Meeting, so as to leave more time for the discussion of practical questions.

The Committee regrets that it has not been found practicable, as suggested at the last General Meeting, to arrange a date for the present meeting such as will suit primary schools, secondary-schools, and University. The date has been fixed so as to coincide with the University holidays, in accord with the resolution passed at last Annual Meeting.

Your Committee have the pleasure of presenting the following report of the affairs of the Waitaki Branch for the year 1889-1890.

Eight ordinary meetings and one special meeting were held during the year. The President's opening address dealt with the position of teacher and scholar, and contained many good suggestions.

Papers were read as follows:—"The Teacher as he was, is, and is to be," D. Ferguson, M.A.; "What shall a Boy learn?" P. B. Eraser, M.A.; "Critical Paper on Mason's Grammar," R. Peattie, M.A.

Discussions were held on "Keeping in," "Appointment of Teachers," "Interchange of Teachers for Examination Work," and "General School Work."

The Special Meeting was devoted to the consideration of the proposal for extra reading books in Standards I. and II.

The attendance at the meetings, though at times not so encouraging as the Committee could have wished, has on the whole been very satisfactory, the average being 11.

The Committee again desire to draw the attention of country teachers to the fact that they are always welcomed whenever they can find it convenient to attend during their visits to town. The Committee consider, too, that teachers could do worse than spend an hour or two in this way now and again.

The Science Classes started some time ago were carried on till the end of 1889. They have been discontinued since, as the attendance was not considered sufficient to warrant then-continuance. This seems a pity, as various teachers willingly gave their time to the lectures, which were calculated to benefit page 8 not only young teachers, but the outside public as well. Those who carried on the classes last were Mr. W. G. Don, Chemistry; Mr. K. Smith, Mechanics; and Mr. D. Ross, Heat. The Institute suffers no financial drawback from its connection with these classes. As all subscriptions have not yet been paid, the balance-sheet is not completed.

D. Ross, Secretary.

Annual Report of the Milton Branch.

Officers 1889—90. President: Mr. William Moelrea. Secretary and Treasurer: Mr. James Parlane.

Five meetings have been held during the year:—

7th Sept., 1889.—Annual Meeting; Mr. Mahoney gave a report of the Discussion of the Committee of Management on Mr. White's Case.

2nd November, 1889.—Mr. McElrea read a paper on "Difficulties in the way of Interchange of Ideas between Teacher and Pupils."

7th December, 1889.—Meeting in conjunction with Balclutha Branch at Balclutha; Discussion of the Syllabus for the Council of the N.Z.E.I.

29th March, 1890.—Mr. Dunbar read a paper on "Historical Aspect of Education."

31st May, 1890.—Mr. Reid read a paper on "Individual v. Class Examination."

Jas. Parlane. Secretary.

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Annual Report of the Dunedin Branch.

Officers 1889-1890. President: Mr. G. H. Smith. Hon. Secretary and Treasurer: Mr. A. Pirie.

During the Session of 1889-1890, eight meetings have been held, at which the average attendance has been 17; the highest being 31 in August, and the lowest 8 in November.

A paper has been read at each meeting. The following was the programme of work carried out:—

Miss Eraser—"Our Girls."

Mr. J. Reid—"Essay on Education."

Mr. Chilton—"Natural History Societies for Children.".

Prof. O. David—"Physical Education."

Mr. McPhee—"Political Economy as a School Subject."

Mr. W. Gray—"The Influence of the Scholar's School Life on His Character."

Mr. Paterson—"The Importance of English History as a School Subject."

Mr. White—"The Education Board's Scholarship Scheme."

A. Pirie, Secretary.

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Railway Arrangements.—Saturday Return Tickets available tor one month may be obtained for distances over 20 miles. Saturday Return Tickets will be issued for distances of 20 miles and under on the25th, 26th, 28th, 29th, and 30th of July, and will be available for return until the4th of August, on the production of a certificate from the Secretary of the Education Board.

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