Report of Inspector Hatcher-Inspoctoral Division No. 4

HON. R. S. THORNTON,

Minister of Education, Winnipeg.

Sir, I have the honour to submit the Report of Inspectoral Division No. 4, for the year ending June 30th, 1915.

During the year Sproule and Crowell Districts have had their names changed to Ebor and Ewart respectively in order to correspond with the names of the villages in which the school-houses are located. Education Point District completed its new building and now has a well equipped and comfortable structure.

There has been considerable movement along the line of consolidation of schools. On February 25th a board of arbitrator released certain lands from the union district of Elkhorn and Two Creeks in order that the Wallace Municipal Council might form York District No. 1783. The ratepayers of this new district decided not to build a school just yet, but to enter into an arrangement with the Elkhorn Board thereby securing tuition for their pupils at a fixed cost, and to put on organized transportation in order to get the benefits of the graded school. So far the plan has been very successful and will result, no doubt, in consolidation. A year ago the Archie council rejected a by-law by which most of the municipality was to come under consolidation. However, this spring Rutherglen and Parkland again approached the council asking to be united and the bylaw was passed. The new Rutherglen Consolidated district is now making active preparations for the building of a four roomed school on a fine 10 acre site in the village of McAuley. On April 14th a board of arbitrators released lands from Ross and Two Creeks Union districts in order to form the Kyle district. The same board dealt with a petition to form a union Consolidated District consisting of the newly formed Kyle, the territory included in Ross and certain lands from surrounding districts. This petition was granted and the Consolidated District of Ross formed. Plans are under way for a good tworoomed building on a 4 acre site in the village of Two Creeks. The completion of the organization of the newly formed Kenton and Lenore Consolidated districts took place during the midsummer vacation of 1914, and these districts have been operating most successfully for the year. I had the pleasure of meeting both boards of trustees in the latter part of May this year and found that there did not appear to be a single complaint to make. The attendance from the country has been

remarkable and the rural ratepayers are perfectly satisfied with the change. Virden Consolidation gives its usual good service and the semi-consolidation at Oak Lake is still in operation.

Considerable attention has been given to school grounds. Boss Hill, Hillsdale, Mossgiel and Woodnorth have erected substantial fences. Trees in varying numbers have been planted by the following districts: Breadalbane, Joslin, Woodnorth, Kenton, Harding, Lenore and Sinclair.

Some twenty boards have improved their buildings by putting in new floors, painting, building coal sheds, etc. Hillview will probably erect a new building during the cming year. Two or three schools have secured a water supply, while others, being unable to get water by digging wells, have equipped the buildings with eavetroughing and tanks so that there will be a supply during most of the summer for the gardens and for washing purposes. I find it difficult to secure proper attention to the latrines. They are not cleaned at regular intervals and as a result the stench is most obnoxious. The trustees should see to it that there is a goodly supply of disinfectant and deodorant at the school and have the caretaker or teacher use it freely.

In the matter of equipment I find that the trustees are meeting the requests of the teachers more readily than in earlier years. Supplementary reading, busy work in the form of sewing, cards pegs, raffia, etc., is to be found in the greater number of schools, Archie, Buckingham, Clover Hill, Daybreak, Hagyard, Hillside and Breadalbane have added maps, and Springvale a fine globe. Additions to the library have been found in Hargrave, River Valley, Burnbank, DeClare, Elkhorn, Virden, Oak Lake and Sinclair.

Owing to the excessive heat last vacation very few of the school gardens had much to show in the fall. However, the interest did not flag and I found a greater number of school gardens this spring than ever before. Those observed in the latter part of the term have made splendid headway and show that they received no small share of attention from the pupils.

Last fall school fairs were held at Reston, Oak Lake and Elkhorn. The exhibits at the former two were from pupils of those schools only, but at Elkhorn a number of the outside schools competed with the produce from the boys' and girls' club. At each place the parents showed a keen interest in the work. About the end of the year a plan was set on foot whereby the villages of Pipestone, Reston and Sinclair, together with about a dozen outlying schools will have an exhibit of work this fall. The exhibits will be from the club work and also from the work of the schools in the form of compositions, maps, ex

ercise books, writing, etc. We are hoping for an interesting day, and we feel sure that the scheme will prove a stimulus to pupils and teachers.

Needless to say I am very pleased to note the proposed changes whereby the standing of our teachers will be raised. The schools have suffered a long time owing to the fact that the demand for teachers was so great that inexperienced boys and girls were able to command these important positions of trust. The elimination of the third class teacher, and the extended training term at the Normal School should do a lot to improve conditions. If the difficulty of the short term of service could be met, it would also help a great deal. In looking up my records I am able to make the following comparison as to tenure of office of the teachers in my schools for the last term:

Average number of terms for teachers-2%.

Average salary for each teacher-$642.00 per annum.

Average number of terms for teachers-34.

Average salary for each teacher-$662 per annum.

In arithmetic I find that the teachers are gradually coming to understand the necessity for the child's being able to calculate accurately and speedily. In a great many schools i have found a decided improvement along these lines this year. In spelling I find that the teachers are inclined to push the pupils ahead too rapidly with the result that the words that the children are likely to use in their written efforts are not pleasing to read. Writing is receiving careful attention in nearly all the schools but the best results are to be found where the teachers