are insisting on neat exercise books in all subjects. Reading is fair. Geography receives a lot of attention and the map work is generally very good. History is not well-known in a great many cases. Grammar is making very fair progress although the teachers find the subject a difficult one in which to get satisfactory results. The Strathcona Trust Fund prizes for this year have been awarded as follows: One roomed schools-1st., Hargrave; 2nd., Pacific; Towns and Villages-1st., Virden; 2nd., Elkhorn. As reported some months ago there were several educational meetings in the inspectorate during the year. The annual gatherings of the Sifton-Woodnorth and the Archie-Wallace Trustees' Associations were held at Oak Lake and Elkhorn where we were assisted by Superintendent Newcombe and Inspector Wright. In the evenings public meetings were held and general educational matters discussed. A new Trustees' Association was formed at Reston in February including the Municipality of Albert in Mr. Hunter's inspectorate and the Municipality of Pipestone in my own inspectorate. We were assisted at this meeting by Mr. Watson, of the Department, and the success of the gathering augurs well for the future of the organization. Mr. Watson gave an illustrated lecture in the evening which was much appreciated by those present. All of my territory is now organized into Trustees' Associations. Consolidation meetings were held at McAuley where Mr. Hales, of Brandon, assisted, and at Two Creeks. The Inspectorate was well represented at the Western Teachers' Convention held in Brandon last fall, at the Trustees' Convention in Winnipeg and at the Easter Teachers' Convention in Winnipeg. Respectfully submitted, A. J. HATCHEB, I.P.S. Report of Inspector Hunter-Inspectoral Division No. 5 HON. R. S. THORNTON, Minister of Education, Winnipeg. Sir, I have the honor to submit the following report for Inspectoral Division No. 5 for the year ending June, 1915. This division consists of the municipalities of Albert, Arthur, Brenda, Edward, Cameron and Winchester. There are at present seventy-five schools in operation employing ninety-seven teachers. Hathaway school was closed in April last owing to an insufficient number of children of school age. New districts have been formed at Coxworth and Regent in the municipality of Winchester, Coulter in the municipality of Arthur and Maple Hill in the municipality of Cameron. The South Antler school was destroyed by fire in April last. An excellent new two-roomed building replaces the old school at Coultervale, and at Maple Hill a suitable one-roomed building has been completed and is now in operation. We have cause for genuine gratification at the interest evinced in the cause of education generally in this district. Education is no longer a luxury. It has become a necessity for the doing of the world's work. All the children must be educated in the terms of their own activities. In the past we have suffered from a lack of interest generally in matters educational by those whose interests are most deeply involved. To counteract this the Department o fEducation encouraged the holding of public meetings over the province during the winter months to awaken interest in education generally. Three meetings were held in this division with very gratifying results. Trustees' Associations have been formed covering the six municipalities included in this inspectorate. These are real live organizations and we entertain hopes of every school district being included in these associations. School fairs, boys' and girls' clubs, field days and public meetings for the discussion of educational topics will be undertaken and fostered by these bodies. Three school fairs are being organized, one at Reston in conjunction with Inspectoral Division No. 4, one at Melita covering the municipalities of Arthur and Edward, and one at Hartney. We hope to have fifty schools taking part. This healthy revival will be of incalculable value in the interest aroused and is bound in turn to develop pleasure and increase efficiency. During the year, ninety-four departments have been visited twice, twenty departments three times and eleven departments four times. In three cases I found the schools closed, no previous notificaion having been received. In two of these cases the schools were closed through an epidemic of measles. There were arbitrations to be attended and two special investigations, one involving moral issues. TEACHERS. As a rule the teachers are hardworking and conscientious in the discharge of their duties. Many of them are strongminded men and women who appreciate the aims and methods of work and who are an inspiration to their pupils and the community. Over ninety per cent. take educational and other journals and endeavour to keep themselves well-abreast of the times. Their professional standing is as follows:-Nine per cent. hold first class professional certificates, forty-five per cent. have second class professional standing and the remaining forty-six per cent., with the exception of two permit-holders, have third class professional training. Over eighty per cent. of the thirds have second class non-professional standing. The average salary paid in the non-graded school is $619, and in the graded schools the average salary for assistant teachers is $642, and for principals, $1,112. In forty per cent. of the departments, the trustees have been able to retain the services of the last year's teacher. ATTENDANCE. The following figures showing the enrolment and attendance in the various grades are compiled from the notes made on the days of my second visit in the school year: Grade ... I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. Total 530 319 385 287 330 195 89 157 78 35 32 2235 451 283 249 253 182 166 79 144 72 32 32 1943 These figures show a percentage present of the total enrolment of 86.93, as compared with 84.98 for the same period last year. The figures in grade VII may seem rather striking and may be accounted for by the fact that in a number of schools the brighter grade VI pupils are promoted direct to the entrance class. In the non-graded schools twenty students were enrolled in grade IX andtwo in grade X. I was particularly careful to see that, where work above the entrance was attempted in these schools, the work in the primary grades did not suffer. There are three consolidated schools in this CONSOLIDATION. division fully sustaining the objects for which they were organized and giving general satisfaction. These schools give better educational facilities and, although, in one or two cases the cost may be slightly higher than of the one-roomed rural schools displaced, yet much greater value is received for the money expended. In these schools there is the possibility of arranging the pupils in classes large enough so that the children in recitation meet with other children to "measure up against" in the friendly rivalry and inspiration that come from a properly conducted class work. One of the most gratifying features is the SCHOOL PLANT gradual and general improvement of the school AND EQUIPMENT. plant. Three new and up-to-date schools have been built during the past year and three more are in course of construction. These all contain full-sized basements with modern systems of heating and ventilation. The poisonous cast-iron stove is being gradually elminated from the schools and in a number of instances wells have been sunk and bubbler fountains installed for drinking purposes, displacing the common cup and pail. In a number of the older rural districts the buildings and equipment are unsatisfactory and far below the general standard of the community. In some cases the pupils' desks are too large and placed too far apart, forcing the children to sit in a strained, unnatural position. The bad effects of this on the children's health need no elucidation; but what is not generally recognized is the injury to the eyesight. The pupil sits on the edge of the seat, stooping forward and throwing a shadow on his work. with his eyes so close to it that a great strain is thrown on the muscles of accommodation. In some cases where there is not a sufficient supply of material in the primary grades the teachers are to blame, as the school boards state they are willing to supply anything that is required for the work. Many of the schools are increasing the black-board space. I find that personal interviews with individual members of the board and with parents, as well as correspondence, give considerable opportunity for assistance and are usually productive of the desired results. It is very gratifying to note the attention given by the trustees to suggestions and recommendations made in the reports of official visits. Almost without exception there is evident desire to provide all that is necessary for the welfare of the child and its surroundings. I look forward hopefully for the time when school libraries will be general. In many cases the library books have been well chosen. In a few cases where the books have been chosen by the teachers they too frequently seem to think that the library is established for their own personal use, rather than for the use of the pupils. In many cases books are selected with an utter disregard for that educational force which a carefully selected library exerts upon the pupils to develop a taste for good reading, and at the same time to cultivate the habit of seeking for knowledge from reliable sources, and thus develop to some extent the power of original investigation. SCHOOL Excellent progress has been made during the year in this department of the work. With very few exceptions the gardens are well laid out and receive every care and attention until the summer holidays. This year I have encouraged the appointment of a small committee in each school to supervise the work during this period. The special obstacles to satisfactory maintenance appear to be the frequent change of teachers, the pressure of examination subjects in the higher grades, and the lack of teachers with real confidence in the value of school gardens. These obstacles are being gradually overcome. It is our object to encourage the co-operation of the pupils, the parents, the teachers and the trusees for the improvement of the school and its surroundings. Many of the trustees and teachers take praiseworthy pride in keeping the schools neat and clean and in decorating the interior with pictures, pupils' art work, black-board drawings and in the season, with plants and flowers. Clean buildings with bright and cheerful surroundings are patent factors in developing the aesthetic side of child nature, and much praise is due to teachers who take an interest in school decoration. In some cases use is made of the school-house SCHOOL A as a social centre, thereby uniting the farmers SOCIAL CENTRE. who pay taxes to support the schools, the home-makers, the teachers and the pupils in co-operative work for mutual improvement which is bound to create a healthy tone and a deeper interest in the school and its functions. PHYSICAL There is no branch of the school work which seems more popular with the teachers and pupils than physical exercises. From experiments carried on with a number of children during the past year, the merit of these exercises has been amply demonstrated to their parents. This year the prizes from the Strathcona Fund went to Miss Finch, of Hartney, and Miss Hall, of Waskada, for the graded schools, and Miss Dandy, of Cuthbert and Miss Snelgrove, of West Hall, for the nongraded schools. Arithmetic is still receiving too much attention in all grades. About fifty per cent. of the time-tables submitted to me showed that one-fourth of the school day is devoted to this subject, yet, in spite of this fact the results are scarcely satis |