and Gladstone with its high school employs six. At the present time there are ten school districts organized in this division which failed to operate schools for any part of the year just closed. A few of these were too recently formed to have got underway, but several have been formed over twelve months and have made little or no headway. It has always seemed to me that if on the approval by the Department of the formation of a new school district a small amount of money, say fifty dollars, were placed at the disposal of each newly elected trustee board it would greatly expedite the initial business of such districts. Many trustee boards fail to make headway because they are loath to incur debts until some funds are in sight. This could be arranged in municipalities by a grant from the general school fund, and in unorganized territory it could be provided by the Department and charged against the special grant due such districts under section 231 of the School Act.

Stables and fences have been built at several points and a number of districts have put down wells during the year. There has been a general improvement in grounds and equipment, but I do not think the aggregate expenditure in this line for the past year as high as for the previous year, due probably to the recent financial depression caused by the war.

The aggregate enrolment found on my last visit to each school is two thousand three hundred and forty-seven. This is one hundred and eighty-eight higher than I found it a year ago. One thousand, nine hundred and thirty-nine pupils were present at the last inspections. The average attendance during the year has shown encouraging improvement. Eighty per cent. of the entire enrolment are pupils of the first five grades of the public school.

One hundred and nineteen candidates for the grade VIII examinations presented themselves at the various centres in this division this summer, and the percentage of successful students was about the same as a year ago. There were one hundred and forty-eight students doing work in the three high school grades in the schools of this division during the last term. Of these, sixty-four attended the high school at Gladstone, which institution is almost ready to take collegiate standing. Jordan school at the village of Plumas went into the rank of intermediate school and is now operating with three teachers. Glenella just fell short of the required ten in high school grades to do the same. There is still a more or less unsatisfactory condition prevalent in many of my rural one-roomed schools, where the attempt is made to teach grades IX and X, often to the distinct disadvantage of the lower grades. I am doing my best to discourage this in all schools where the average atten

dance is above fifteen with more than five public school grades enrolled.

Since last fall almost every teacher in this division has been induced to devote one or more periods per week to a discussion and study of the great war at present looming so large and threatening on our national horizon. The admirable literature provided by the Department has been widely read by both pupils and parents and the general information and understanding of the causes and events leading up to the out-break of hostilities is surprisingly disseminated throughout our province. This study has been fruitful of a good influence on the history, geography, and reading in our schools. These subjects have consequently been better taught and have gained in interest. Even our foreign-born children are being imbued with the justice of our cause, and are being strengthened in their faith in British institutions and honor.

Arithmetic is receiving less time but is better taught and results show improvement. Writing also shows better work on the part of the teachers. They are realizing that better letter forms must be taught before mere practice can bear much fruit.

In the schools where a majority of the pupils speak a foreign language, my division has been fortunate in its teachers this year. In every such instance English has been strongly emphasized and I am pleased to report that definite progress has been made. I was struck with the fact that this spring, for the first time, I found many such pupils using English at their play. Composition generally has been strengthened. Grammar has not shown the same improvement noted last year. Frequently the completed work in this subject in the public schools leaves the pupils without any definite grasp of even the simplest grammatical principles. Teachers deal too much with theory without relating it to the actual practice.

Drawing is still weak and badly handled. Music and physical drill are gaining ground and show better results. More teachers are taking their proper place on the playgrounds. The school garden is now a part of almost every school where a fence gives protection to this work.

Bookkeeping and geometry were not as well taught as when first placed on the programme of the public school grades.

Teachers average up to a slightly higher standing than a year ago. Permits have been reduced to a minimum and those retained are doing excellent work under exceptional circumstances or they too would have been replaced. I am pleased to report that changes of teachers at the close of the first term of the year were fewer than at the close of any previous term during the past four years. The percentage of male teachers

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shows a slight increase. Salaries remain about what they were a year ago.

The usual fall convention for teachers of this division was held at Minnedosa last October along with the teachers of the Neepawa Division. The attendance was good and the programme instructive and attractive. Some teachers to the north unable to reach Minnedosa, attended the fall convention at Dauphin. The division was well represented by delegates to the annual provincial gathering held in Winnipeg, Easter week. Trustees' conventions were held at Gladstone and Arden in January, and active associations now have their headquarters at these points. Mr. Fletcher was present at each of these and assisted materially in making them successful. A fair percentage of iny school districts were represented at the annual Provincial Trustees convention held last February. Three public meetings were held in the division during the winter months. The Deputy Minister gave addresses at two of these and the Superintendent spoke at the other. This method of awakening public interest in education is worthy of wider use.

Empire Day was made the occasion of very large gatherings of school children at both Gladstone and Arden this year. At the former place the pupils of nineteen schools were gathered, and at the latter twelve schools united. Appropriate patriotic exercises together with a regular field day programme of sports made the day memorable to all present and at each place this included large numbers of adults. The day was fittingly devoted to its purposes in all other schools.

A school fair was held in the Bellhampton district on June 30th, at which four neighboring schools joined forces. As an initial undertaking it was very much a success. The agricultural societies at Gladstone, Plumas, Glenella, and McCreary are devoting more attention to exhibits from schools each year and this portion of the fairs is gaining in favor.

Besides the regular inspection work, I have been called on during the year to act on three arbitrations, six investigations, to make eight revisions of asssesment rolls, and to take four special trips.

All schools open the full year have been inspected twice and several have been visited a third and fourth time. Grand Rapids I was unable to visit, and I feel that it should be transferred from my division to one from which it is more accessible. Granville opened in April and though I twice visited the district during the year before I succeeded in getting a school opened, I have not made an inspection of it. Several schools which operated only part of the year were visited once. of these lie to the east of Lake Dauphin and I refrained from visiting these during the last term because epidemics of diph

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