The Progress of Technical Instruction. 17 



others. Without doubt the progressive condition of technical 

 instruction in Ireland to-day is due to the labours of that Com- 

 mittee. The Agricultural and Technical Instruction Act became 

 operative in April, 1900. In that year the total Government 

 grant to Ireland for science and art instruction was but a little over 

 ;^3,ooo. In the year 1909-10, the last year for which official 

 returns are available, these grants had risen to ^22,500. In the 

 session 1902-3, the second year of the Department's operations, the 

 total amount expended by technical instruction committees was 

 ^77,000 ; in the year 1909-10 this amount had advanced to 

 ;^i4i,ooo. In the year 1902 4,013 students presented themselves 

 for examination at the science and art examinations ; in the year 

 1909 6,142 students presented themselves. In the year 1901 289 

 students were presented for examination in technological subjects, 

 whilst in the year 1909 907 were presented. But in this con- 

 nection the most striking figures are that the percentage of 

 students who passed the technological examinations in 1901 was 

 36*2, whereas it was 56 percent, in 1909. No stronger testimony 

 could be given to the increased and still increasing efficiency of 

 the instruction given in the technical schools. As regards Belfast 

 in the year 1900, the actual institutions in existence were the 

 Working Men's Institute, the Hastings Street School, the Govern- 

 ment School of Art, and the Model School classes, numbering 

 amongst them certainly not more than 800 students all told. 

 Nevertheless good work was done, and, having regard to the 

 conditions, the committees of these institutions accomplished 

 wonders. The Corporation of Belfast was amongst the first of the 

 local authorities to adopt the Act of 1899, and in the year 1900 a 

 committee was formed called the Library and Technical Instruction 

 Committee, with Alderman Sir James Henderson as its chairman. 

 Pioneer lectures were arranged by the Department, and were 

 given in various centres in Belfast under the auspices of the 

 Committee. The next step was to arrange for the incorporation 

 of the beforementioned institutions in the local scheme, and this 

 was carried out in the early part of the year 1901. The Com- 



