856 Report of the Education Committee on 1890. 
5. The Examiner in Chemistry (Mr. E. W. Voelcker) reports 
that " the results show a distinct improvement in the number of 
really good papers, though the proportion of candidates who have 
failed to obtain the requisite number of marks for passing is the 
same as last year. Many of the answers to the questions were really 
well and correctly given, and indicated that the subject had been 
carefully taught and studied. The papers of the candidates who 
failed to obtain the pass number of marks were very poor indeed." 
6. The Examiner in Mechanics and Natural Philosophy, and 
in Mensuration and Land Surveying (the Rev. Professor Twisden, 
M.A.), says that he "can report more favourably of the work in 
Mechanics than in Land Surveying, though he was rather surprised 
that the first part of question 1 was well answered by only four or 
five of the best students. The second part of question 2 was well 
answered not more than once or twice ; but then it seldom happens 
that young students can take as much as a very simple case of a 
body in equilibrium, and state clearly what forces are acting on it, 
and how they act. As might have been expected, only a few 
answered question 6 correctly. On the other hand, questions 3, 5, 
and 7 were answered at least fairly in nearly all cases, and a good 
many gave a fair account of question 9, and the latter part of 
question 10. In several schools the boys had not been taught the 
laws of motion in the form in which they are given by Newton. It 
is in this form that they are asked for in the Syllabus. The answers 
of the candidate placed first in this subject are very good, both as 
to style and accuracy." 
7. Professor Twisden regards the work in Land Surveying as 
" not so good as might have been fairly expected. The subject, as 
defined in the Syllabus, could be thoroughly mastered by any intelli- 
gent boy, and he is inclined to think that, because the subject is 
easy, sufficient attention is not paid to it in most of the schools. 
Thus, question 6 was not attempted in a large number of cases, and 
was fully answered only twice ; other questions were omitted or in- 
accurately answered oftener than might have been fairly expected ; 
and the drawing was in most cases wanting in neatness. On the 
whole, there is room for considerable improvement, though the de- 
ficiencies are more noticeable in some schools than in others'." 
8. Reviewing the Examination as a whole, the Committee con- 
sider that the results are fairly satisfactory. They are glad to note 
the increasing attention which is being paid to Agricultural teaching 
in Secondary Schools, as shown by the larger number of competing 
centres and in other ways. It is evident that the Society's Exami- 
nations have a distinct value beyond that of the actual Scholarships 
and Certificates awarded, in the incentivo which they naturally 
afford to the study of agriculture. 
December 9, 1890. (Signed) John Dent Dent, Chairman. 
