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a 2 years' course to matriculants. I lent it my support, subject to the express reservation that I could not foresee the closure of the Teachers' Classes at the Evening Institute. This I did because I identify not only Mr. Sloss, the mover, with the Vice-Chancellor of the University but Mr. Sollis, the seconder, with the chief adviser to the Director on English schools. Actually I apprehend that the Director may find that the idea of joint control presents considerable difficulties.
In the case of the Vernacular Normal Schools I found myself freer to express this view. The line of advance in my opinion is to staff all these schools, SO soon as suitable material is available, with graduates of the Chinese Groups of the Hong Kong University (or some similar institution); but to leave their development in the hands of the Director and his vernacular advisers.
In this connexion it is worthy of note (and I invited my colleagues to note) that while we are by no means entirely dependent for trained Vernacular Teachers on our local training arrangements-these local arrangements do in fact provide amply for normal wastage in our urban subsidized schools, and already account for 40% of the total staff of these schools. Some 50% of these are the products of our normal schools and my suggestion to the Committee was that with a view to encouraging still more to take the normal course the Government should be asked to provide free books for all these normal classes.
G. R. SAYER.
17th May, 1938.
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