THE CHILDREN OF THE STATE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 76, 1 April 1899, Page 5

THE CHILDREN OF THE STATE.

INTERVIEW . WITH COMMANDANT

BOOTH.

A Press Asociation telegram frpm Wellington states that while in that city .Commandant Booth had an interview with the members of the Cabinet on the reformatory question and several other matters. He desired the Government to assist the Army in the establishment of cheap shelters for the ■ poor in the chief centres of the colony. The Army, he. said, was also willing to establish and conduct refuges if assisted by the State. Assistance was also asked for an Army native mission, by establishing legal central stations. The Premier and his colleagues favourably regarded the proposals, and asked that they be put in writing. The Premier thought the Maoris might see their way to help the Army by grants of land in desired localities, and assistance might also be given by granting subsidies to native schools established by the Army.

Shortly after the arrival of General Booth and his staff a representative of the Auckland 'Star' waited upon Commandant Booth and asked him •with respect to these important proposals. Commandant Booth stated:'Oh, yes; that is quite true. For a long time past it has been the opinion of the General that it was desirable the Army should do something in this colony towards training those who were maintained by the State. The idea is to do something on the lines of institutions already existing in Queensland, and also in Victoria. There we have 300 children of the State on farms or in different homes, where we can give them the best of education and training with results that are already certainly successful, and promise still better for the future. I understand that in New Zealand the children of the State for the most part, both criminal and the neglected ones, are all crowded together in the one institution at Burnham. This I consider cannot but result in serious injury to some of the children. We are very greatly opposed to large institutions for these children, because no matter however well managed our experience shows- that the criminal children are calculated to contaminate the others. We believe in smaller homes for .groups of from 30 to 40 children,

waere me supervision is eioseil than ii can 06 ij» t*. iui-g-er iuatifttttcm.' There is ttn Act in \ loterln, and uiao vi boutn AuMtralia, under «vhicu tne Ariay luis been receiving' (nese oJuiu*

ren 01 tne butie iv bieuu, 01' TJieu' ueuig geiis to \iic large institutions, in luese colonies ajuiiuren are board•ju oiu ami juwidetl ior, me ATluy LUKiu^ a jtu-go number, and oeingaei'U itspoiibiuae ior thejui uuui. tnc/ art; io cai-s 01 agf, A>y tms meuua we uic tioie to ix-uiu unu educate Uieni until Uifc,) uttcny iorget taeir ttuntr asbuciiuioiia, auu »j axid byd tuey become merged m iue g-eneiui iJUj^aluxioii, lius js wnat we aesu-e io no tor the neglected children ox i\e\v Zeuianu. General JJootti will give atidresses in me Opera liouse on Ditiviuioii Army luj^ics on hundivy morning, aiieruucm ami evening, wlncn win no uouut attract large auuieaccK. Wiien in tlie bouiii ituel^ the general was iucerviewed by repiesemauvea oi tne press and gave souie injorma-tion as to tne preseiu- scope ot tlie Ai;ni,y'S oi)eratioiib. Ac Ciinstciiurcii," vie otiier jugiit, lie said that the Army's nag was, now Hying iv Ibrty-seveu cuuereat colonies or countries! They had over 060,000 separate societies, which were led by 14,000 men and women, separtely maintained and trained for their avocation, assisted by 40,000 local officers, who earned tneir bread by tlie. sweat of their brows. They preached in fifty ditferent languages, ami had twenty-seven fliffereiu. newspapers in sixteen dirferent toug'aes, with a circulation of 1,(JOO,OUO copies a week, or 50,000,000 copies a year. Years ago he had made aa excursion through three worlds, the starvation world, the vicious world and the criminal world, and the outcome of that excursion was the organisation known as their social scheme. Under it they had 450 institutions, 1800 social oificers, and they fed 100,000 men, women and children every week. Every night they sheltered 15,000 persons; and through their sixty-five rescue homes they yearly passed 4600 girls, between 60 and 70 per cent, of whom were walking in the paths of virtue, and' the majority converted to God. Then they had maternity homes, thirteen farm colonies and an enquiry department, or 'great lost agency.'

To the interviewer the General said: —'We want to work our present system. I am going to tell my officers all over the world to work the Salvation Army, and nothing can prevent them from having a most, gigantic success. Hard work in the maintenance of otir position and methods cannot fail to be effective in the highest degree. I do not propose to vary our principles. I consider that they cannot be varied, and that they are eternally true. But we believe in adapting ourselves to local conditions. We present one method to the Hindoo, another to the Australian, and to some extent another to the German.. Our people are perfectly free as regards methods. Any sergeant in a village who finds that he can get at the 'boozers,' evil-doers or infidels successfully by some method of his own, is not only free to use it, but he is bound to. make it known to headquarters as a suggestion to others.' The question of the future concerned the many who had linked their names and fortunes with the Army, and outsiders had asked what was likely to be the effect in the case of his death; To this he had replied that very great care had been taken for the perpetuation of the movement on the same lines, and with the same liberty and the same • prospects as it was being ■run on to-day. If he wefe to die while in Christchurch his successor would be announced simultaueou&ly throughout, the world, or very nearly so, and "everything would, he anticipated, go on the same way.