INSPECTION OF INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 10777, 3 October 1900, Page 5

INSPECTION OF INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS.

LECTURE BY MRS CUNNLXGTON.

At the Trinity Congregational School- | room, yesterday earring, Mrs Cunnington i delivered a lecture on the inspection of Inj dustrial' Schools. The Rev. I. Sarginson I was hv the chair, and the Revs. O'BrienHoare and H. C. M. Watson occupied seats on the platform. There was only v. small attendance of the public. In the course of her address Mrs Cunnington said that at the ed of January, according to the Education Report, there were 1660 children committed to the Industrial Schools. There were two classes of such children—destitute orphans and juvenile delinquents. There were time methods of treatment. The little street arabs were boarded out, others are looked after in the Industrial Schools, and the most criminal were sent to the private industrial schools. This was done to prevent an un-desira-ble mixing of the inmsites. These private homes were all Roman Catholic. Only 590 children were actually rrs : dsnt at the schools, the others being mainjv boarded out. Mrs Cunnington strongly deprecated the sending of the boys to gaol. The time bad come when it was necessary to reriae the Industrial School system. The committals to the schools were no index ns to the number of neglected children. There had arisen lately a*strong feeling of repulsion against private industrial schools. Our whole system of selecting officials was wrong. "(Applause.) It was done too much by political influence, and in a hole and corner manner. The manager of An industrial school wns trat made but born. The work of the present system was from (irst to last a ehastly failure. The appointment of all officers should be thrown open to the public. (Applause.) Mrs CunninErton then w«nt on to speak oi the new Industrial School Amendment Bill and its proposed nuthod of inspection, deprecating strongly tho system of paid visitors. The Rev. H. C. M. Watson, moved the folJowinsr resolution : — "That in the opinion oi this meeting all industrial institutions, i ."vcWJcvw 3vfa<vi&&eA. oj twA., wnd 'homes and JBstitations to which offenders ere sent by order of any magistrate, should I Tece'we xeguW and efficient inspection and mwerrision from persons in recognised public positions." j

The resolution wsw then, put stnd earned nnawmonsJr.

It was also resolved—"That all Government appointments in connection with the indiistrisl schools shovld be thrown open for public application."