The Clutha Leader. BALCLUTHA: FRIDAY, SEPT. 4, 1896.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXIII, Issue 1148, 4 September 1896, Page 4

The Clutha Leader. BALCLUTHA: FRIDAY, SEPT. 4, 1896.

The physical training of pupils, more especially of girls, is beginning to receive the attention in the Otago schools that it deserves. Mr Hanna, the able instructor in gymnastics at the High Schools in Dunedin, has been engaged by the Education Board to devote that part of his time not occupied in high school work, to the working out of a scheme of physical training suitable to our public schools. It has been a difficult matter to so arrange a time-table that Mr Hanna's services can be secured in the principal centres, The Education Board has kindly arranged for monthly Saturday visits to Balclutha and the firs*" was paid last Saturday. We believe it was intended that the classes should be confined to teachers and pupil teachers in the school of the locality where the meetings are held, but, as these did not fill the classes, the pupils in the upper standards havo been granted the privilege of attending. The size of the classes will be limited however, by the hall space. Indeed, though the boys' class was not quite full on Saturday, the girls' class was more than enough, for the building. The ways and means of supplying the necessary apparatus will be the next consideration. We congratulate the high school in its success in securing Mr Hanna's servicss as this will no doubt popularise an important branch of youthful training. ♦ We notice that the report of the Department of Justice, Prisons Branch, j-ist presented to Parliament, comments most favorably on The First Offenders' Probation Act which passed during the session of .1886. At first the Act was regarded as a somewhat questionable experiment and was guardedly availed of by the judges bub as the results have proved highly satisfactory a much larger number of prisoners are now being admitted to probation. For example, at the criminal sittings of the Supreme Court, Dunedin, this week no fewer than seven prisoners convicted of various offences have been admitted to probation by Mr Justice Williams. During las: ypar, in tho whole colony, 118 persons were placed on probation as against 74 the previous year. Of these 43 satisfactorily carried out the conditions of their licenses and were discharged ; 4 were re-arrested and committed to prison ; none absconded and 71 still remain under the supervision of the probation officers. The amount of costs ordered to be paid by these offenders was L423 9s 2d, of which L204 8s Id had been paid before tho end of the year. The approximate cost of keeping these offenders had they been sent to gaol would have been L3236, which added to the amount of costs, etc., actually paid gives a saving of L3659 9s 2d to the colony. We also learn from the report that of tho 751 persona placed on probation since the Act came into operation 614 have been discharged after satisfactorily carrying out the conditions of their license, 41 have been re arrested and sentenced to various terms of imprisonment, two have died, 18 have eluded the vigilance of the probation officers and 76 still remain upon probation. It will thus bo seen that the Act has really wrought well and by its operation many first offenders have been saved contamination by contact with hardened criminals and have been restored with xcomparative innocence to society. We may mention that the conditions of probation stipulated by the Act are not unduly irksome. Tho person released has to report himself in person once every month where directed between the hours of nine in the morning and nine in the evening ; that he shall reside — that is sleep — at the place notified to the probation officer ; that he shall get his living by honest means, the nature and place of which shall be approved of by the probation officer ; that he shall give notice of any change of address, and that he shall produce, when required by a police officer, his license of conditional liberty issued by 'the probation officer. These are the chief conditions and it will be admitted they are not of a harassing nature. The Act has already conferred incalculable benefits on a large number of first offenders, and indirectly on society, and we have no doubt that each succeeding year these benefits will be extended to larger numbers.