TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIV, Issue 3318, 5 March 1868, Page 4

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4.

Committee met pursuant to adjournment. Present : Mr. CreightoD, Mr. Farmer, Mr. Gilfillan > Dr. Nicholson in the chair. Minutes of former meeting were read and confirmed. Mr, King in attendance and examined. By the Chairman: There are at present 135 children in the various charitable institutions, namely :—22: — 22 at St. Mary's College, North Shore ; 32 at the Three Kinga Institution ; 33 at the Sisters of Mercy Orphanage, Freeman's Bay; 48 at the Orphan Home, Par n ell. Total, 135. On the Ist July, 1867, the numbers at the different places were as follow : — 36 at the Sisters of Mercy ; 37 at the Three Kings ; 42 at St. Mary's College ; 54 at the Orphan Home, Pat-nell. Total, 169. In almost erery case the capitation money, an annual sum of money, £10, was raid quarterly. This varied in one or two instances ; for some time back at tho Orphan Home an allowance of 4d. per diem was given to some children who were not sent by the Provincial Government. I reported to the Provincial Government, and obtained authority to inform the Treasurer, that the allowance for these- children would cease at the end of the present year. « hildren are admitted principally by letter from the Relieving Officer for the time beingf. In some cases the Superintendent and Provincial Secretary give authority for their admission. I have given very few orders for admission, and in such cases the children were absolute orphans. The maximum age at present is ten years, after which no child can be admitted at the cost of the Provincial Government. If a child remains, after attaining the age of ten years, the payment of the capitation money invariably ceases. The Relieving Officer can always ascertain the ages of the children with ease, and according to bin report the capitation money ceases, under authority af the Provincial Government. The Relieving Officer keeps a record of each child admitted into the institutioni. lam not aware that any magistrate can send a destitute child to the institutions ;no such case that I am aware of has occurred since I took office. I think that the children could be maintained more cheaply if placed in one institution. In no oaie has any child been maintained and educated for .the £10. I attribute the falling off in numbers between July, 1867, and the present time (viz., 84 children), principally, to the careful examination of the accounts forwarded by the managers of the institutions. By Mr. Creighton: Theee institutions are not under the control of the Government ; the Government simply contribute £10 towards the maintenance of each child sent there by them. There are also half-caste and Maori children at these institutions. There are 26 half-caste children at the Three Kings ; 9 Maori and half-caste children at St. Mary's College, North Shore ; Ido not know the | number of half-caste and Maori children at " the I Sifter* of Mercy's establishment in Freeman's Bay.

Jt would appenr from this that the T/uvfc estate of the Three Kings Institution ii applied to the maiLtenance and education of 26 half-caste children, and to supplement the Government grant for maintaining and educating the European pupils. The manager informed me that the coat of educating and maintaining each pnpil was £14 9s. The manager of the North Shore Institution informed me that there art *fc present 26 European and 9 half-caste and Maori children in the establishment. It would appear that the whe»le of the St. Mary's College Trait Estate is applied to the maintenance and education of 9 Maori and 4 Euro- j peaD children, over ten yean of age. The manager j told me that the ooit for each ohild was about | £2 9s. 6d. per annum over and abo»« the capitation money, equal in all to £04 9s. St. Stephen's Orphan H«me has no public endowment. The cost of children for education and maintenance is £15 per head. At the establishment of I the Sisters of Mercy, in Freeman's Bay, the coit for each child comes within the capitation money. I have visited the whole of these institution!, in accordance with instructions from this committee. I compared the school registers with the entries in the Believing Officer's books. At the establishment of the Sisters of Mercy the children shown in their last return we're all present when I visited the institution. Their ages were correct according to the orphan book in my possession. The children returned on the roll of the Three Kings Institution were all present on the occasion of my visit. There was some slight difference between the ages as put down in the last^ quarterly account rendered by the manager of the institution. The first quarterly return sent to me from the manager of the Three Sings Institution, and from which theaocount of the oapitation money was to be made, did not specify the ages of the children. I refused to certify to the account until I was supplied with the details of ages. An amended return, giving the age of each child, was sent in. By checking this return, with their ages as entered in the orphan book in my possession,;! round that three children returned were not entitled to capitation money. They were struck off at the end of the then onrrent quarter. The last return I received from the Three Kings merely contained the number of days that each child had been in attendance during the quarter. On inquiry I found there were two children orer ten ytars of age for whom capitation money had been paid. These were special case*. One was that of a girl who bad been sick ; another was that of an imbecile. I intend reoommending the discontinuance of capitation money for four children at the end of the current quarter, owing to their surviving parent being able to support them. The accounts of the Orphan Fome in Parnell are generally correct. There the capitation money will cease in the cases of 8 children, — 3 on account of age, and 5 on account of having no authority for admission from the Gorernment. The returns from the Sitters of Mercy an always correct. There the allowance for 6 or 8 children will cease during the present year on account of age. On a comparison of the school register of St. Mary's College. North Shore-, with the register of ape in the orphan book, I discovered discrepancies. Throueh checking alone I informed the manager that the allowance for 10 children would cease between September and December. 1867. These were returned to me in each case as under age, — in some instances more than a year. I also found that the manager made a c'aim for boys "who were not in the institution at all ; in consequence of which I wrote him the following letter : " Superintendent's Offioe, "Auckland, January 2nd, 1868. "Sir,— ln your return of boys at 8t Mary's College for the past month, I find Thomas Walker entered as 8£ years. 'From a conversation I had with his mother on the 17th ultimo, I find he has not been at the College for over three months ; I have, therefore, to request that you will be good enough to inform me the exact date of the boy's leaving the institution, and why the Provincial Government has been asked to contribute towards his maintenance and education, although not under your care for months past "I need scarcely mention that until an explanation is given I cannot forward your account certified to the Treasury for payment. I wish also to be informed whether John and Francis Lyons have left the College, and the date of their leaving. — I have, fto., " Jno. Kino, Believing Officer. " The Manager, St. Mary's College, North Shore." I received no written reply. The manager called upon me, and from the explanation he gave I deducted from his account the sum of £3 6s. Bd. In the return forwarded for lastmonth from the manager of St. Mary's College, I find that No. 15 on the list, John Nobes, although put down in the managers statement during January, was not there. < His mother is at present in receipt of rations, and living at the depdh in Official Bay. These are the only cues which have come under my notice. I believe I have deducted all the money obtained by means of false returns. I think the number of children at St. Mary's College receiving capitation money will be reduced by eight during the current year. _ My opinion is that the total number in all the institutions for whom capitation money is paid will not be diminished during the year. I estimate the cost of maintaining the orphans for the current year at £1,350 at least. I have already estimated the sick and destitute at £1,500. making a total of sick, destitute, and orphans, £2,850. I am of opinion that the capitation money ought to be continued to children over 10 years of age— up to 13 for boys and girls. Under that age they are unable to support themselves, and have very little education. I think it unfair to give the same allowance to the Three Kings and St. Mary's College that is given to the other institutions, because the former are in possession of valuable endowment, but I cannot say whether these endowments would be sufficient to support the children without assistance. Ho capita, tion money is paid to the manager of St. Stephen's School, Tararua, and I know nothing of any endowments for that institution. The Clerk was directed to summon Mr. Hazelden for Wednesday at 12 o'clock, and to apply for the Trust Deeds of the different institutions. Committee adjourned till Wednesday, at 12 o'clock.