ERRING CHILDREN

Evening Post, Volume XCIV, Issue 75, 26 September 1917, Page 4

ERRING CHILDREN

AN IMPORTANT DEPARTMENT

"THE PUBLIC WELL-BEING"

MINISTER'S MEMORANDUM.

i The explanatory memoranduid prepared and submitted to the House of Representatives by the Minister of Education, dealing with the reforms made and i those now being carried out regarding the industrial schools system (which by reason of the nature and scope of the work annually involves a large expenditure), furnishes further evidence of the progressive spirit which marks the Hon. J. A. Hanan-s administration of the Departments under his control, and the I close study given by. him to the prob- j lems relating thereto. Ho discusses the subject of neglected, uncontrollable, and delinquent children, and the conditions which are largely responsible for young people being committed to industrial schools, etc., together with remedies to j check or remove the causes of child misery. The publication, being fundamental in character and practical in method of treatment, is well worthy of | careful study. The Minister, in the course of the preface; to his report, states :— "In view of the fact that so many of our finest toen have been killed or disabled during the war, we should make every effort possible to save this small army of children, most of whom, if the State stood aside, would not only be .lost to the State as citizens, but would become a hindrance or a menace to the public well-being." DIFFERENT KINDS OF CHILDREN. : The report adds that the children who come under the care of the various industrial , school agencies may be classified as follow ;— (a) Very young children, mostly infanta, who for various reasons are boarded out by their parents. Under the Infant Life Protection Act, the Department is responsible for the registration of the foster-homes of these children and for their Tegular supervision. — (b) Neglected children, whose homes are such that the children cannot be allowed to remain under the charge of their parents. (c) Children who have been deserted by one or both of their parents, or whose parents have died leaving the children destitute. (d) Children who are beyond the control of their parents. (c) Children who have committed some offence against the law, or whose character makes them a danger to society. "It will be seen," adds the Minister, "that the children inscribed in (a), (b), and (c) above are not necessarily bad children. They are more sinned against' than sinning. They are often undersized, unhealthy, ill-mannered, and unI disciplined, but that is not their fault— it is the natural result of indifference, neglect, and ignorance. Those described in (d) • and (c) are in very many cases what most children would become under similar conditions. . ." WANING HOME INFLUENCE. "It has to be admitted with regret," the report states, "that home influence is not so strong nor of so fine a type as ifc was a generation or so ago. Families are more divided in their interests, occupations, and pleasures, and the intimacy and co-operative relationships which used to be characteristic of most homes are now, as a rule, of a very slender character. - A number of children very early become independent of their parents," especially at the present time, when the high wages received by many young, boys and girls are not promoting steadiness and thriftin&ss of character, but'are fostering habits of selfishness and wilfulnesa. Not only for the sake of the home and of the children, but for the sake of the future of the nation, the importance of the home and of efficient and economical management of domestic affairs needs to be more clearly recognised. Home-manage-iment as a technical occupation in which almost half of the adiult population ie engaged is as worthy of consideration in the course of instruction for all girls as almost any subject' in the primary, secondary, and technical school curricula. "A well-known writer on subjects concerning women sayE, 'A 6ound knowledge of the household sciences and arts may serve not to tie a woman more to the storeroom and kitchen, but to enable her to get better results with the expenditure of lees time and energy, j by fitting her to apply to everything simple and complex within the household! the master mind instead of the mind of the uncertain amateur.' "By means of instruction in domestic science we should not only train our girls to be good home-makers, but we should restore the dignity of the work of the home that false modem ideas seem to have undermined. The fountainhead of the strength and virtue of a nation is the home-life of its people., It is for this reason, inter alia, that I have co strongly insisted that there must be in our primary and secondary schools a better and more general provision for training our girls in the noblest and most refining of all the occupations a woman can engage in. Owing to the importance of this subject, it is now be- j ing given its rightful place ij} our school course' of instruction. ...'.. THE UNCONTROLLABLES. "The present social conditions and the unusual amount of liberty given to many | children," says the Minister's .. report, j "probably account to some extent for the ] largo number of uncontrollable children j that. are brought before the Juvenile j Courts throughout New Zealand. The WHY GOOD BLOOD IS RED. Why are we continually being told that good blood must be bright red? What has colour to do with the quality? Just this. The oxygen in tho air is the great supporter'of animal life. One business of the blood is to take oxygen from the air {which it meets in the Jungs) and deliver it to the tissues of the body. When the blood, filled with life-sustaining oxygen, is sent out by the heart it is bright red. When it returns filled with impurities, and deprived of its oxygen, it is dark. From this it is clear that there are two prime requisites of health, pure air and bright red blood —the pure air to furnish the oxygen, the rich blood to carry it where it is needed. Dr. Williams' Pink Pills make the blood 1 rich and red because they increase its power to carry oxygen, actually making it so much more able to carry increased life and strength to every organ of the body. Try these tonic pills and note the in- j creased coloui 1 in cheeks and lips; see J how your nerves become steadier, your appetito better, your digestion stronger, your step quicker, your troubles lighter. Any chemist or storekeeper can supply you with them at the old price, which has not been increasedA useful booklet, on " Diseases of the Blood," will be sent to anybody sending a postcard to the Dr. Williams' Medicine Co., Box 845, G.P.0., Wellington.—Advt.

be controlled by their parents or who may bo regarded as not under proper control has increased remarkably during the last two.or three years. For instance., ' during last year ovex one hundred and fifity of the children committed to industrial schools were charged with not being under proper control, and over one hundred were committed as, the result of petty offences. Under the probation scheme it will probably be sufficient in at leaslt 90 per cent, of these cases to supervise children in their own homes. "During last year over a hundred children were committed to industrial schools on account of destitution. Considering the prosperity of the country this must be regarded as a serious matter, and'certainly an industrial school is not the proper place for the detention of a child. Under the present system the majority' of these children will be boarded out in oountrj' homes at the expense of the Government; under the new system it will probably be possible in a. great many_ cases to place such -children on probation with friends. Apart from the saving thai will be effected in administration, it is decidedly better .from a social point of view that these children should be brought up with suitable relatives or friends. "Another remarkable fact in regard to the present inmates of boys' schools is that at least 80 per cent, of the delinquent boys were engaged in street trad- , ing before Itheir admission to the schools. This fact may be regarded as direct evidence in favour of the proper regulation of street trading among children, and proposals for legislation in this direction and regulations thereunder are now being prepared. .." SAVING TO DEPARTMENT in a summary incorporated .in the report the Minister states that, compared with the old system and its consequential -'development, the 'saving! .effected in annual maintenance represents at least £26,500 per aiiMin, and from a social point of view the results obtained will be decidedly more saiisfacto-ry.XThe estimated sa-v-ini? in cajpital espenditurs (£56,000) was £29,400, and the annual saving in gross- cost of annual upkeep (£34,300) £26,500.