CHILDREN’S COURTS

Evening Star, Issue 19711, 11 November 1927, Page 7

CHILDREN’S COURTS

AGE LIMIT EXTENDED PUNISHMENT WITHOUT CONVICTION AUTHORITY TO ORDER WHIPPINGS CANCELLED. [FeoU Our Parliamentary UepobiebJ WELLINGTON, November 10. The term “child” is extended to include persons under 17 years of age, instead of 1(5, ns previously, accordiug to an amendment made to tJic Child Welfare Amendment iidl by the Education Committee. Ine clause in the Bill which gave a children’s court power to order that a hoy be whipped' by the child weilare officer or a constable, irrespective of whether a conviction was recorded or not, has been struck out. _ Another clause has been inserted, which states that, it shall not be necessary in any proceedings in a childrens court to record i conviction against a child, even though the charge may have been proved ,and the court may, without recording a conviction, impose any penalty, or make any order that could have been made had a conviction been jecorded. . .' , Proceedings relating to a murder charge or a charge of manslaughter may not be heard in a cliildicn s A new section gives the additional power that, where a child is jointly charged with another person, proceedings may bo removed from the children’s court. Othci amendments require every manager of a children’s homo to keep a record of the names of the parents of eacr child, the age, sex, and date of admission, the name of the person on whose application the child _ was admitted, and the relationship of the person to the child; also the reason for the child’s admission. Plans of structural alterations to any homo need not he submitted to the Minister for consent, unless the work is to cost more than £2OO. , Right of appeal from the Ministers decision to deregister any homo has been deleted, but the Minister _ may act only with the concurrence of the Governor-General in Council.