THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1951, 6 November 1874, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1574.

Our telegrams announced a few days ago that the Hon. W. H. Reynolds, the Commissioner of Customs, at present in Auckland, was busily engaged in making arrangements for the establishment of a Naval Training School at Auckland, under the Act for that purpose passed during the last session of the General Assembly. This measure had for some time been contemplated by the Government, and the Hon. Mr Yogel more than a year ago instructed the Agent-General to make application to the Admiralty for the use of one of the war vessels which was likely to be withdrawn from the service. At that time an unfavorable reply was given, but quite recently the Admiralty have arranged to hand over to the South Austratian Government the very ship that Mr Yogel applied for ; and the Premier has since made further application to the Imperial authorities for a disused war-vessel, and it is highly probable that the request will be granted. Meantime the Colonial Government have purchased the Southern Cross, formerly employed as a Missionary vessel in the South Seas, and have also acquired the premises at Kohimarama, on the North Shore, Aucklaud, previously occupied by the Melanesian school, now removed to Norfolk Island. It is understood that pending the arrival of a more suitable ship, the Government will as rapidly as possible bring the "Naval Training Schools Act, 1874," into operation. As this Aot is not generally kno wn,

and as it is likely to exercise a very useful effect on a maritime colony like New Zealand, a definition of its provisions may not be out of place. The Act in its preamble sets forth that " it is desirable that means should be provided by which certain classes of the youth of the Colony of New Zealand should be trained to a knowledge of the art of seamenship and in maritime affairs," and then proceeds to define what the " certain classes" are : -1. Any boy over the age of ten and under the age of fourteen year 3 who may be found " begging or receiving alms (whether actually or under the pretext of selling or offering for sale anything), or being in any street or public place for the purpose of so begging or receiving alms." 2. Any boy of the age specified "found wandering, and not having any home or settled place of abode, or proper guardianship, or visible means of subsistence." 3. Any boy " found destitute, either being an orphan or having a surviving parent who is undergoing penal servitude or imprisonment. 4. Any boy that frequents the company of reputed thieves. Any person may cause any boy coming under the above category to be brought before a Resident Magistrate, who, if satisfied, may order him to be sent to a Naval Training School. A Magistrate may also, in case of a boy within the age mentioned being charged before him with an offence punishable by imprisonment or a less punishment, order him to be sent to a Naval Training School in lieu of imprisonment. A Magistrate may also send boys to the Training School whose parents or guardians represent that they have lost control over them. In addition to these provisions, the Act also enables parents or guardians of any boy who are unable' to maintain him or educate him in a manner to qualify him for earning his own living, voluntarily to make a request that such boy may be sent to a Naval Training School, and every boy so admitted will for all purposes be treated as if he had been detained under the order of a Resident Magistrate. The Governor is empowered to make rules for the management of the school, and provision is made for permitting boys sent to the school to lodge at the house of his parent or other respectable person, so that the manager of the school may teach, train, feed, and clothe the boy in the school as if he were lodging iv the school itself. The Manager of a Naval Training School may also, after the expiration of eighteen months of the period of detention, permit a boy to live for the period of three months, renewable at discretion, with any trustworthy and respectable person duly licensed for that purpose. Whenever a boy over the age of twelve years shall be desirous or be deemed capable of being apprenticed to the Bea, the Manager may apprentica him to the master or owner of a British ship registered at or trading with New Zealand, the manager becoming virtually guardian of the boy so apprenticed. All the provisions of the Imperial Merchant Shipping Act will apply to all indentures of apprenticeship and to the apprentices bound thereby. Boys may also be appointed to trades should they be unfit or unwilling to go to sea, and the Act provides the means for arresting and punishing absconding apprentices or scholars, and for protecting them against ill-usage from, their employers. Penalties may afeo be enforced against persons inducing offenders to escape from a Naval Training School. If the parent of a boy detained in a Naval School be deemed able to pay, he will be required to contribute a sum not exceeding ten shillings per week, and such payment may be |recovered at law. When a boy has attained the age of fifteen years he may not be detained, except with his own consent in writing. The general expenses of the Naval Schools are to be defrayed out of money voted by the General Assembly, and every School or Training Ship will be provided with all thing 3 necessary for the proper and efficient instruction of the boys in seamanship and navigation. Such is an outline of one of the most useful Acts ever passed by the Legislature, and although happily the waifs and strays for whose benefit it has been passed are not numerous in this Colony, it will no doubt tend very much to the advantage of the community by saving young criminals from the contagion of older offenders in our gaols, and training them into good citizens. Similar institutions have been remarkably successful both at Home and in other Colonies. A considerable number of the seamen on board her Majesty's ships are recruited from them, and many fine welldisciplined Jacks have been made out of boys who would, but for the training ships, have either become hardened offenders or have drifted about the streets like pariahs. New Zealand must, in course of time, become a great maritime nation, and such schools as those contemplated by the Act under review will largely assist in providing the Colony with well trained seamen. Mr Reynolds is quite an enthusiast on this subject, and as his enthusiasm is backed by great personal energy and business-like application, we may be sure that he will spare no effort to make the Act as successful as it deserves to be.