The Lyttelton Times. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1906. THE BURNHAM REFORMATORY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVI, Issue 14202, 26 October 1906, Page 6

The Lyttelton Times. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1906. THE BURNHAM REFORMATORY.

The result of the very patient and thorough inquiry conducted by Mr H. \V. Bishop is distinctly not unfavourable to the present management of the Burnham reformatory. Indeed, the institution under Mr Archey comes out of the ordeal surprisingly -well, considering the very difficult character of the work it undertakes and the not Very favourable conditions. We are very glad that this inquiry has been held. It sets at rest all the vague rumours of scandals and mismanagement that have been afloat, and the flood of light that has been thrown upon the place reveals only such weaknesses as are practically unavoidable. The buildings are old and unsuitable, and the large farm of poor land is beyond the efficient working capacity of the institution. It is too often forgotten that the institution is a reformatory and not an orphanage, and that the boys committed to it have shown, some criminal tendencies. It is not a gaol, but the work of reformation requires that strict discipline should be maintained, and that! the boys should not he allowed to take charge of -their own lives. The present institution, however, offers no facilities for classification, and- it was a constant complaint through the evidence that there were no means of segregating the- irreclaimables and the boys of pronounced vicious tendencies. We do not like the idea of creating an entirely separate institution for this worst class, because the tendency would be to draft into it the troublesome boys and not merely the “moral lepers ” of whom the Commissioner speaks. It is a point, however, on which even the experts will differ, and it must be admitted that the complete segregation of a small percentage of irreclaimables is preferable when, in the alternative, these irreclaimables are retarding tjje reformation of a large mass of more promising material. An American writer has conveniently described these reformatories as “citizen-factories,” and it has to bo borne in mind always that the purpose of Burnham is to set erring lads on the* right road to become orderly, decent citizens. At present Burnham lets its boys go when they reach the age of twenty-one, yand the figures quoted by the Commissioner concerning the subsequent conduct of discharged lads are highly creditable to the institution. It must he agreed, however, that it is folly to turn loose the incorrigibles, and, on the other hand, that under a sensible system of classification some boys might qualify for an earlier release. There is no doubt that the place will have to ho rebuilt on modern lines in the near future, and facilities will then have to be provided for a proper classification of the boys. The Commissioner heard a great deal of evidence about the conditions under which the attendants work, and recommends some amelioration. But country life will always bo rather monotonous to people who are unable to appreciate its peculiar charms, and the responsibility for, the “ greyness ” of the attendants’ life rests largely with the manager and his subordinates themselves. They simply do not take advantage of the opportunities that do exist for recreation. Reading between the lines of the evidence, it is not difficult to find a lack cf interest on the part of the manager and an inability to amuse themselves on the part of his subordinates.