IMPORTANT EXTRACTS FROM A PRIVATE LETTER.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 3966, 24 June 1887, Page 3

IMPORTANT EXTRACTS FROM A PRIVATE LETTER.

» (By Teleoraph. ) WELLINGTON, June 23. 1 The following is aa extract from a letter written by a member of Mr Gladstone's late Ministry to Sir George Grey. The writer was lately travelling m the colonies ' and visited New Zealand : — ; " Melbourne, April 20th, 1887. ' "I have had a good look into the Industrial and other State Schools, also the 1 reformatory system. I can't compare the ' system out here with that at Home, as I ' am not sufficiently conversant with the ' latter, but the system pursued here seems 1 undoubtedly good. Short detention and reformatory or industrial schools for small numbers being two most important points with juvenile offenders, it is individual i influence that can be brought to bear on them. That is productive of good. If you have a mass of children herded together m large numbers it strikes me that not only is the object of reform defeated, but that we are doing our best to breed up a race of criminals. I have also gone through the whole of the boarding-out system. Here it undoubtedly works extremely well. Whether it could be made to work m England is a matter for careful consideration. The supervision by ladies is the most careful consideration. The ■ supervision by ladies is the most neceai sary thing to ensure that there is no ill— . treatment from overworking. I think the women here perform their voluntary , philanthropic duties better than they do at Home. The desire is no doubt as ■ great among a few at Home, but the dif- [ ference between the classes is not so widely marked m the colonies as at Home, ; which makes the work easier and less disi tasteful. I was very much impressed with the free education. Ido not know r whether free education meets with your i approval or not, but I am very much , pleased with it after going through a i school m each colony and making various [ enquiries."