E.-l

small. The particulars are as follows: A boy, 2 years old, boarded-out in Auckland ; at Nelson, a boy, nearly 14 years old, drowned while bathing, and two girls, 6 and 8 years old; one boy from Burnham, aged 10, long in hospital with hip disease ; a boy from Burnham, aged 9, boarded-out, died from sunstroke ; an infant of 10 months, at Wanganui (nominally committed to Burnham); a boy, aged 12, at Caversham, of cramp and. weak action of the heart. The increase in the number of children belonging to the schools is 120, being, of course, the difference between 340 admitted and 220 discharged ; and the number belonging to the schools at the end of the year was 1,566. But, of this number, 267 were at service, 156 were with their friends on probation for discharge, 24 were absent from the schools or from service without leave, and 3 were in hospital; so that the number actually maintained by the institutions was 1,116, which exceeds the corresponding number for the previous year by 57. Four of these children, being over the age of 15, were maintained by the institutions in which they resided, and no contribution was paid on their account by the Government. The following table shows the numbers maintained in connection with each institution, and the increase or decrease during the year:—

TABLE W.—Number of Committed Children maintained.

The number of children actually residing in the schools was much less than the number shown in this table. The actual residents were only 618, the rest being placed with foster-parents under the boarding-out scheme, as follows : From Auckland, 106 ; from Burnham, 207 ; from Caversham, 183 ; and from St. Joseph's, Wellington, 2 : that is, 498 in all. The actual number residing in the Government schools was : at Kohimarama, 61 ; Kent Street, 3 ; Burnham, 127 ; Caversham, 155. Further details of the numbers of committed children will be found in the paper (E.-3.) on Industrial Schools and Orphanages. Of non-committed children in orphanages and industrial schools there were 169 at the end of 1884; 45 were received during the year, 47 were discharged, 4 were committed under the Industrial Schools Act, and 1 (a girl, 16 years old, belonging to St. Mary's, Nelson) died; so that there were 162 on the books at the end of the year, as follows: Kent Street, 5 (1 at service, and 4 boardedout); St. Mary's, P.onsonby, 3; St. Stephen's, Parnell, 14; Thames Orphange, 13 ; St. Joseph's, Wellington, 4; St. Mary's, Nelson, 13; Motueka Orphanage, 5 ; Lyttelton Orphanage, 103; Caversham, 2. The numbers at Lyttelton Orphanage show an increase of 22; at most of the other schools there was a decrease. Of the 45 cases of admission, 21 are traceable to death, sickness, or other trouble; there are only 4 that are due to the misconduct of both parents ; in 2 others the mothers were in fault; in 12 others the fathers were of bad character; and in 6 cases the information is not sufficient to justify a conclusion. One of these children had been at a high school, and 27 at public schools ; 13 had not been to school (most of them being too young); and information is wanting in 4 cases. As to religion, 34 belong to the Church of England, 3 are Presbyterians, 1 is " Protestant," and no information was supplied with respect to the remainder (7). Under the operation of " The Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Act, 1885," all the non-committed children will now be cared for by the District

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Doc, 1884. Increase. Decrease. Doc, 1885. rovernment Schools — Auckland—Kohimarama „ Kent Street Burnham Caversham jocal School — Thames Industrial School 'rivate Schools— St. Mary's, Ponsonby .. St. Joseph's, Wellington St. Mary's, Nelson 102 71 292 351 12 3 42 "g 13 105 65 334 338 12 50 16 105 "o 25 3 47 25 190 Total 22 1,116 1,059 79