E.—l

were, however, in the industrial schools, at the end of 1885, 7 children of the same class as those in the orphanages —children, that is to say, not committed by the Magistrates but received into industrial schools under benevolent regulations—and, as 7 other children of this class were received into industrial schools in 1886, and 7 such children discharged, there still remain 7 to be considered apart from the general statistics of industrial schools. In this report no further reference will be made to orphanages, but the statistics, put in such a form as to show the changes that have occurred during the year, will relate to the industrialschool work only, and the 7 non-committed children will be added at the end, so that they may be included in the statistics required for comparison with future years. At the end of 1885 there were 1,566 children on the books of industrial schools, of whom 1,116 were dependent on the schools for maintenance —1,112 being supported by the Government, and 4 (over 15 years of age) by the private schools. During the year 1886 the number of committals was 238, and 202 were removed from the roll—lBs by warrant under the hand of the Governor, 9 by deaths, 5 by transfer from Kohimarama to the Costley Institution at Auckland, Iby marriage, Iby adoption, and Iby attaining the age of 21 years. The total increase of children on the books was therefore 36; the number belonging to Government schools having been increased by 4, and the number belonging to Roman Catholic schools by 32. At the same time the number maintained has been increased by 7 only, the difference between an increase of 30 at the Roman Catholic schools, and a diminution to the extent of 23 in the other schools'. This brings up the number of dependent children from 1,116 to 1,123, of whom, however, 8, being above 15 years of age, are supported not by the Government or by the Boards, but by the schools to which they belong ; so that the number maintained by the Government (wholly or in part) has risen only from 1,112 to 1,115. Owing chiefly to the further expansion of the boarding-out system —the number of children under that system having risen from 498 to 543 (an increase of 45) —the number of children actually residing in the schools has declined from 618 to 580, the increase in Roman Catholic schools being 30, and the decrease in other schools 68. Table U show's the numbers of committed children maintained by the several schools, and the numbers residing in them, together with increases and decreases for the year : —

TABLE U. —Number of Committed Children maintained and in Residence.

The difference between the number of children on the books (1,602) and the number maintained (1,123) is 479, which is made up as follows : At service, 282; with friends, 165 ; absent without leave, 27 ; in hospitals, 2 ; in lunatic asylums, 2; at the Costley Institution on probation, 1. Considering that there were 1,602 names on the books, the number of deaths during the year (9) is very small. Five inmates died at the Roman Catholic School at Nelson; 2 girls (aged 13 and 14, sisters) of consumption, after longillness ; 1 boy (aged 8) of acute pleurisy, from which he was suffering when he

XVI

Maintained. In Besidence. Dec, 1885. Increase. Decrease. Dec, 1886. j Dec, 1885. Increase. i Decrease. Dec, 1886. lovernment Schools— Auckland—Kohimarama „ Kent Street Burnham Caversham jocal School — Thames Industrial School 'rivate Schools — S. Mary's, Ponsonby .. S. Joseph's, Wellington S. Mary's, Nelson 129 41 334 338 12 2 4 28 5 *7 12 1 2 124 43 327 326 11 63 1 127 155 12 "i 14 20 37 1 49 5 107 118 11 47 25 190 51 23 218 47 23 190 4 2 51 21 218 28 Totals 1,116 34 27 1,123 618 36 74 580