XXIV

E.—l

one being situated in the Mount Albert district, near Auckland, and the other at Caversham ; but a third is in process of erection at Horowhenua, near Levin. The last is intended to be the industrial school for boys for the colony ; and the boys, who are now in very crowded and unsuitable quarters at Caversham, will be brought to Horowhenua as soon as the new buildings are completed. These will consist in part of a main building with dining-room, assembly-room, and dormitories in which those boys will be accommodated who need a somewhat greater degree of control than the rest, and in part of cottage-homes under the charge of married attendants; each home having fourteen or sixteen boys in it. The inmates, who, it is estimated, will number about one hundred and twenty in all, will dine together in the main building, and will attend the day-school, which, with the workshop, dairy, and farm buildings, will be situated not far from the main building. The land, which, fortunately, unlike the land at Burnham, is of excellent quality, will give full opportunity for a complete training in all country pursuits, and it is anticipated that the produce will contribute no small share towards the cost of maintenance of the institution. The Caversham School will then become, as the Auckland School is now, an industrial school of moderate size for girls only; but these schools will in addition serve the same function as the receiving-homes, which form the third kind of institutions classed as "industrial schools." There are two " receiving-homes " proper—one at Wellington and one at Christchurch. They receive girls or young boys who, having been ordered to an industrial school, are waiting to be sent to a foster-home, or to the school best fitted to train them. On the books of the receiving-homes are found also the names of the industrial-school inmates boarded out or placed at service in their respective districts. It is still necessary to transfer many inmates immediately or soon after committal, as the Magistrates in some cases still continue to send special classes of children to industrial schools which are not intended for them. For instance, now and then there are sent to Burnham, which is a reformatory for boys, orphan children (who should go to a receiving home till they can then be boarded out in suitable foster-homes) or boys of tender years needing merely careful control such as they would get in an industrial school proper, or even girls, who, according to circumstances, should be boarded out, sent to the Caversham School or to that at Mount Albert, or, if they appear to be of vicious habits or disposition, to Te Oranga. There are four private industrial schools—namely, (1) St. Mary's, Auckland, with two branches —one for boys at Takapuna, the other, for girls, at Ponsonby ; (2) St. Joseph's, Wellington, for girls only ; (3) St. Mary's, Nelson, with a branch for boys at Stoke, and a branch for girls and very young boys at Nelson; (4) St. Vincent de Paul's, Dunedin, for girls only. The interests of boarded-out children are looked after by the managers (aided in Dunedin by an "official correspondent") at the several centres. The children are also visited monthly, or oftener, by the local lady visitors who send monthly reports on all the inmates under their charge to the managers. Inmates from Government industrial schools licensed to service, or with friends, are visited by the managers. It is to be regretted that the managers of private industrial schools have not so far seen their way to carry out, except in a very casual manner, so excellent a plan. Three officers of the Department act as Inspectors of Industrial Schools ; one of them is also chief clerk in charge of this important branch, and the other two also carry out, with another officer specially appointed for the purpose, the work of making a regular visitation of all the boarded-out children and such of the inmates placed at service and with friends as the managers have been unable to visit within a recent period. They also investigate any case in which the Department desires a special report. The lastappointed Inspector is a lady, and her work is especially useful in connection with boarded-out children and girls placed out at service. It may be as well to repeat here, for general information, the summary that was given in last year's report of the regulations gazetted:— Except in a few details the regulations are made to apply equally to Government and to private schools. Ample powers are given for the thorough inspection of all schools, for frequently visiting children residing away from the schools, and for auditing wages and other accounts.