E.—l

25

selves as clearly responsible for their actions, and of teaching them that upon their efforts to improve themselves their opportunities of promotion to a higher grade will depend. Any course that would lead to their regarding themselves as " patients " whose sickness was beyond their own power to heal would be fatal to reform. As the law stands at present, control of industrial-school inmates may be retained until they arrive at twenty-one years of age. In the great majority of cases it is found unnecessary to exercise supervision for so long, but Unfortunately there are a few who even at that age are quite unfit to take their place in society with any reasonable hope of their succeeding in life or, in some cases, of their refraining from committing crime. The problem of providing effectively and humanely for such cases is one of great difficulty ; but. in view of the far-reaching consequences of their going into the world without restraint, as at present, it is necessary to attempt to find some practical means of dealing with them. Therefore it is suggested that a Magistrate, on the application of the Manager of the school in which such an inmate is detained, should be empowered, after the appointment of counsel for the inmate at the expense of the Crown, to hear evidence, and, on being satisfied that the case is not one to which the ordinary provisions as to termination of control at twentyone years should apply, to make an order extending the period of detention to twentyfive years of age; and, if necessary at the termination of that period, a further extension could be obtained by similar procedure. The power of the Governor to discharge an inmate at any time, and of the Minister to place him out from the school on probation, should apply in the same way as in the case of an ordinary inmate of an industrial school who is under twenty-one years. During 1908 the numbers under the control of all the industrial schools rose from 2,151 to 2,263. Of the latter number, 420 were in residence at Government schools, and 372 in the private (Roman Catholic) schools. The remaining 1,471 were nonresident, 731 being boarded out with foster-parents, and 740 being at service, with friends on probation, &c.

TABLE H.—Inmates, 1907 and 1908.

Number of children on the books at the end of the year whose maintenance was a charge against the public funds .. .. .. .. 1,557 Increase on the total for the preceding year .. .. .. . . 116 Boarded out from Government schools .. .. .. . ■ 718 Boarded out from private schools .. . . .. . •. 7 Number resident at schools .. .. • • • • • • 792 The balance of the number maintained was accounted for as follows :— Girls in various corrective institutions.. .. .. .. . ■ 9 In orphanages (1 boy and 3 girls) .. .. . • • • • • 4In Costley Training Institution, Auckland (boys) .. .. .. 11 4—B. 1.

ioarded out. In Kes: idence. Servii :e, &i To; als. s Q ! I O m Q t> o Q Q i n o a a> a r o QJ a o Q O o 2 P O Government SchoolsAuckland (Mount Albert) Boys' Training Farm, Woraroa Receiving Home, Wellington Te Oranga Home, Christchuroh Receiving Home, Cbrist- ■ church Burnham Caversham Private Schools — St. Mary's, Auckland St. Joseph's, Wellington.. St. Mary's, Nelson St. Vincent de Paul's, Dunedin 74 15 247 174 8 23 Iβ 6 82 9 275 189 29 148 11 55 14 4 11 5 1 6 33 159 6 54 8 124 36 55 ' 124 j I 56 31 91 114 83 9 7 2 11 6 8 9 64 US 63 28 82 116 94 158 287 314 86 279 226 282 21 30 17 14 1 4 179 286 344 82 279 243 296 5 171 2 5 3 166 107 28 17 8 1 8 'i 1 106 23 158 42 19 14 8 2 125 37 166 44 41 26 103 11 8 6 11 49 20 92 14 147 49 262 61 27 8 4 174 57 258 65 i 3 4 Totals 695 51 15 731 721 83 792 735 40 35 740 2,151 2,263 12 121 I 9