E.—4.

these special cases will receive the individual treatment that their abnormal tendencies call for ; and it is hoped gradually to evolve methods which, while kindly, and recognising moral infirmities, will go in the direction of making the inmates regard themselves 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 twenty - one 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 w r as 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

5

Boarded out. In Residence. At Service, dec. I i i i i | i ■ i i i TT u % o ti oho 6 6 uO« Q S QQ Q ,5 P p , p j a p p Totals. § ill i .. 1 1 j o o o o <u a ii d P £ P Q Government Sohoola — Auckland (Mount Albert) 74 8 .. 82 29 4 .. 88 Boys'Training Farm, We- 15 .. 6 9 148 11 .. 159 raroa Receiving Home, Welling- 247 28 .. 275 11 .. 5 6 ton Te Oranga Home, Christ- 55 .. 1 54 churoh Receiving Home, Christ- 174 15 .. 189 14 .. 6 8 ohurch Burnham .. .. 5 .. 2 3 107 17 .. 124 Caversham .. .. 171 .. 5 166 28 8 .. 88 Private Schools— St. Mary's, Auckland 106 19 .. 125 St. Joseph's, Wellington 23 14 .. 37 St. Mary's, Nelson 1 .. 1 ..158 8 .. 166 St. Vincent de Paul's, 8 .. 1 7 42 2 .. 44 Dunedin Totals .. .. 695 51 15 ' 731 721 83 12 792 55 9 ..64 158 21 .. 179 124 .. 6 118 287 .. 1 286 56 7 .. 6« 314 30 .. 344 _- -. — „ nn . .u. 31 .. 3 28 86 .. I 82 91 .. 9 82 279 | .. .. 279 114 2 .. 116 226 17 .. 243 83 11 .. 94 282 14 .. 296 II 8 .. 49 147 27 .. 174 26 .. 6 20 49 8 .. i 57 108 .. 11 92 262 .. 1 258 11 3 .. 14 61 4 .. 65 735 40 35 740 2,151 121 9 2,263