E.— 1

46

Infant-life Protection. The infant-life protection system deals with children under six years of age who are placed privately by their parents or guardians in foster-homes for payment. To a large extent they are the illegitimate children of young girls. They are not, as industrial-school children are, under State guardianship, but the homes of the foster-parents are licensed to receive children, the number that may be retained in the home being limited strictly by the license according to the capacity of the home. The number of homes thus licensed was 941 at the end of the year, and the number of children in them during the year was 1,440, an increase of 17 over last year. Of this total the number of infants under one year was 325. Fourteen children died, being 0-98 per cent, of those in the homes. Of that number ten were in foster-homes, and four in hospitals or nursing-homes to which they had been removed for treatment, so that the deaths in foster-homes represented 0-75 per cent, of the total number dealt with. This continued low deathrate reflects great credit on the district agents, their assistants, the local visitors, and the foster-parents. Generally speaking, the Department has reason to be well satisfied with the homes in. which these infants are placed. The expenditure for the year ended the 31st March, 1916, was £1,476, as follows : — £ Salaries of visiting nurses and local representatives .. .. .. 1,079 Travelling-expenses of district agents, visiting nurses, and local representatives .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 285 Payment to foster-parents for board of infants .. .. .. 77 Medical attendance .. .. .. .. .. .. 6 Office expenses (including rent) and sundries .. .. . . .. 69 1,516 Less recoveries .. .. .. .. .. .. 40 Total .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,476 For the preceding year the amount was £1,374. School for the Deaf, Sumner. Number of pupils who returned to the school in February, 1915, after the summer vacation .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 100 Number admitted during the school year .. .. .. 12 Left during or at the end of the school year .. .. .. 18 Number remaining on the roll after the close of the school year .. .. 99 Thirteen pupils were removed from school during the year, having reached a satisfactory standard of education. The length of their school life varied from three and a half to eleven years. The necessity of sending deaf children to be properly treated at as early an age as possible is imperative, although often overlooked, as it is clear that the process of educating them must be slower and more arduous than in the case of normal children. Of twelve new pupils received during the year five were over eight years of age, and three of these were over twelve years of age, the difficulty of educating these children being thus immeasurably increased. In addition to the ordinary school-work, the girl pupils of the school receive instruction in cookery, laundry-work, domestic economy, dressmaking, and dancing, and the boys in woodwork and gardening. The expenditure on the school for the last two financial years respectively was as follows : — 1914-15. 1916-16. £ £ Salaries ... .. .. .. .. 3,959 4,126 Maintenance of pupils and sundry expenses .. 1,740 1,745 Travelling-expanses .. .. ..200 243 Maintenance of buildings .. .. .. 213 59 6,112 - 6,173 Less — Amount collected from parents by way of maintenance contributions .. 1,027 1,195 Amount collected from Charitable Aid Boards .. .. ..1,100 1,224 Sundry other recoveries .. .. 6 14 2,133 2,433 Net expenditure .. .. .. ... £3,979* £3,740* * Inoluding for 1914-15 £300, and for last year £139, paid from national-endowment revenue.