Children of the State.

White Ribbon, Volume 9, Issue 98, 1 July 1903, Page 10

Children of the State.

The committee of the Canterbury Children’s Aid Society has decided to ask the Government to carry out the following reforms in the methods of dealing with State children : I. (a) That the care, management and control of the persons and property of all State children, and the supervision of all children nurse 1 by foster mothers, should be vested in local i>oards or councils, (b) That the powers and functions vested in the Minister of Education by the Industrial Schools Act of 1682 and the Amending Act of

1895, and those vested in the Commissioner of Police by the Infant Life Protection Act of 1896 should l>e trans ferred to these local councils, (c) That each local council shall consist of mem hers nominated and elected by the bodies at present electing the Chantable Aid and other such Hoards, and a member of Parliament nominated by the Governor, (d) That a central council r ,h\ al c o be constituted, to consist of m rnbers nominated by the local councils, (e) That half the members of the above councils shall be women.

11. That a separate Court shall he established for the hearing of all complaints and informations against any child for the offences punishable on summary convictions. 111. That the supervision of all adopted children shall be a function of the local councils.

IV. (a) That “child” shall be defined to mean any boy or girl under the age of eighteen, (b) That “ State Child ” shall l>c defined to mean as in section 16, sub sections 1,2, 3,4, Industrial Schools Act, 1882, and amending Act, 1895, section 2, sub-section 1, and in addition (1) any child associating or dwelling with any person known to the police as of bad repute, or who has been or is reputed to be a thief. (2) Any child who is under the guardianship of any person whom the Justices shall consider unfit to have such guardianship. (3) Any child who, t sing under the age or apparent age of fourteen years, offers for sale between the hours of eight o’clock in the evening and six in the morning any article whatsoever.