TO HELP BAD BOYS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1657, 25 January 1913, Page 10

TO HELP BAD BOYS.

. NEW OFFICERS APPOINTED. , t To prevent tlio overcrowding of reforma*' , tory. sohools, and to give juvenile dp}, lincjuents a clmnco of' retrieving thei*.' errors, has. led the Government to apJ; point four officers—one for each centre—^ whose duty it will bo to administer thty ; new regulations concerning juvenile of*, fenders. The first' appointment. of thai.'. kind is that of Mr. F. H, Shell, who will! • lmvo oliargo of tho, Auckland district. Mr.,- . Shell has had considcrablo experience nsr , a worker boys, and in England was associated with Dr. Bafnardo'sllon)©, . Under the'now system lately introduced" , it is made possible for the magistrate," after committing a boy,, to Biispond tho order so that the special officer may try his lmnd at keeping the boy on t tho straight patln Mr. Shell's duty is to ■ keep a watchful eye upoh i the' youtlii ■ : guide, correct, and advieo him, asfcettaiii 1 tlw conditions of his homo; life,? tho ox< tent to vhioh he is under parental oa ■ other oontrol. and so forth. "My work, said Mr, Shell to a"StM". reporter in Auckland n few days ago, "will not be to spy upon the bovs, but rather to, bo a friend to thorn, In thta . I hope to have tho help of parents and friends, ond.ono important feature about my, activities will lie that if I find a . youth is not improving in his behaviour,. I liavo only to recommend that tho dc» ... cisdoni of the Court take,effect, and (he, .boy'will be straightway sent to a rofor. nuitory., Vory often the fault lies ■ with the parents than with tho children, and a fact which will, 110 doubt,, Weigh with them is that a boy is usually approaching a wogo-eavnihg ago when, ho gets into trouble, and if■ ho is Bent'to,, - a reformatory the parent's not anlv lose, his assistance in keeping up . the liomo, , but have actually to pay for his maintenanw while in the institution." Mr. Shell regards the' constitution of the Juvonilo Court as likely to bo of ' great assistance to him in his work.' The office of any justlca can bo utilised as a. Court, and tho case is dealt with without ' i any publicity. v .