THE GLOBE. FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 1882. THE INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS BILL.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2549, 9 June 1882, Page 2

THE GLOBE. FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 1882. THE INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS BILL.

The Industrial Schools Bill introduced by Mr. Dick will place such establishments on an assured footing, and will introduce order into what is now a somewhat chaotic state of affairs. It is proposed in the Bill to recognise three classes of (Industrial Schools, namely, Government, Local, and Private Schools. The first class includes any schools supported mainly by public money of the colony, or by endowments out of the public estate. A [Local School means any school supported wholly or partially out of funds provided by a local body; while a Private School is constituted by the fact that it is fed either wholly or partially by the money or endowments of private persons, or is a school which is entirely under the management of private persons or of a corporate body, not being a local body. The schedule of the Bill includes in the category of Government schools, the Auckland, Burnham, and Caversham Industrial Schools; while the Thames Orphanage is held to be a Local School, and St. Mary’s Industrial School, Auckland, and St. Mary’s Industrial School, Nelson, are defined as Private Schools. The Governor is given full power to make reserves for sites for Government Schools, and if the school is broken up, to sell the same. Clause 16 defines the circumstances under which children may bo sent to an Industrial School. They are (1) when any child has no means of subsistence, or when its parents are in indigent circumstances andi unable to support such child; (2) when any child is found begging or receiving alms; (3) when any child is found wandering about, and has no homo or any visible means of subsistence ; (4) when any child lives or associates with prostitutes, or with an habitual drunkard, or with any person who has been convicted of vagrancy. Likewise any parent who has an uncontrollable child may, provided he can prove the fact, have the child sent to snch a school on giving security for payment of oosts. The same provisions as are at present in force are to obtain as to the power of a Judge or Resident Magistrate to send any child convicted of an offence punishable by imprisonment to an Industrial School, whether the arrangement be in addition or in lieu of the sentence, or whether the child be convicted or not. The guardianship of every inmate of a school, except of those admitted by special agreement between the parent and Manager, shall be vested in the Manager, who shall have all the authority over the inmate which is given to a guardian appointed by the Supreme Court. Or the Governor may transfer the guardianship from the Manager to some other person. The cost of the maintenance of inmates in Government schools is to be defrayed by Government, but the parent can be ordered to pay eight shillings a week, or such smaller sum as he can afford, towards the expenses of his child. Moreover, the putative father of a bastard child, against whom an order of support has been made, comes under the same regulation, provided that ho shall not have to pay a greater sum in the whole than that remaining unpaid under the said order for support. The amount of the contribution by a parent may be regulated from time to time, if necessary, as the means ef that parent increase or diminish, provided, of course, that eight shillings a week is the maximum demanded. Inspectors of Industrial Schools are to bo appointed,

and they, together with all members of Parliament, and all Judges and Justices of the Peace, shall be entitled to visit, at any reasonable time, any Government or Local erhool. Ail Inspectors may, besides, visit any Private Industrial School. Ministers of religic*. shall have access to inmates belonging to their respective denominations. The Governor, Judge, or Magistrate commiting a child to a school shall state what denomination, in his opinion, the child belongs to, bat it shall be allowable for a parent, although the control of an inmate is in other reaped s taken away from him, to apply to a ly Resident Magistrate to change the religious education in which his child is being brought up. The Minister of Education may license an inmate to reside with some person who shall be willing and qualified to take charge of the inmate, and the person so taking the inmate shall be paid a sum not exceeding ten shillings per week, or shall be entitled to the services of the inmate in lieu of pay, or shall pay wages for his services, provided the Minister makes no payment for any inmate whose age exceeds twelve years, or that the

license shall not be in force after the inmate has attained the age of twenty-one years. Further, if a child placed out in this manner, and being under the age of fourteen years, has not reached the standard of education prescribed by any regulations in the 19th section of the Education Act, 1577, it shall be part of the terms on which he is placed out that he shall have reasonable opportunity of his education until he has attained the said age. All wages payable to an inmate so licensed shall be payable to the Manager, who is his guardian for the time being, and after payment of all money due for the inmate’s maintenance and education, shall be deposited in the Post Office Savings Banks to an account entitled the “ Earnings of ;r and this money may be withdrawn from time to time, in whole or in part, on the application of the Manager, if countersigned by the Minister or some parson authorised by him, and may either be paid over in whole or in part to such inmate or into the Public Account of the colony, according as the Minister in his own absolute discretion may direct. Male inmates, who have & taste for the sea, may be apprenticed to the masters of British ships trading in or with the colony, or inmates may be apprenticed to other trades or callings, bat the Minister of Education may, on application of the master or apprenticed inmate, if he finds on inquiry that it would be advisable to do so, break up the apprenticeship. If an apprentice grossly misbehaves himself, any Resident Magistrate may discharge the inmate from service, and the latter may, in addition to being discharged or without being discharged, be imprisoned with or without hard labor in any gaol for any term not exceeding one month. If any manager, officer, teacher, or servant of an Industrial School negligently or voluntarily permits an inmate to escape be shall forfeit a sum not exceeding £2O. For absconding, or damaging, school property, or misbehaviour any inmate may, on conviction before a Resident Magistrate, be sent back to the-school, op may be privately whipped in such manner as the Magistrate directs. Any person who shall withdraw from any. school any inmate, or shall directly or indirectly induce any inmate to abscond; or shall conceal or harbor the inmate, shall forfeit a sum not exceeding £lO. And any person- who shall, without lawful authority or excuse, attempt to hold any communication with any inmate, or shall enter any school premises and. shall not depart when required to do so by theManager, shall, on conviction, forfeit a sum not exceeding £2O. Many of ' the 1 provisions of the Bill are now in force under various Acts, which are proposed to be repealed by the Bill, but wa have thought it better to give a general resume of Mr. Dick’s measure, in order that its general bearings may be clearly seen, without alluding to which of the propoead regulations are new and which are old.