HAWKE'S BAY TIMES. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, 1871.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 18, Issue 1091, 10 August 1871, Page 2

HAWKE'S BAY TIMES. Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri. THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, 1871.

The Wellington Independent of the 28th July gives some interesting particulars respecting the introduction of the industrial reformatory system into this Colony—-its history and its present state. For the information of such of pur readers as are unaware of the facts we make the following abstract of the article in question :—• It is to Mr Macandrew, late Superintendent of the Province of Otago, that the Colony is indebted for the existence of this institution. In his first speech to the Provincial Council on his election to the Superintendency for the second time, he called their attention to the necessity which existed for such an institution; and he shortly afterwards brought in a bill to authorize its establishment, which was passed by the Ppuncil. This bill being considered xil(ra yir?s by the Attorney-General, was flisallowed. by the Governor; but the game measure—with the words "the polony of New Zealand" substituted for " the Province of Otago " —was introduced by Mr Stafford into the General Assembly on its next sessiqn, and passed—and thus it happened that what was at first intended as a local institu-

don, was adopted for the whole Colony. The Act itself, which was slightly altered during last session, provides that "the Superintendent of any Province may cause such industrial schools to be established in the Province of which he is Superintendent"; and it therefore follows that if as yet there is but one such institution in the Colony, the fault lies not so much in the state of the law on the subject as the supineness of the several Provincial Governments in not availing themselves of its provisions. For our own part, we consider it better that there should be but one efficiently conducted institution for the Colony than that there should be several abortive attempts at their establishment. The report furnished by the master of the Dunedin School to the Provincial Secretary is given by the Independent in extenso. It is interesting, but too long for the space at our disposal. We may mention, however, that at present there are 90 children located theie —SO boys and 40 girls. The boys are generally employed out of doors in gardening operations, and the girls indoors, at seeing, washing, &c. Their conduct is described as " uniformly good," and the net cost of the maintenance of the children, after deducting receipts for the produce of their labor, is only 5s 6|d each per week. The children, after a certain term of trial at the institution, can be put out to service or apprenticed for terms of from three to five vears.