THE INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL OF CAVERSHAM.

Kumara Times, Issue 921, 12 September 1879, Page 4

THE INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL OF CAVERSHAM.

The above school having been selected by His Excellency the Governor as the school to which juvenileß belonging to the Westland Provincial District, convicted under "The Neglected Children's Act," Bhall be sent, the following extract from the Tuapeka Times regarding the above institution will prove interesting : Our old friend and townsman, Mr Titchener, whom many of our readers no doubt remember with pleasure, and who now fills the onerous position of Superintendent of this establishment (a position for which he is peculiarly well adapted), has sent us a paper of statistics and particulars, from which we make the following interesting extracts : —I have lots of work to do here, and it is increasing every month. Present numbers : Boys, 126 ; Girls, 103; total, 229. Total cost of maintenance for year ending 30th June last, L 324 1; average number of inmates for the year, 239 l-12th ; cost per head per annum, Ll 3 lis l|d, or 5s 2|d per week. This includes all salaries, fuel, light, clothing, maintenance, and all repairs, so I do not think I can be justly accused of extravagance. All the children have been exceedingly healthy. The cost of medicines supplied for twelve months amounts to L 6 13s 3d; butcher's bill, L 215 7s 2d j baker's do, L3Bl 7s 7d ; groceries and kerosene, 1482 16 2d ; fuel, LlO9 ; clothing and bedding, L 279 83 5d ; bootß, L 129 7s 6d ; milk, L9O 9s ; salaries, L 106 5; ironmongery, building material, school books, school furniture, and general repairs, L4Bllßs 7d. I have now given you an account of my stewardship. I have collected during the financial year L 435 4s from parents for the maintenance of their children, and L 146 123 Id for wageß due to children at licensed service. I think you will see by the foregoing statement that I must have been kept pretty busy during the 365 days. I must say that the work I have to do here exceeds all that |I have ever had to do before, but yet I like the work. Taking the children as a whole they are veryjkind and affectionate, and many who have been brought to me as thoroughly uncontrollable have become quite docile. I have no hesitation in saying that the wretched parents of most of our street larrikinß and uncontrolable children are ten timea worse than the children themselves ; the poor little things are what they are by vicious home influence, and not because they are naturally base. It is quite amusing sometimes to see them when told to get into bed (I mean those whom have just been brought in). I have seen them hesitate, fancying that the bed is too clean and neat to be disturbed, and when taken into the schoolroom to hear the children go through their imitative songs, they appear utterly bewildered : and in once case a boy, after staring with his eyes wide open, burst into such a fit of laughter that it was a long time before he could restrain himself. The poor boy. was represented as being a perfect terror. I kept him twelve months : he turned out a first rate fellow, and is now doing well at service. I am pleased to say that nearly all the children—boys and girls—that I have sent out are giving the the greatest satisfaction. Our spiritual wants are not neglected. .We have a Protestant clergyman here every Thursday afternoon and Saturday evening, and I hold Sabbath school from two to four o'clock every Sunday, with a good staff of teachers, so I am pleased to think that we are not altogether going the wrong way. I must leave off, I am getting tired ; but if there is anything in the letter you would like to make use of, you are quite at liberty to do so. I never have any of the boys and girls running away now. On the contrary, last week a little boy I licensed out in November came to the door and begged to be taken back as he was bo uncomfortable at home. He is here .still, I had just finished your letter when a ring came to the door (8 o'clock), and a poor little girl, that I had licensed to her father about three months ago, stood shivering at the door. She told me she had run away from home, " father and mother so unkind to me, I want to come and stay with you." All this is the effect of bad home influence.