E.—l

mitted because they have begun to lead a flagrantly immoral life, or are in great danger of doing so, are at once sent to a suitable institution. In the Government schools the policy is to board out all children of suitable age and character. The authorities of the private schools do not adopt the boarding-out system.

TABLE T.—Inmates, 1895 and 1896.

The inmates discharged by warrant in 1896 were 164 in number. The rest of the 189 are accounted for as follows : 5 married with the consent of their guardians, 8 attained the age of 21, 8 were transferred to the Costley Institute, and 4 died. At Ponsonby an infant boy, 14 months old, died of diarrhoea and convulsions; and three inmates of Caversham died—one, a little boy of 2J, in hospital, of tubercular disease of the knee-joint ; one, a girl of 12, boarded out, of whooping-cough and tubercular meningitis; and one, a girl not quite 10, boarded out, of embolism of the heart. Of the 203 new inmates, 35 boys and 32 girls were admitted as destitute; 12 boys and 5 girls as vagrant; 14 boys and 36 girls as living in disreputable places ; one boy as uncontrollable ; 55 boys and 11 girls as guilty of punishable offences; and, by arrangement, one boy and one girl. The information summarised in Table U is not always very explicit, but so far as it goes it seems to indicate that in 35 cases both father and mother were of unsatisfactory character, in 34 cases the father only, in 44 cases the mother only, in 15 other cases the mother at least, and in 68 cases neither, while for the remaining cases data are wanting.

TABLE U.—Admissions, classified according to Parents' Circumstances and Character, 1896.

The following is a list of the several Magistrates' Courts by which the 203 inmates were sent to the schools, with the numbers sent from each Court: Auckland, 33 ; Paeroa, 2 ; Napier, 5 ; New Plymouth, 3 ; Stratford, 2 ; Wanganui, 3; Patea, 5; Palmerston North, 1 ; Greytown, 1 ; Masterton, 1 ; Woodville, 3 ; Wellington, 52 ; Blenheim, 2 ; Nelson, 4 ; Westport, 1 ; Eeefton, 3 ; Greymouth, 10; Kumara, 6 ; Kangiora, 2 ; Christchurch, 13 ; Lyttelton, 1; Timaru, 1; oamaru,2; Dunedin,32; Port Chalmers, 1; Lawrence, 2; Waikaia, 2; Tapanui,l; Clyde, 1; Invercargill, 6; Campbelltown, 1 ; Chatham Islands, 1 : total, 203. With respect to religious denominations the new inmates are divided as follows : Church of England, 80; Roman Catholic, 72 ; Presbyterian, 38; Methodist, 6 ; Salvation Army, 3 ; Protestant, 2 ; Baptist, 1 ; Church of Christ, 1.

XIII

ioarded ou In Ees: idoil' !e. A1 Service, &c. Toti ils. i 1 1 si R 8 6 So » p 3 6 m p 3 1 1111 i I 3 9 CD g i—i 1 o p P lovemment Schools— Auckland Burnham Gaversbam 'rivate Schools— St. Mary's, Auckland St. Joseph's, Wellington St. Mary's, Nelson 39 164 202 12 9 9 30 176 211 10 .. 107 Bβ .. "a I io 10 4J 105 26t 76 174 43 269 174 21 J 2 26 41 243 195 92 540 462 20 LI Iβ 81 524 482 4 7 i 7 46 .. 64 i 2 247 : 6 5G0 8 46 14 66 t 253 6] 14 8 61 6 2 5 20 10 66 60 76 315 6 4 11 66 80 326 Totals .. 416 21 9 428 12 556 56£ 569 34 28 575 1,545 41 27 1,559

Mothers i [escribed as Children of Dead. Ic (or 1>oor) - Not known or not stated. Character. : Deserters. Total. 'athers described as— Dead Sick, lunatic, disabled, &o. Of good cbaracter (or poor) Not known or not stated Of bad character Deserters 10 6 5 1 8 5 6 3 16 5 26 1 6 7 1 3 1 19 14 14 27 5 1 4 6 1 47 15 54 18 46 28 3 Totals 5 35 9 60 Y9 15 203