E.—3

2

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 2 \, 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 ; Keefton, 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; Eoman Catholic, 72 ; Presbyterian, 38; Methodist, 6 ; Salvation Army, 3 ; Protestant, 2 ; Baptist, 1 ; Church of Christ, 1. The balances in the Post-Oflice Savings-Bank at the end of the year amounted to ,£9,631 3s. 5d., on account of wages of inmates belonging to Government schools, and £518 ]os. Id. on account of inmates in private schools. The amount withdrawn for inmates of Government schools during the year was £1,007 18s. 9d. The cost of the Government schools and the amount recovered (from Charitable Aid Boards, from parents, from sale of farm produce, &c.) are shown in Table W.

TABLE W.—Cost of Government Schools, 1896.

Mothers described as Children of Doad. Siok, 0( Good Not known ljunauc, Character or not Disabled, (or Poor) stated> Chiracs. Deserters. Total. 'athers described as— Dead Sick, lunatic, disabled, &c. Of good character (or poor) Not known or not stated Of bad character Deserters 10 6 5 1 8 5 16 5 26 1 5 7 1 3 1 19 14 14 5 1 4 6 1 47 15 54 18 46 23 6 3 3 Totals ••I 35 35 60 71) 15

School. Gross Cost of School. Cost of boarding out. (Included in preceding Column.) Recoveries. Net Cost. Liickland Surnham !aversham Totals ialary and expenses of Visiting Officer Jontingeneies £ s. d. 1,144 4 7 6,864 12 6 6,327 5 5 14,336 2 6 £ 5 2,5 3,1 6,2' £ s. d. 512 8 0 2,535 19 10 3,155 16 9 £ s. 312 E 535 1£ 155 ie 204 4 £ s. d. 263 17 6 2,316 ,15 5 4,534 2 3 £ s. a. 880 7 1 4,547 17 1 1,793 8 2 6,204 4 7 7,114 15 2 7,221 7 4 391 1 0 12 17 9 Total 7,625 6 1