E.—So

Sess. 11.—1897. NEW ZEALAND.

NEGLECTED CHILDREN AND REFORMATORY SCHOOLS. REPORT OF THE VICTORIAN SECRETARY AND INSPECTOR OF NEGLECTED CHILDREN AND REFORMATORY SCHOOLS, AS PRESENTED TO BOTH HOUSES OF THE VICTORIAN PARLIAMENT PURSUANT TO ACT.

Laid on the Table of the House of Representatives by Leave.

REPOET. The Secrbtaby and Inspector Neglected Children and .Reformatory Schools, to the Hon. the Chief Secretary. Department for Neglected Children and Reformatory Schools bm >— Melbourne, 30th June, 1897. I have the honour to submit for your consideration the annual reports of this department' together with the usual returns, statement of accounts, &c, for the year ended 31st December 189fi' in accordance with the requirements of the Acts Nos. 1121 and 1079. The transactions of the year are shown on the following table, which has been recast with a view to greater simplicity, and to enable the somewhat complicated admission and discharge schedule of former years to be dispensed with : — 8

Statement of Admissions and Discharges, &c., for the Year 1896.

• The location of the 3,949 children is shown hereunder:— I 2,089 Neglected children were being maintained in foster homes, t j 135 ••»#., institutions. ( 181 Reformatory „ „ , reformatory schools. 646 Neglected children were maintaining themselves at servioe. 196 Reformatory „ „ 583 Neglected children were with relatives, &c, without cost. 71 Reformatory „ „ „ 48 Children whose present whereabouts are unknown. t A few of these are free from legal control, but being incapacitated from earning their ownlivins are still main tain n<l h» a>. at. t^,

I—E. 3c.

Neglected Children. Beformatorv Children.' Total. Admissions, d'c. Number under supervision on 1st January, 1896 New committals Transfers from gaol „ „ Neglected Children's Department i, „ reformatories 3,487 551 442 80 8 76 3,929 631 8 76 1 1 Discharges, do. From institutions, foster homes, service, &c, as follows : By order of the Governor in Council ... Effluxion of time Death Transfers to asylums „ reformatories Neglected Children's Department ... Absconders during 1896 not returned ... Number under supervision on 31st December, 1896 ... 4,039 606 4,645 91 278 47 8 76 10 111 3 101 389 50 8 76 1 71 3,949* 38 3,501 1 33 448 4,039 606 4,645