3

E.—3

Table L3 shows the payments made by the Government on account of inmates'in private industrial schools, the recoveries, and the net expenditure by Government. The contributions from Charitable Aid Boards are made directly to the managers of these schools, and are not included in the recoveries shown.

TABLE L3.—Government Expenditure on Private (Roman Catholic) Schools, 1906.

The other payments made by Government are shown in the following table:—

TABLE L4.—Summary of Expenditure on Special Cases at other Institutions and Private Homes, 1906.

At the end of 1906 there was in the Post-Office Savings-Bank, on account of the earnings of inmates of Government industrial schools, a sum of £16,344 7s. Bd., and on account of inmates of private industrial schools, £4,012 4s. For inmates of Government schools a sum of £2,673 Bs. 2d. was withdrawn from the bank during the year, and for inmates of private schools £280 4s. 6d. During the year death caused two vacancies on the staff_£of fMedical Officers of the Government schools. Dr. A. G. Purchas, of the Auckland School, and Dr. R. Burns, of Caversham, after having held their positions for many years, passed away at an advanced age. Not only was their professional skill always given wholeheartedly for the benefit of the children under their care, but their genial fatherly solicitude for everything connected with the schools won the affectionate regard of the children, and the grateful thanks of the Department, the Managers, and their staffs. As time goes on it becomes more evident that the system of boarding out children in foster-homes is the most beneficent method of providing for them. Boarding-out was inaugurated in New Zealand in 1883, and the many hundreds of cases where the success of the system has been quite beyond question provide an ample answer to those who, through want of full acquaintance with the effects of it, are prone to condemn it' when one of its failures occurs. During these twentyfour years the average number of children boarded out has been 454, the numbers rising from 209 in 1883 to 690 in 1906. In that time the number of deaths has been 51, of whom 32 were under four years of age, the average annual death-rate being 0-46 per cent. Such a result is very satisfactory, especially when the circumstances of the bulk of industrial-school children prior to their admission, and the fact

Name of School. Gross Cost. Recoveries. Net Cost. It. Mary's, Auckland it. Joseph's, Wellington it. Mary's, Nelson it. Vincent de Paul's, Dunedin Totals £ s. d. 1,392 14 0 234 1 0 1,186 9 0 72 12 0 2,885 16 0 £ s. d. 220 11 3 23 18 8 304 19 10 46 16 2 £ s. d. 1,172 2 9 210 2 4 881 9 2 25 15 10 596 5 11 2,289 10 1

Government School Private (Roman Catholic). •a a « 3 £ ■s <! © n*2 ©W*3 IS SI CO ." CO 3 '© o£ g«.a « 5 a a > oj 0 to Total. Total. Auckland— Costley Training Institution " Door of Hope " Home Wellington— Private Homes Christchurcn— Mount Magdala .. Children's Convalescent Cottage Home Private Homes Dunedin— Otago Benevolent Institution Private Homes £ s. d. 289 3 0 12 4 3 £ a. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. 289 3 0 17 4 3 £ s. d. £ s. d. 289 3 0 17 4 8 5 0 0 25 1 6 25 1 6 25 1 6 50 6 11 8*4 0 50 6 11 8 4 0 7 16 0 58 2 11 8 4 0 108 10 9 108 10 9 108 10 9 3 12 0 5 13 5 3 12 0 5 13 5 3 12 0 5 13 5 Total 301 7 3 25 1 6 55 6 11 116 14 9 9 5 5 507 15 10 7 16 0 515 11 10 Less miscellaneous recoveries 17 12 0 497 19 10 Net total