E. T. BEANTING.j

105

H.—2l.

29. When the girls come to you first, do you find, as a rule, they have no great moral sense? —Very little so far as the committed girls are concerned. The transferred girls are better. 30. Are they truthful girls, as a rule? —No. 31. Are they untruthful?— Most untruthful. 32. Do you find it easy to appeal to any sense of honour or responsibility in the girls?- - Some of the girls are more easily- appealed to than others, and some are hopeless. 33. When you find a girl commits a breach of discipline—l think you say impudence is the most general—what do you do in order to preserve discipline and to deter others from doing the same thing?—l tell the staff to speak to them three or four times before they take any notice of the impudence, and that especially newly committed girls are to be leniently dealt with, because they have not been under discipline, and it is harder for them to come down to the rules of an institution than the transferred girls. 34. What punishment follows if, after having the offence pointed out, a girl deliberately repeats it?— She is reported to me in the report-book set apart for that purpose. They put down in this book the offences of a girl for the week, and the book is handed in to me on the Sunday morning. 35. What punishment have the staff power to inflict without reference to you in the first place?— They might say they have no power to give any- punishment. They might give a girl a piece less for tea, and then come to me and say they have done so, and if I was not in the Home at the moment they would take a piece off them. 36. And about the so-called cell, have they your authority to put a girl in for a short or a long period ?—They can put a girl in and come and tell me, but if I am away from the Home they cannot tell me. 37. Do I understand that when one of the staff puts a girl in the cell she immediately reports to you, and you affirm or cancel what she has done? —Y T es. 38. In what cases are the more serious punishments inflicted, such as strapping?— When a girl knocks another girl down, and starts hitting and kicking her, I send her to bed as a rule, and strap her. 39. Do you find that efficacious in stopping assaults?— Yes. As a rule, I send her to the cell, and let her think it over, and then I go in and have a talk with her and tell her there is nothing for it but to strap her, and she says " Yes." 40. On any occasions have you known girls to assault members of the staff? —Yes; but not often. One girl kicked a staff on a varicose vein so badly that she was under the doctor for nearly six months. 41. And what is the more severe punishment still of strapping with twelve strokes inflicted for? —It is generally used for absconders or would-be absconders. 42. Do you find that these girls are prepared to assert themselves if discipline is not maintained ?—Yes. 43. If you were to abolish strapping "or serious offences against discipline what effect would that have on the staff?— The staff would all send in their resignations, because they could not live in the institution unless something equally good was provided in place of it. 44. I think at the present time you are short of accommodation in this building? —Very short, 45. If you have a third ward in which to put the more serious offenders, would it be a great advantage to you ?—Y'es ; and we hope it will do away with a great deal of corporal punishment. 46. With regard to girls who are approaching the age of twenty-one, when their disabilityceases, what is your opinion in the case of a girl whom you know, or have reason to believe, has not reformed at all, and will immediately resort to bad ways when released?—lt seems a pity to let her go. 47. Are you in favour of the law being altered so as to render it optional on the part of the Department, if the Magistrate finds that a girl is not a fit and proper person to let loose on society, to keep her here?—l think it would be a great advantage to the girl and-to society at large. 48. Would the fact that a girl knew her living here might be for an indeterminate period make her more amenable to discipline, and cause her to improve her ways so as to get out?—lt might; but, of course, it would have to be tried. 49. As a matter of fact, what could you do with a girl, say, of twenty, who is approaching every day the time when she will get away from you, and whose ways are determinedly bad, with a view to helping her ?—At present can do nothing. 50. You would agree,with the remarks of the Commissioner that strapping is not much use so far as she is concerned? —No. 51. And if a girl of twenty years and six months absconded, and took other girls with her, what would be the object of strapping her when she came back—not to reform her, certainly ?— Because it might prevent others doing the same thing. It might prevent another girl of twenty years and six months from doing exactly the same thing. 52. I think at Christmas time you gave the postman a gratuity of ss.?—Y 7 es; I gave it to somebody to give to the postman. I know I gave it, 53. Was that out of your own pocket, or out of the cash belonging to the institution?—l had it put into the refund. 54. You did not mean it to be a personal present out of your own pocket ?—No. 55. When you applied to get that money back from the Department, what was it charged to? —I do not know. I said to Miss Howden, " Put it down in the refund. Put it down to anything you like—dinners, fruit, fish, or anything." These vouchers were always coming backwards and forwards, and I told her to put it down to something. 56. Do you remember what item it was put down to?—I have not the slightest idea, I never see the vouchers or the refund.

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