E.—4

6

for information and for assistance in the matter of adjusting undesirable or unfavourable conditions in homes where there are children, and in fact parents whose children are difficult to manage or are uncontrollable avail themselves of the services of our officers for the purpose of supervision and friendly guidance. A timely visit of a Probation Officer frequently saves a child from further trouble. Very often it is found that the parents are at fault, and in these cases the officer's duty is to point out plainly and clearly the parental obligations and responsibilities. It is gratifying to find that these visits frequently have satisfactory results. The following table shows the number of preventive cases notified by officers in the various districts during the period Ist January, 1924, to 31st March, 1925 : — tv , • , Number of Number of DlStnot - Families. Children. North Auckland . . . . . . . . . . 1 7 Auckland . . . . . . . . . . 21 24 South Auckland .. .. .. .. .. .. 8 13 Wanganui .. .. , . . . .. 13 35 Hawke's Bay .. .. .. .. .. 14 14 Palmerston North . . . . . . . . 9 9 Wellington .. . . . . . . . . . . 53 109 Nelson .. .. .. .. .. .. ..41 51 West Coast . . . . . . . . . . 7 29 Canterbury . . . . . . . . . . 45 68 South Canterbury . . . . . . .. 7 34 Otago .. .. . . .. .. . . 14 22 Southland . . . . . . . . .. 50 111 Totals .. .. .. .. .. 283 526 Admissions during Period Ist January, 1924, to 31st March, 1925. The following table shows the new admissions according to age : — Boys. Girls. Total. Under six months .. .. .. .. 28 22 50 Over six months and under one year .. . . 13 7 20 One year to five years .. . . . . .. 43 40 83 Five years to ten years . . . . . . . . 75 47 122 Ten years to fourteen years . . . . .. . . 109 32 141 Over fourteen years . . . . . . .. 68 30 98 Totals .. .. .. .. ..336 178 • 514 Table 14 attached to this report shows the new admissions classified according to the causes of admission. Of the total number (514), 199 were destitute, 161 not under proper control, and 98 had been charged with punishable offences. Of the children admitted under these headings all except 91 were placed out in foster-homes before the 31st March. Table 17 gives particulars of the character or state of the parents at the time of the admission of the children. From this table I have selected the following figures showing (1) the number of children of drunken parents, and (2) the number of children of feeble-minded parents: — Admission of Children on account of the Drinking Habits of one or both Parents. Drunken mother .. . . . . . . .. 8 Drunken father . . . . . . . . .. 21 Both parents drunkards . . . . .. .. 6 35 Admission of Children on account of the Mental Deficiency of one or both Parents. Mentally deficient mother . . . . . . .. 30 Mentally deficient father . . .. .. . . 5 Both parents defective mentally . . . . .. . . .. Nil. 35 An analysis of the new admissions for last year, grouped according to the characters or state of the parents at the time of admission, is interesting, for the results seem to indicate that, generally speaking, the child who is admitted on account of destitution or orphanhood, or whose parents have deserted him, comes either from an undesirable home or from morally unwholesome surroundings ; while, on the other hand, the child who commits an offence against the law and is regarded as a delinquent comes almost invariably from a good home. On more than one occasion the Department has been criticized for permitting orphans and destitute children to remain even as a temporary measure in the various probation or adjustment homes where juvenile delinquents are also detained, but in view of the facts disclosed in the following tables it is evident that in some instances at least