E—4

Children in Mental Hospitals. —During the year ended 31st March, 1947, 38 State wards were admitted to mental hospitals. At that date there were 162 State wards in these institutions, as against 161 at the 31st March, 1946. In accordance with an arrangement with the Mental Hospitals Department, these children are not discharged from our legal control, as in the event of their return to the community the Department is enabled to resume control and assist where required.

Table 2. —Number of Children appearing before Children's Courts (Classified according to Complaints or Charges Laid)

10

— 1944-45. 1945-46. 1946-47. Complaints under Child Welfare Act— Indigent 168 165 144 Not under proper control .. .. .. ., ., 238 172 182 Living in a detrimental environment 52 76 94 Neglected 59 41 38 517 454 458 Offences — (1) Against morality 9 6 6 (2) Against the person 69 56 55 (3) Theft .. .... 993 847 703 (4) Conversion of motor-vehicles 49 48 38 (5) Other conversions 48 55 51 (6) Delinquent .. .. .. ... 234 231 233 (7) Miscellaneous (chiefly mischief) 316 296 263 (8) Breaches of Court supervision order 13 10 9 (9) Breaches of special Acts and regulations— (a) Railways 14 5 7 (b) Fire brigade .. .. .. .. 4 7 4 (c) Acclimatization .. .. .. 9 2 8 (d) Licensing 12 20 17 (e) Arms .. .. .. • - 37 41 30 (/) Post and Telegraph 67 18 15 (.g) Shipping 6 2 4 (h) Emergency War Regulations 1 (i) Man-power Regulations 1 (j) Venereal Disease Regulations .. 1 (fc) Immigration 1 (10) Breaches of Traffic Regulations — 71 (a) Cycles .. 49 58 (b) Motor-vehicles 12 5 3 (c) Other 15 34 27 (11) Breaches of city or borough by-laws— 46 16 22 (a) Cycle (b) Other than cycling 8 14 15 2,012 1,786 1,568 2,529 2,240 2,026