E 4:

Table 2 —Number of Children Appearing Before the Children's Courts (Classified according to offences committed or complaints laid)

m u, N^ T r S "^ (1) The discre P ancies between the figures quoted for and the figures in the old lable 2 of the 1949 report, are accounted for by the adjustments described in the Appendix to the 1949 report. (2) This table, like all others published, counts appearances only, not individual children. Some children appear more than once in each year. The number of such cases in the year under review was (3) Multiple charges—i.e., cases in which children are charged with more than one offence—present considerable difficulty in tabulation. In accordance with previous practice, such cases are counted under the offence which, m the particular circumstances of each case, appears to be the most serious This selection is necessarily arbitrary, but there appears to be no alternative if the table is not to be inordinately lengthy and correspondingly more difficult to follow. In the year under review there were 237 cases of multiple charges.

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— 1948-49. 1949-50. Complaints under the Child Welfare Act and amendments Indigent 92 129 Neglected 33 34 Living in a detrimental environment 84 64 Xot under proper control 183 175 Delinquent 26 63 Failing to comply with the terms of a supervision order 12 5 Totals .. 430 470 Offences against property— Theft 671 684 Breaking, entering, and theft 133 161 Other similar offences (receiving, shoplifting, &c.) 18 22 Conversion of motor-vehicles 40 29 Other conversions 43 51 Arson 3 3 Mischief 58 79 Wilful damage 49 25 Stonethrowing (e.g., at insulators) 29 15 Other offences against property (e.g., unlawfully on premises) 9 15 Totals 1 ,053 1 ,084 Offences involving fraud 28 16 Offences against persons— Sex offences — Indecent assault on a female 40 17 Indecent assault on a male 3 3 Other .. .. .. .. .. \\ ]\ 19 18 Other than sex offences 29 42 Totals .. .. .. .. " \[ 91 80 Offences against decency 14 17 Disorderly conduct .. .. .. .. [[ " 13 26 Offences against special Acts, regulations, and by-laws-Traffic More serious offences (e.g., reckless driving, failing to stop after 9 3 accident) Minor offences— (a) Cycle 59 55 (b) Other 49 25 Railway, fire brigade, and Post and Telegraph 9 9 Licensing 22 12 Acclimatization 10 12 35 Arms and explosives 27 Totals . . .. .. .. '.'. \[ Other offences 185 9 151 4 Grand totals 1 ,823 1 ,848