E.—l

XIX

The number of committals for the year (294) exceeds the number for 1880 by 21, and the licenses, discharges, and deaths were 22 more than in 1880, so that the increase for the year (58) is less by one than the increase (59) in 1880. The deaths in 1881 were 5, as against 8 in the preceding year. The proportion of dismissals to admissions is about as 4to 5. The only considerable additions to the number of inmates are at Burnham, and at St. Mary's, Nelson ; at some schools the number diminished during the year. Many of the children have been restored to their families under license, this practice having been adopted as affording a means of probation in cases in which there is reason to hope that the parents will prove able and willing to perform their proper duty. !1 VZ There is a slight diminution in the number of children maintained at the cost of the Government without being committed by Magistrates. Table T shows that 46 such children were admitted in the year, and 55 restored to their friends, or otherwise discharged, or sent to service. In this table no account is taken of children maintained by charities that only receive £1 for £1 out of the Charitable Aid vote.

TABLE T.—Children (not Committed) in Orphanages, etc., paid for by Government.

The ages of the children in all the institutions on the 31st December were as follows : Under one year, 7 ; between one and two, 6 ; between two and three, 9; between three and four, 33; between four and five, 33; between five and seven, 119 ; between seven and ten, 247 ; between ten and thirteen, 295 ; between thirteen and fifteen, 135; more than fifteen years old, 11: total, 895. It thus appears that nearly 10 per cent, were under five years of age, rather more than 40 per cent, between five and ten years, and not quite 50 per cent, above ten years old. Nearly 800 were receiving regular day-school instruction, the numbers being as follows : Auckland Industrial Home, 69 ; St. Mary's, Auckland, 30 ; St. Stephen's, Parnell, 16 ; Kohimarama, 53 ; Thames, 18 ; St. Joseph's, Wellington, 11 ; St. Mary's, Nelson, 50; Motueka, 21; Lyttelton, 77; Burnham, 215 ; Caversham, 217 : total, 783. Those at the Auckland Industrial Home and at the Thames are included in the returns of "public school" attendance; the rest (684) are children taught at the public expense in addition to the pupils of the public schools. Beside the actual inmates of industrial and training schools and orphanages, there were, at the end of the year, 314 young persons (210 boys and 104 girls) out in service or with their friends, but still subject to the authority of the institutions. The numbers in connection with the several institutions respectively were as follows : Auckland Industrial Home, 26 boys and 13 girls; Kohimarama, 25 boys; Thames, 2 boys; Motueka, 4 boys and 7 girls; Lyttelton, 17 and 3 ; Burnham, 20 and 15 ; Caversham, 116 and 66. Institutions for Superior Education. The report of the Senate and other documents relating to the New Zealand University are printed in another paper (E.-5). The Senate will be in a position to summon the first meeting of Convocation after the conferring of degrees obtained at the next annual examination, the number of graduates of the necessary standing being now only one less than the number required by law for the constitution of the inferior Court. The University has had conferred upon it by the Imperial

Institutions. Nun on 31st iber in S> Decembt :hool :r, 1880. Admitted during 1881. Total Placed Number out at all to in 1881. Service. Restored to Friends or Discharged, Dled on 31st iber in S< Decemb< :hool :r, 1881. Total Number at all in 1881. [ndusfcrial Home,.Auckland ... 3t. Mary's, Auckland 3t. Stephen's, Parnell Chames Orphanage... 3t. Joseph's, Wellington 3t. Mary's, Nelson ... tfotueka Orphanage Dyttelton Orphanage Boys. 9 G-irls. 2 2 8 Total. 11 2 17 9 21 33 28 98 16 j 1 ,51 ::: 21 43 32 S 116 10 265 17 Boys. 7 Girls. 4 3 S s 20 28 Total. 11 3 18 16 5 1 4 4 4 9 5 3 21 4 21 26 16 4S 3 2 13 5 10 7 12 53 10 4 18 I 9 6 6 8 52 20 34 21 13 21 43 32 116 '3 13 41 93 Totals 95 124 219 46 38 91 119 210 265