E.—l

has been greater than in either of the two next preceding years, but below the average of the preceding five years, the numbers for six years (including the year 1889) being as follows : 10, 8, 9, 4, 4, 6 : total 41. These 41 cases are distributed among the schools as follows : Nelson, 17 ; Caversham, 12; Burnham, 6; Auckland, 3; Wellington, 2; Ponsonby, 1. The six cases of the year were as follows : At Nelson, two boys of twelve years died of meningitis ; a girl of ten died of haemateniesis, having been ill from the time of her admission; and an idiot boy of eight died of atrophy. At Christchurch Hospital, a girl of eleven, from Burnham, died of meningitis. At Caversham, a boy of fifteen died suddenly from heart disease. The numbers for 1888 and 1889 are compared and classified in Table T.

TABLE T.—Inmates, 1888 and 1881).

Of the 169 children admitted, 6 were received by arrangement with their parents, 67 were committed as "destitute," 11 as " vagrant," 31 as living in disreputable places, 7 as " uncontrollable," and 47 as guilty of punishable offences. According to the police reports there were among them 67 who were not attending school, many of them too young to attend; of the rest, 78 were attending public schools, 21 were attending Roman Catholic schools, 2 were attending high schools, and 1 a private school. Sixty-three are said to belong to the Church of England, 58 are described as Catholic, 39 Presbyterian, 3 " Protestant," 3 Methodist, 1 Baptist, 1 Congregationalist, and 1 as belonging to the Salvation Army. Of the 1,054 children living in the schools or boarded out, 617 are Protestant and 437 Catholic; and of the 471 inmates under control (at service, with friends, &c), 349 are Protestant and 122 Catholic. So far as the police reports afford means of estimating the character of the parents of the children committed during the year, it appears, as shown in Table U, that 52 were the children of parents who probably are not to blame for their condition, and that 31 others ought, perhaps, to be placed in the same category ; while 86 owe their position to the faults of one or both parents (the woman being in fault in 37 cases, the man in 22, while in 27 other cases both were to blame).

TABLE U. —Admissions classified according to Parents' Circumstances and Character, 1889.

The* Costley Institute, at Auckland, which during the year received by transfer, under the Governor's warrant, 17 children from the Auckland indus-

XIV

Boarded out. In Kesidence. At Ser\ I Dec, In- De- Dec, Dec, In- De- j Dec, Dec, In1888. crease, crease. 1889. 1888. crease, crease. 188!). 1888. crease. I fice, &c. Dec, In- De- Dec, Dec, In- De- ! Dec, Dec, In-1W(-1(J n-i-aa an rtY-na a a 1 QflQ I ttfitl r>vtm a a frr-aa Cii 1HWO 1 iiQU t*i<aa an De- Dec, crease. 1889. 1.888. crease, crease. 1889. 1888. crease, crease. 1880. 1888. crease. i-overnment Schools— Auckland, Kohimarama „ Parnell Burnham Caversham .. jocal School— Thames 'rivate Schools— St. Mary's, Ponsonby St. Joseph's, Wellington St. Mary's, Nelson Totals | i .. | Gl .. 13 48 52 1 ; .. 53 51 .. I 34 .. 14 ; 20 10 i .. 1 9 1 20 8 .. i 211 .. 9 202 104 I .. 8 90 166 : 20 194 !.. 11 ■ 183 '117 I 5 .. 122 ; 151 20 11 ' .. .. 11 10 .. .. .. 42 2 ! .. 44 ■ 7 I ..', 1 .. .. 1 24 ! .. .. 24 4 : .. I 245 ' .. 4 241 39 .. 501 .. 47 454 ! 005 8 | 13 000 448 48 14 i 37 28 .. j 186 .. ; 171 4 | 6 1 | 6 3 ! 1 3 ; 30 [ 25 | 471 I

r Mothers [escribed as Children of 'athers described as— Dead Sick, lunatic, disabled, &c. Of good character (or poor) Not known or not stated Of bad character Deserters Totals .. i Sick, r>fi«<l Lunatic, . ue!La- Disabled, &c. j 3 8 17 'i 1 ..2 3 2 24 13 Of Good Character (or Poor). Not known or not stated. I CWcter. Deserters. Total. 12 11 5 3 1 20 4 11 9 5 8 9 10 12 5 1 5 33 5 62 20 32 17 32 SO 68 11 1G9