E.—3

2

during the year : a boy between 7 and 8 years old died at Nelson, of tubercular meningitis ; a boy of 5 years, boarded out from Burnham, died in hospital of tumour on the brain; and a boy nearly 15 years old, a half-caste Maori, an inmate of Burnham, who had absconded from his place of service, was accidentally shot on the Port Hills, near Christchurch. By warrant of His Excellency the Governor, 172 other inmates were discharged. The new inmates are distinguished, with respect to religious denomination, as follows: Church of England, 76; Koman Catholic, 54; Presbyterian, 26; Methodist, 18; Salvation Army, 1. There were 60 girls among the 175 new inmates: 36 destitute, 6 vagrant, 11 living in disreputable places, 6 guilty of punishable offences, and 1 admitted by arrangement. Of the boys, 50 were destitute, 8 vagrant, 7 living in disreputable places, 2 uncontrollable, 45 guilty of punishable offences, and 3 admitted by arrangement. So far as the information summarised in Table U can be relied on, it appears that in 35 cases father and mother alike were of unsatisfactory character, in 47 cases the father alone, in 29 cases the mother alone, in 54 cases neither ; and in the 10 cases remaining the data are wanting.

TABLE U. —Admissions, classified according to Parents' Circumstances and Character, 1895.

The cost of maintaining the industrial schools and the amount recovered (from Charitable Aid Boards, from parents, from sale of farm produce, &c.) are shown in Tables W and X. These do not differ from the similar tables for 1894 in any degree that seems to call for notice.

TABLE W. —Cost of Government Schools, 1895.

With respect to the Government schools, the average number boarded out was 399, and the cost per head (not reckoning the time spent by the managers and the Visiting Officer in attending to their cases) was (,£6,537 — 399) about £16 7s. Bd. The whole number maintained by the Government schools was on the average 634; and if these cases are charged with the whole expenditure, the cost is about £22 2s. 2d. per head. If, however, the whole number of cases under control (an average of 1,100) is taken into account the gross expenditure is about £12 15s. per head, and the net expenditure about £6 10s.

Mothers described as Children of Dead. Sick, Lunatic. Disabled, &c. Of Good Not known Character or not (or Poor). stated. Of Bad Character. I Deserters. Total. I Fathers described as— Dead Sick, lunatic, disabled, &c. Of good character (or poor) .. Not known or not stated Of bad character Deserters 3 1 9 2 19 1 1 2 1 2 4 15 1 23 1 3 2 10 1 10 9 2 7 7 24 4 1 2 1 2 5 29 i 44 10 58 24 61 5 53 Totals 85 10 01 11 175

School. Gross Cost of School. Cost of boarding out. (Included in preceding Column.) Recoveries. Net Cost. tuckland lurnham Javersham £ s. d. 1,282 1 7 0,002 5 6 6,359 14 8 £ s. d. 648 5 2 2,631 10 8 3,257 12 10 £ s. d. 337 13 9 2,282 8 2 4,228 14 1 £ s. d. 944 7 10 3,719 17 4 2,131 0 7 Totals 13,644 1 9 6,537 8 8 6,848 16 0 6,795 5 9 Salary and expenses of Visiting Office: 373 15 9 Tol ;al 7,169 1 6