5

E.—3

TABLE X.—Govebnment Expenditure on Pbivate Schools (R. 0.), 1900.

School. Parents. Kecoveries. I ** £ a. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. St. Mary's, Auckland.. .. .. .. 1,423 4 0 128 0 4 1,295 3 8 St. Joseph's, Wellington .. .. .. 311 11 0 24 0 4 287 10 8 St. Mary's, Nelson .. .. .. .. - 1,584 1H 10 217 911 1,367 811 St. Vincent de Paul's, Dunedin ■ .. .. 52 17 0 4 0 0 48 17 0 Totals .. .. .. .. 3,372 10 10 373 10 7 2,999 0 3

The Government or Charitable Aid Boards paid for the maintenance of the 29 children previously stated to be in corrective or other institutions or homes. The payments made by the Government were as follows : Levin Memorial Home, Wellington, £27 19s. Id.; private home (special treatment), ,£6 45.; St. Mary's, Eichmond, Christchurch, £84 Is. 6d.; Samaritan Home, Christchurch, £3 10s.; Mount Magdala, Christchurch, £214 7s. 9d. Six children belonging to the Wellington and Nelson private industrial schools were boarded at the Mission Home, Jerusalem, Wanganui (Mother Aubert's), the Government paying during the year £124 16s. for their maintenance.

No. 2. REPORT OP THE INSPECTOR-GENERAL OF SCHOOLS. Education Department, Wellington, 26th August, 1901. The Hon. the Minister op Education,— I have the honour to report as to the working of the Industrial Schools Acts during the past year. The changes that were initiated two years ago have made considerable progress during the year, the most important step being the establishment of the two reformatories quite distinct and apart from the industrial schools proper. Although the former, as well as the latter, are technically industrial schools under the Act, the Burnham Industrial School has been fully established as a reformatory for boys, and Te Oranga Home, Burwood, near Christchurch, as a reformatory for girls. Accordingly, all girls have been removed, not only* from residence at Burnham, but even from the books of that institution. Most of these girls have been transferred to the care of the Caversham Industrial School, or of the Christchurch Receiving-home. A few cases that need reformatory treatment have been sent to Te Oranga. In like manner the industrial-school boys, properly so called, at Burnham have been transferred either to the books of the Christchurch Receiving-home, or, if needing a measure of firmer control than can be secured in a foster-home, temporarily to the Caversham Industrial School. As the latter institution is, however, not capable of receiving all such boys, a few of the less tractable have been left at Burnham pending the completion of the new industrial school at Horowhenua, near Levin. They are kept apart, as far as possible, from the reformatory inmates at Burnham, being quartered in the buildings formerly assigned to girls in residence there. To the reformatories, therefore, are to be committed or transferred all those who have shown distinctly criminal or vicious tendencies, or are viciously uncontrollable. Generally speaking, children under twelve would not be sent there. As in many cases children convicted of crime are not criminal in mind or instincts, provision has been made for transferring at any time during the first six months a child from a reformatory to an industrial school; vice versa, an inmate may be transferred at any time from an industrial school to a reformatory. Under the Act of 1882 any boy or girl under fifteen might be sent by a Magistrate to an industrial school. By the Act of last session the age was raised to sixteen. Nearly all the additional committals—that is, of those between fifteen and sixteen—would be to reformatories. Again, under the Act of 1882, those of either sex under the age of eighteen who have been sentenced to imprisonment may be transferred by the Governor to an "industrial school " ; these would also be reformatory cases. There is no doubt that for these juvenile delinquents the reformatory and not the prison is the more suitable place, inasmuch as educative aims can in a reformatory be made predominant. But the task imposed upon the managers and officers of reformatories is by no means an easy one. The sense of responsibility entailed, the tact and patience required, are far greater than most people have any idea of; indeed, most of the casual, unthinking criticism that is from time to time aimed at the management of these institutions would fall to the ground if the nature of the work were clearly understood. The key-notes of the reformatory work are classification, education (especially physical, moral, and industrial education), and promotion for good conduct and diligence. As to classification, taking Burnham as an example, there will be three general divisions—the first, second, and third class, the worst offenders being in the third-class. These three classes will be kept quite distinct. The third class will be always under the immediate