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gestion was acted on, and the Rev. Mr. Rule, being appointed the agent for the association, was specially detailed for the work. His services have been invaluable. He is notified of full details as soon as a case is reported. He forthwith gets into touch with the home, ascertains all particulars, and reports fully to me, giving me the results of his inquiries, &c, and his estimate of the true position, and then he attends the Court and assists me in every direction in which I mayneed, and ask for assistance. He is an enthusiast in his work, and has special qualification's for it. He is now visiting Australia, carrying letters of introduction from, me to a number of Magistrates with a view to seeing the working of any Courts over there that may bear some relation to ours. Mr. Smail, an old and valued social worker, attends all my Courts and assists me greatly. His duties as lay evangelist are so numerous and exacting that he has not the time to give to these 'Courts that he would like, and to the work so efficiently done by Mr. Rule. I beg to forward to you herewith, as asked for, a return showing the number of cases brought before the Court, the actual number of children brought up, the nature of the offences, and the manner in which the charges were disposed of. This return is noticeable in this respect : that 88 boys were before the Court and 22 girls. -Of the 88 boys, 13 were up before me for no fault of their own, but merely for the purpose of '■committal under section 17 of the Industrial Schools Act, 1908. Of the 22 girls, no less than 17 were also brought up under the same section, and the remaining 5 as uncontrollable under section 18 of the same Act. It will therefore be seen that no girls at all were brought before the Court for ordinary offences. I have, &c, H. W. Bishop, Stipendiary Magistrate. The Under-Secretary, Department of Justice, Wellington.

Dunedin. Sir,— Magistrate's Court Office, Dunedin, 24th March, 1910. In accordance with the request conveyed in your memorandum of the number and date •quoted in the margin (No. 596, 25/2/10), I have the honour to report on the work of the Juvenile -Court at Dunedin during the year 1909 as follows :— 'There were 73 informations and complaints laid with respect to juvenile offenders in this Court during the year. These represent 91 charges against 77 boys and 4 charges against 4 girls, ■and 29 indigent children's cases (21 boys and 8 girls) under section 17 subsection 1 (a) of the Industrial Schools Act, 1908, making in all 112 cases against 98 boys and 12 cases against 12 girls. Of these, 2 cases, against 2 children, were heard by Mr. Young, S.M. ; 2 cases, against 2 children, were heard by Mr. Kenrick; 19 cases, against 19 children, were heard by Mr. Cutten, :S.M. ; 27 cases, against 17 children, were heard by Mr. Bartholomew, S.M. : 74 eases, against 70 children, were heard by Mr. Widdowson, S.M. Particulars as to nature of offences and the manner in which the charges were disposed of are given in summary attached. The practice followed by the Court in these cases is as follows : When a juvenile is to be brought before the Court a special report of the case is made by the police to the Magistrate, and the police also communicate at once with the Rev. E. A. Axelsen, Superintendent of the Presbyterian Social Service Association. I requested the police to notify Mr. Axelsen at once in each •case, so that he could have as much time as possible to make inquiries. Mr. Axelsen then makes

I Sumi Offenee, &c. or a hen I M. Assault (indecent) ... 3 Boy selling newspapers .. 3 Boy under sixteen driving \ 1 grocer's cart Behaviour provoking breach 4 of peace Breaking and entering . . : 2 Breaking windows .. 2 Breach of by-laws .. 4 ■Cycling at night without light i 1 Disorderly conduct in park i 1 Dwelling with drunkard . . ; 1 ,, prostitutes .. 4 Frequenting streets .. j 2 Having no means of subsist- ; 1 moned ipprelded. 1 Adtno- Conv nished and ai discharged, dischs M. F. M. 3 .. .. 1 ! i .. .. F. ' M. j F. -icted j id Fined. irged.l M. I F. I M. S01 Whipping. Indi Scl it to istrial Dismissed. With. 100I. I I I j F. I M. I F. : M. :: j "2 :: :: 6 .. ..!.. 1 .. .. j .. Irawn On ler. F. F. V. M. .. ! 2 .. 2 .. j .. .. .. 2 • 3 :: ! :: 1 1 .. .. .. ; 1 .. \'i •■!••:••! .. .. .. .. .. 1 ... .. 4 .. .. 2 .. '.. i 1 . . I . ! ence ,, no place of abode., .. ,, possession of firearms 1 Indigent parents, &c. . . 8 Mischief .. .. 18 Obscene language and writing 2 Smoking .. ., i 1 Theft .. .. . . j 22 Throwing stones . . .. 3 Uncontrollable children .. j 3 Using catapult in public place { 1 Totals .. . . : 88 2 8 14 :; 1 ;; 1... .. .. i .. .. 3 j .. 17 , 8 ::):: •• I •• I •• I j 30 I .. I 19 I ..' 3 '■'.'. 1 - .. .. 8 .. .. i .. " ; 2 .. ..[.. .. .. ! 3 •• ■■ I ■■ i 2 . . j 22 I 1 1 I 12 1 .. .. 8 4 .. .. :: '2 :: :: '5 :: :: j :: .. [ 1 .. 1 .. 22 1 14 . . ! .. 1 12 "l I . . I • • 5 1 ; ' ' I-.. 1-6 ] .7"! 22 I 19 i . . ! !