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Juvenile Probation System. Male Juvenile Probation Officers have now been appointed to jNapier, Palmerstou North, Greymouth, and Invercargill. The functions of Juvenile Probation Officer's are to assist the Courts in ascertaining the full facts regarding parents, conditions of homes and environment of all children brought under the notice of the police, to supervise and befriend any juveniles placed on probation by the various Magistrates, and to undertake, on the application of the parents, the supervision of any children who are inclined to become uncontrollable. In addition, all male inmates of industrial schools or training-farms placed in situations, or with relatives or friends, are supervised, by the Juvenile Probation Officers. There were 947 cases dealt with by the Courts in the principal centres of population throughout the year, and of these only 224 were actually admitted to receivinghomes or training institutions, 277 were placed on probation and supervised in their own. homes, and the remainder were dealt with generally in a summary manner not calling for supervision by Probation Officers. Infant-life Protection, and Adoption of Children. At the end of the year there were 797 children under the age of six years maintained in 621 foster-homes. Of these 498 homes each had one child, 85 had two children each, and 29 homes had three each. The payments for the maintenance of each child ranged from 7s. 6d. to £2 2s. a week, but the average rate of payment was approximately 14s. a week. Adoptions. During the year 417 children were adopted, and in 41 of these cases premiums were received by the Department's agents and paid out at the rate of 15s. a week for each child concerned. Of the total number of children adopted, 113 were under the age of six months, 43 under twelve months, and 180 under the age of six years. Care and Training of Afflicted Children. School for the Deaf, Sumner. The pupils under instruction during the year numbered 118, and of these 24 were day pupils and 94 boarders. Included in this number 10 were part-time pupils under tuition in the afternoons for various forms of speech disorders while continuing their general education at public schools in the mornings, and 9 were either full-time day pupils or boarders for the correction of speech defects. Thus there were 99 deaf pupils and 19 pupils being treated for defective speech. During the year special day classes for partially deaf children and for stammerers were established in Auckland, Wellington, and Dunedin with highly successful results, and provision has also been made in these centres for night classes for the instruction of the adult deaf. During the winter vacation lectures on the principles and teachings of speech were delivered by the Director of the school to teachers and students in several of the centres of population. Special Schools for the Feeble-minded. There are three such special schools—one at Richmond for girls, one at Stoke for boys under fifteen years of age, and one at Otekaieke, near Oamaru, for older lads. The number of girls in residence at Richmond during the year was 74, at Stoke 54 boys of school age, and at Otekaieke 70 youths over school age. Expenditure. The total net expenditure by the Department for the year 1920-21 on the above services was as follows :— £ School for the Deaf .. .. .. .. .. .. 6,050 Education of the blind .. .. .. .. .. .. Cr. 146 Schools for the feeble-minded .. .. .. .. .. 15,605 Industrial schools, receiving-homes, probation system, boarding-out system, &c. .. .. .. .. .. .. 107,753 Total .. .. .. .. .. .. £129,262