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As this will be my last annual report, I particularly desire to express my personal appreciation to the Salvation Army and to the Women's Borstal Association, which, for over twenty years, has rendered magnificent service in assisting in the reclamation and the rehabilitation of Borstal girls. I also desire to take this opportunity of expressing my personal thanks to the Probation Officers, including the police who deal with probation work in the smaller towns, and to the Head Office staff engaged on probation work, for their loyal and friendly co-operation in this work. B. L. Dallard, Chief Probation Officer. •

REPORTS OF DISTRICT PROBATION OFFICERS Mr. H. Warner, Probation Officer, Auckland On the 31st December, 1948, Mr. C. E. Maxted, who was Probation Officer at Auckland since the 15th February, 1944, and prior to that Assistant Probation Officer, went off on leave precedent to resigning to take up private employment. Most of the work for the year thus came ■ within his purview. Mr. Maxted enjoyed the confidence of the Court, and had a friendly attitude in dealing with probationers. Probationers Released Under the Offenders. Probation Act, 1920.—At the commencement of the year there were 244 probationers on the register. During the year 268 were released upon probation by the Courts and 116 were transferred from other districts, making a total of 628 dealt with. Of these, 121 were discharged after completion of their term, 155 were transferred to other districts, 29 left the Dominion, 3 absconded, 3 were committed to the mental hospital, 4 died, 30 were before the Courts and did not revert to probation, and 283 remained on the register at the close of the year. For the period Ist April, 1948, to 31st March, 1949, the sum of £2,137 17s. sd. was collected for restitution and £2OB 18s. lid. on account of costs of prosecution, making a total of £2,346 16s'. 4d. This amount is an increase of £719 19s. Bd. on the amount collected for the previous year. In a large measure this increase may be due to high wages, but also there is an increasing recognition of the responsibility to make restitution. Probationers Released from Prisons and Borstal.—Under this heading 111 were reporting at the beginning of the year, 177 were received direct from institutions, and 46 were received on transfer from other districts, which made a total of 334. Of these, 103 completed their terms on licence, 76 were transferred to other districts, 3 left the Dominion, and 40 were re-committed to prison, leaving 112 reporting at the end of the year. General. —During the year there has been plenty of employment and wages have been high. The benefit of this condition is detracted from by the difficulty occasioned in obtaining reasonably priced board and lodgings. This affects those of both groups who have no permanent homes.

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