The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-09-16 00:00:00

LONDON POLICE MAGISTRATES AND

THE SCHOOL BOARD.

'.• • ...out. In London, on g.ttunloy
1., I 12. till, gala he st.ol Ihlng at Ids
• • • • ••• vont-t, Wi•1••,:ote ttn et, 13sItope-
,. Thoinas nit),
•It , inittu,ut home, or :Laq Vaiilie
•

•
.I• •- • , I woo ei ifrieer of the In-
.: • . •, the :.'ieltool Itoar.l. It
his hie) tO i, hililren lie fie.ail wit!,
tiering, :nil no borne, nor any nuitms of snlisist-
mice, an. bring tin.. liefore 0 inn.gistrate, f .r,ler that
they might he cent to a selii,ol until they were 16 years
of ate. Ile Sow the prisine•r at the '...llimrgate street
Ihiilway station touching hi+ hit te till iiii,setwers
a+ they eatile out. IL- slieke to the lii•y, and, in
reply to the linustions he pet I. hini, ic ui that lie
toil neither father nor mother, leitiiveil with his mint.
wloi could not afford te keep hoe, anii therefor., lie I.oh
te go out lit. the street; to get his living. the hest way
he conl,l. (hi that statement lie gave hini 111t1 in-tidy
for bein4 wanilering without a home ur
means if i•ulishitenee,

Sir Thomas Gabriel sail he thought this was not a
case that collie within the meaning of the Act
molt. The boy was not destitute, nor without a home.
He Wad evidently well fel, and he had a lean, at lAA
aunt's. The Act of Parliament was never intklblol to
apply to such eawe P, that.
Mr. Wills said he wan acting under the dircction of
the School Board.
. . . .

Sir Thomas Habriel maul it appeared to him that we
were drifting into a course that was never contemplated
by Parliament. There was a boy who was seen to
touch his hat to soriieis MI, aol he iiiinualiately given
into custody and brought to this court. The sitting
magistrate was then asked to send him to solimpl for
four or five years at an expenge of is. or Ss. a week to
the ratepayers. He did not think that the boy was
destitute within the meaning of the Act Of Parliament,
and the fact if his saying that he was destitute and
was living with his aunt, who c, mid not sill-I.ft him,
was not sufficient to justify his being brought to that
C. urt. Ile could not think that that was a ease in
which he could commit the boy to a sclood for four or
five years, at an expense to the ratepayenf of So. per
week. If the parents or friends if the boy could con-
tribute to bis support that would be another matter,
but he did not think that under the circumstances he
should be justified in sending the boy to an industrial
school at the expense of the ratepayers.
Mr. Willis replied that if they were only to take the
boys that had no home at all the number they would
have under the Act would be very few. The bulk of
the boys that they hadbcen enabled to get hail been of
the, defendant's class..

Sir Thomas Gabriel said—Enabled to get? Why, if
you were only to advertise that you would take any
boys that parents wanted to get rid of, anti that you
would spend ffs. per week on them, you would have so
many ZUWWON that yrm would not want a staff of officers
to go about the streets to pick • them up. I shall not
Commit title boy.
Amos James, sail that the prisoner was always
about the railway station.
The buy said he was, and earned his living by carry-
ing paseels. Ile was obliged to earn his own living be-
cause his aunt could not keep him.
Sir Thomas Gabriel observed that that wan an
honest occultation.
The boy csmplained that there were :porters there
who told the people who employed him that he would
run away with their parcels.
Sir Thomas Gabriel asked him if he lied ever run
sway with a oreel.
The boy said he had not.
Sir T. I:ohriel Mid that be need not fear the istrters,
for lie could establish his own character in spite of
them. This, was not a case in which lie could commit
the boy at the expmme of the ratepayers, and he did
not think that any magistrate would lie justified iu
doing so. lie then formally discharged the boy.

At now street police-court, on the tame day Thos. Morton,
aged 12, Jas. Yank, 12, and Win. Sheddon, 13, three ragged
little boys were brought before the magistrate, charged with
being found wandming in the st rite without viilrli, 1111,1118
of subsistence. The prisonern had been arrested by one of
the School board °them, and remanded for the purpose of
finding a soloed for them. The boys had expressed a great
wish to go to aehool.

The father of Morton now stepped forward and said
that his son who was illegitimate, shmild not be tient to
school with his con.sent.

The M:tgistrat.e.

not?

ice Fatl.gr : liecanAe' i can do Iwtter with him at
home. I can teach him a trade, and am a good rather

TM Magistrate (to the twie,ner Morton): You see
your father would like you to go home again. Will
you go?
The Prisoner Morton NO, I won't.
The Magiitraz : Why not ?
Thu Prisoner : 'Cos be wieieks in 'irfiil.
The Father : I,h, Nvihtel: him. I am not going
to be woke up at twelve o'ehadc at night by a la of a
lihe that, when I've given him sttiet- order,' to be
home by ihsif kiust. eight.
The Magistrate(to th... prisoner) : Would you like to
home to your father once mow, old try to be a good
boy I
The prisoner NoI will never face him more.
14J: The *4;4 I i:rate : n that case I must send him to
school. _

--Th; Magistrate (to the prlsoub• P 44) : Would you
like to go borne?
The Prisoner Pank : No; I want to go to school,
t 0.,,
The Pith. 44.1 Am not mind his son going under
the circumstances. •
The mother f Sheddon raised no obsi.s4.i. her son
going, and 140 all three were sent to Feltham.
Tho.• Permit, aged 12, was nrougld up on remand also
on a similar 0114,5..

The School Board officer sajd that the prisoner (who
had 111/4 arm in a sling) had had a couple of his fingers
cut off by a chaff machine, NO that he was not eligible
for an industrial school, as be was unfitted for a trade.
The boy's father sahl that his tion's fingers were cut off
while he was at V.,,rk.
The Magistrate sahl that he did not believe there ex-
isted any such rule with regard to maimed lads of this
description. He looked upon them all Act.

The officer said he did not think the board would
have been so strict six months ago, but all the schools
were now getting full.
The Magistrate then ordered the prisoner to be given
up ti hi. father.