The advocate., 1895-12-11
CHILDREN OF THE STATE.
AustraIla's System is to Board Them Out in
Private Families.

Inc brlGlSn poor law 5ySJon OolnB uA7
known in Australia, where there are no
warehouses, it follows that there are no
poor rates, such not being needed, for
although it may happen that from time
to time the assistance Of the State is
claimed by, and granted to, able-bodied
men who are unable to find employment,
that assistance takes the form OF wages
paid for work specially provided by the
state to meet a condition Of the labor
market which is certainly abnormal.
The chief efforts Of the authorities, as
regard charity, are directed toward the
rescue of the young from criminal COM
panionship and temptation to crime, the
support of the aged and infrm, the care
of the imbecile or insane, and the subsi-
dizing of private charity for the cure of
the sick and injured, and the ameliora-
tion of want. Even where the govern.
ment grants aid for philanthropic
purposes, the management of the insti-
tutions supervising the expenditure is in
private hands; and, in addition to State
aided institutions, there are numerous
private charities, whose efforts for the
relief Of those whom penury, sickness or
misfortune has afflicted are beyond all
praise. The rescue Of the young from
crime is attempted in two ways-tirst, by
means Of orphanages, industrial schools
and reformatories, which take care of
children who have been abandoned by
their natural guardians, or who are
likely, from the poverty or incapacity OF
their parents, to be SO neglected as to
render them liable to lapse into crime;
and secondly, by sequestering children
who have already committed crime, or
whose parents or guardians find them
selves unable to control them. The
problem Of dealing with destitute chill
dren and those liable from their environ
ment to become criminal is naturally
surrounded with very great difficulty,
and in New South Wales it's solution was
attempted many years ago by the estab-
lishment Of the orphansges at PARA
malta, and the destitute children's
asylum at Randwick, as we'll as the Yer
non training ship for boys, and The Biloels
reformatory and industrial school for
girls.
The system Of crowding children in
large establishments was rightly consid-
cred as open to many grave objections,
and In 1880 scheme of separate treat
ment was inaugurated, an act being
passed by the New South Wales Legisla-
ture empowering the formation of State
children's relief board, to whose charge
the destitute or neglected children of the
colony were intrusted. The board was
empowered to take children from the va
rious institutions and deal with them in
certain specified ways. Starting with
the charge of SO children in 1881, the
number has annually increased until the
beginning Of the present year, when it
was 3,174, 1922 being boys and the re-
mainder girls. The greater portion of
the children are boarded out in private
families, few are adopted, and, where
they are Of infantile age or possess deli
cate constitutions, they are placed in
charge Of properly selected nurses. At
the commencement of 1895 there were
1899 homes with one boarded-out child
aanh 3Q8 honnea with tJro childran aoob