ildren committed to the care
of the State for causes varying from destitution to delinquency. The
procedure is for the police to charge the children and for the
Magistrate to commit them to the nearest receiving home, where they are
kept under observation, trained in proper habits, and so forth, and as
soon as possible, if they exhibit no anti-social traits, placed out in
selected foster-homes. The Department holds the view, shared by leading
authorities, that home life, however humble, provided the foster-parents
are suitable people, is better than institution life for the majority of
the children who are cast on the State for sustenance and protection.
The supervision of these cases, and the selection of employment for them
when they become old enough, are carried out by the nurses, Managers of
receiving homes, and Juvenile Probation Officers of the Education
Department. Several of these officers gave valuable evidence in the
course of this inquiry. These officials not only look after the welfare
of the children brought under State control, but also carry out a great
deal of preventive work in the way of advising parents and supervising
children, who by their timely and kindly intervention are saved from
coming within the scope of the law.

SECTION 8.--CHILDREN'S COURTS.

Several witnesses before the Committee pointed out the need for the
establishment of special Courts for children and juveniles.

The Committee recommend that such provision be made, and also that
clinics be established providing for the physical and psychological
examination of all children coming under the jurisdiction of these
Courts. The fuller knowledge thus acquired would be extremely valuable
to the authorities dealing with the children.

Many countries have recognized this need and have established properly
constituted Courts for dealing with children and juveniles as apart and
distinct from Police Courts.

In this connection it is surprising to find that New Zealand is lagging
behind in that in the laws relating to the punishment of crime hardly
any distinction in procedure is made between the child and the adult. It
is true, of course, that a practice has grown up whereby children are
dealt with in the Police Courts at a time apart from the hearing of
adult cases, but the procedure of the Criminal Court has been
retained--_i.e._, the young delinquent is charged with an offence, is
required to plead, and if found guilty is liable to co