ation being made to
their own parents. If a child is boarded out in another district it may
be enrolled at a school without the principal being given such
information as might enable him to be of assistance in its reclamation.

The Committee feels that there should be some person or body apart from
the departmental officers to whom a child could turn for help if it is
unhappy in its new surroundings or feels that it is not being properly
treated.

=(5) Changes Proposed=

In the foregoing subsections it was sought to show how it came about
that the statute itself is not a completely satisfactory one. Some of
its provisions were adapted from earlier statutes which dealt with
"neglected" and "criminal" children, and "industrial schools".

In the course of the history of the legislation the age of a "child" has
been progressively raised from 14 to 15, to 16, to 17, and to 18 years.
Many of those dealt with would scorn to be regarded as "children" in the
outside world, but they are glad to have the advantages accruing from
being dealt with in a Children's Court.

It is pleasing to know that some officers of the Division are
concentrating upon preventive work, but just where, and how such work is
being done, and the effect of it cannot be measured.

The Committee makes the following recommendations for amendments to the
existing legislation:

_(a) The Creation of a New Offence_ under which children of either sex
who are guilty of indecent behaviour may be charged as "delinquents" in
lieu of the present procedure under which the boy must necessarily be
charged and gazetted as a criminal while the girl is not charged at all.

A suitable amending clause would be:

Every child shall be deemed to be a delinquent child within the
meaning of the Principal Act who--

(i) Being a male, carnally knows or attempts to carnally know
any female child under the age of sixteen years;

(ii) Being a female, incites or encourages a male to carnally
know her and permits or suffers him to do so;

(iii) Indecently assaults any other child.

It shall not be a defence to an information or complaint under
this section that any child consented to the act.

_(b) The Attendance of Parents at a Children's Court Should be Made
Compulsory:_ There is not at present any provision whereby the parents
of a child who commits an offence must attend Court. The provision in
section 13 (1) that the Justice may