754 EEPOKT— 1886. 



the order of 1870 tliat of 1877 has considerable drawbacks, most notably the want 

 of help from certified voluntary committees, and consequently continued subjection 

 of the children to pauperising connections. There are (1886) 102 certified com- 

 mittees, under the order of 1870, ha\'ing charge of 1,022 children ; under the order 

 of 1877, 1,962 are boarded-out in 148 unions. 



The advantages claimed for boarding-out as against other systems are : — 



I. JEconomy of Cost. — The maximum cost of boarding-out is 13^., and the average 

 11/. per head per annum. Speaking generally the cost of a child educated in district 

 schools varies from 9s. to 16s. lOd. weekly ; in the workhouse from 4s. Sd. to 9s. 5d. 

 (all charges included) ; and boarded-out 4s. 3d. per week. 



II. No Freliminary Outlay required. — No enormous buildings, necessitating 

 raising of large loans, are required ; merely the utilisation of an already existing 

 simple village home. 



III. Entire Severance from Pauper Associations and the consequent Check given 

 to Hereditary Pauperism. — Placed in an ordinary village home the child forgets it 

 is a pauper, and eventually becomes absorbed into the general population. Sir J. 

 McNeil and the Scotch Inspectors unanimously testify that it is of the rarest 

 occurrence for a boarded-out child to return on the rates. 



IV. Restoration to Family Life. — Amidst the duties and responsibilities of family 

 life children acquire that spirit of self-dependence and energy which enables them 

 early to become self-supporting. They are moreover insured a home in after-life, 

 when otherwise their only available refuge would be the able-bodied ward of the 

 workhouse. 



V. Improvement in Hecdth. — ' Boarded-out children,' to quote Mr. Henley, 

 ' acquire a more robust constitution and greater mental activity than children 

 reared in a workhouse, and these two points strike at the very root of pauperism.' 



VI. Greater Success at School. — Set free from the sole companionship of the 

 pauper class, and subject to the healthy variety of influence in village life, pauper 

 children quickly lose their dalness and often attain even higher percentage of passes 

 than the ordinary scholar, owing to enforced regularity of attendance. 



VII. Deterrent to Desertion. — Deserting parents strongly object to the removal 

 of their children beyond their ken, and often return and claim them when likely to 

 be boarded-out. 



There are two absolutely indispensable conditions to the success of the system: — 

 (1) Efficient and systematic inspection and supervision ; (2) Well-chosen foster 

 homes , 



Boarding-out in Scotland has been for forty years the adopted method of 

 pauper education. During twenty years 14,000 children have been boarded-out ; and 

 out of 9,500 reported on, 2| per cent, only turned out doubtful or bad. The 

 Secretary of the Poor Law 13oard says, ' Its success has been growing and un- 

 interrupted.' 



In Ireland since 1862 boarding-out has been practised ; 2,549 out of 8,462 (of 

 aU classes) chargeable are now boarded-out at a cost of from 81. to 101. per annum. 



In South Austraha boarding-out was adopted in 1872, and has superseded 

 industrial schools ; 1,219 children are so placed (1885), at an average of 5s. per 

 week. The system has saved the colony 36,000/. since its introduction. 



In Victoria boarding-out was commenced in 1873, and has entu-ely superseded 

 industrial schools. In 1885 2,105 children were boarded-out, and 639 ' Ucensed to- 

 service ' = 2,744. They are protected by Government till the age of 18. 



In New South Wales the ' States Children Pielief Department ' commenced 

 boarding-out in 1881, and by 1885 1,175 children had been withdrawn from insti- 

 tutions and placed out at an average cost of 5s. per head. The average cost in 

 industrial schools was 24/. per annum, 7iot including rent ; that of boarding-out is 

 15/. 8s. 4d. (in 1885). The Chau-man of the Board considers that the system has 

 secured a saving of 25 per cent, to the country. 



In all three colonies the authorities consider that the assistance of ladies' com- 

 mittees and systematic supervision are indispensable to success ; with these they 

 are unanimous in their conviction of the immense superiority of boarding-out over 

 institutional training. 



