274 



ordinary labourers, accommodaiton is required for them. It seems to 

 me to be the cruelest plan to place a child in such an Institution 

 where necessarily they are well looked after and then turn them adrift 

 just at an age when they are most susceptible to temptation. 



The apprenticeship system is, from all I can hear, a failure, chiefly 

 because the master-tradesman loses time and has to undergo much 

 trouble if he finds it necessary to punish his apprentice. The boy knows 

 that he may be idle and may do careless work with impunity for he 

 eannot easily either be discharged or punished. 



Applications have been made from time to time for the services as 

 " trained gardners for short terms" of these boys either while still at 

 school, or while employed afterwards in the Gardens. I have fre- 

 quently stated in my Annual Eeports and on other occasions that we 

 cannot with the present system undertake to turn out trained gardeners, 

 all we can do is to teach boys the elementary principles and practice 

 of agriculture so far as they can be learnt in the Gardens. I object 

 very strongly to any interruption of a boy's work and any relaxation of 

 the discipline, that would necessarily happen in hiring a boy out to 

 private individuals. 



Mr. Reed, Inspector of Schools, states in his Report : — 

 " I had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Cradwick question the boys on 

 many points of vine culture, on the pruning of chocolate and those 

 properties of shape, symmetry, etc., upon which much of the value of 

 the tree depends, on watering and on budding, The boys are 

 thoroughly interested and their thoughtful answers spoke volumes for 

 the genuine training the}^ have received. The questioning took place 

 in the Gardens and the boys watched critically the practical work that 

 some of their number were required to do. If the questioning under 

 the Code heading of Elementary Science might have stopped in the 

 Gardens I should not have hesitated to give the full 6 marks, but when 

 other subjects were taken in the Schoolroom I was obliged to reduce it 

 to some extent ; the other answers were almost valueless." 



The following is the Report furnished by the Master-in-Charge : — 



Hope Industrial School, 7th May, 1896. 



Sir, 



I have the honour to submit the following Report of the Hope Indus" 

 trial School for the year ended 31st March, 1896. 



(2.) Towards the end of the year, the Night Officer was placed on the 

 staff, which now consists of the Master-in-Charge and two Warders. 

 The Resident Superintendent of the Hope Gardens exercised as usual 

 a general supervision over the school. 



(3.) On the 1st April, 1895, there were 27 boys in the Institution. 

 During the year 6 boys were admitted, 3 were discharged, 2 were trans- 

 ferred to Stony Hill for gross misconduct, and one was removed to the 

 Public Hospital, Kingston. The number of boys at the end of the year 

 was still 27. Of those discharged, one is now working under the Sup- 

 erintendent of the Hope Gardens. 



(4.) The daily routine has been kept up. The method being followed 

 at present in the school has been fully stated in the latest Annual Report 

 of the Director of Public Gardens and Plantations ; and in the same 

 publication, the Superintendent of Hope Gardens has given a detailed 



