SECOND READING. (Hansard, 7 May 1869)

THE MARQUESS TOWNSHEND
, in moving that the Bill be now read the second time said, that the object was to amend the provisions of the Reformatory Schools Act, 1866, so far as to give; power to scud girls tinder the age of sixteen, belonging to the class of "unfortunates" to reformatory schools. The measure was the same as that which he had brought into the House last year, and which was opposed by the then Government. He felt now that he could not withdraw it unless strong reasons were shown for throwing it aside, for it was a measure of utility and common humanity, not to say of necessity. Institutions' already existed for the reformation of these wretched creatures, but if under a certain age they were refused admission. Now surely they ought to 352 be protected from persons who traded upon their wretchedness, and detained until they were of an age to know what was the character of the life they had been leading. Objection had been offered to the Bill on the ground that the inmates of the reformatories would be contaminated by the admission of these girls; but that could hardly be, because 80 per cent of these inmates themselves belonged to the same class, and no harm that he could see would arise from extending the benefit of these institutions. He understood the Government were opposed to the Bill—for what reasons he was at a loss to comprehend—but he hoped their Lordships would agree to the Motion for the second reading, and then, if necessary, it could be amended in Committee.

THE EARL OK MORLEY
said, that, while sympathizing with the noble Marquess's endeavours to protect the bodies and improve the minds of the poorer classes of the population by introducing Bills of this kind, he regretted that the Government could not support the measure. It appeared to him to be both useless and mischievous: useless, because, under existing circumstances, the managers of reformatory schools refused to admit persons of this class, and it was not probable that if the Bill passed they would depart from that resolution; mischievous, because those institutions were designed for young persons who had committed small crimes; and the introduction of this class of unfortunates among them would certainly not tend to their moral improvement. Moreover to make that proposed law effectual, it would be absolutely necessary to alter the clause in the Reformatory Act of 1866 as to the certification of those institutions, so as to enable the Government to certify separate establishments and penitentiaries or Magdalen asylums, which could only be done at an immense expense. At the present time the expense of those reformatories and industrial schools was very much increasing, the estimate this year being £163,000 as against £123,000 last year.

The MARQUESS TOWNSHEND
, after a few words of reply, said he would withdraw the Bill.