The Public Education Act 1899 (s.9) (63 Vict. No. 3) appointed officers to ‘accost in the streets or other public places’ children ‘of school age who are apparently not in attendance at school’. Those children accused of truancy and their parents could then be brought before the courts and children who were found to be ‘beyond the control’ of their parents could be sent to an industrial school until they were 14 years of age (s.13). This Act was repealed by the Education Act 1938 s. 2(1) (No. 33 of 1928) as at 28 Dec 1928.