s philanthropic societies, whose members make it
their business to discover the ill-treated and neglected children of all
classes in society, and particularly by the Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Children, which is incorporated under royal charter of the
28th of May 1895, for the purposes _inter alia_ of preventing the public
and private wrongs of children, and the corruption of their morals and
of taking action to enforce the laws for their protection.

The act of 1908 enacted more stringent provisions against baby-farming
(q.v.). The Infant Life Protection Act of 1897 did not apply where only
one child was taken, but now by the act of 1908, where a person
undertakes for reward the nursing and maintenance of one or more infants
under the age of _seven_ years apart from their parents or having no
parents, he must give notice in writing to the local authority within
forty-eight hours from the reception of the child. If an infant is
already in the care of a person without reward and he undertakes to
continue the nursing for reward, such undertaking is a reception of the
child. The notice to the local authority must state the name, sex, date
and place of birth of the infant, the name and address of the person
receiving the infant and of the person from whom the infant was
received. Notice must also be given of any change of address of the
person having the care of the infant, or of the death of the infant, or
of its removal to the care of some other person, whose name and address
must also be given. It is the duty of local authorities to provide for
the carrying-out in their districts of that portion of the act which
refers to nursing and maintenance of infants, to appoint infants'
protection visitors, to fix the number of infants which any person may
retain for nursing, to remove infants improperly kept, &c. Relatives or
legal guardians of an infant who undertake its nursing and maintenance,
hospitals, convalescent homes, or institutions, established for the
protection and care of infants, and conducted in good faith for
religious and charitable purposes, as well as boarding schools at which
efficient elementary education is given, are exempt from the provisions
of the act.

The acts of 1904 and 1908 deal with many other offences in relation to
children and young persons. The act of 1904 introduced restrictions on
the employment of children which lie on the border land between cruelty
and the regulation of chi