ADOPTION OF CHILDREN.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 212, 1 June 1908, Page 11

ADOPTION OF CHILDREN.

Vl' - - : -• , •: : ';V.-A VERT SERIOUS QUESTION."

•(BY- TELEGRAPH—I-KESS ASSOCIATION'.) '■ , Auckland, May 29. ■ An.; important ruling was-given by, Mr; C. ■0. ;'Ke ttfo, -i S .M. f? in tho >. Si SI. -Court to-day;' respectirig.lthe, adoption of. children;.,/. v., VA. giri-mother • wished tho : Court . to'' grant . - "aii; application that-lier-child!should ! l>e adoptcd by a woman who-had expressed willingly ness.*to. : foster it.'. Tho point it issue was the, Act says that the parents of a/, child, shall agree to any ; application, for ; adoption, .(the : held .'.'that.. the' 'word •' "parents"-iriclUded'.the parents of an illegitimate .child, and that in' all'cases it would be, necessary to show that the putative father . consented :to tho adoption, or that 'he. haddeserted the .child, whilst tho solicitor/ for the applicant contended that in tho case of illegitimate l children neither of the' objections raised bv/His Worship applied. : His/Worship, refused to grant the application -(uiitilVhe had been ' convinced 'that .tho, father ■ had to tho application or ' desertedyi.and thus shirked his responsibility. The Court, His AVorship said,, would do what it considered best for the child., ■ • ■The.point being pressed, His Worship said that lie would ask Mr; Justico Edwards to ■ give a'ruling. . '■ ' . v .' ; -',VIf, you : are-right,", replied the applicant's lawyor,. " all the other rulmsjs arc wrong, and > if'all those orders aro liad, • all those who aro supposed to be adopted aro '•not adopted." • ' : His .Worship agreed that it was a very serious question. ... . ,i,.