PATHETIC EVENT! ON THE S.S. MARAROA.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 401, 9 January 1909, Page 11

PATHETIC EVENT! ON THE S.S. MARAROA.

. •. "T — ■ , "SEEMS TO CALL FOR INQUIRY." IDS IEUEUUAi'n—NIBSS ASSOCIATION.! Christohurch, January 8. A baby was born"on the steamer Mararoa yesterday morning _ \vhilo- tho • vessel 'was travelling from AVellingtori to Lyttelton, the circumstances being such as seem to call for inquiry. The mother is a' young married woman who was desorted by'','her' husband m Nelson some months ago.- She was in receipt of charitable aid in JN'elscn, it-is stated,' but under tho' system that has previously produced recriminations amongst charitable aid boards, she' was sent to Wellington. The birth of tho child was imminent; but relief was; not forthcoming in 'Wellington':' After" some , delay somebody paid the - woman's steamer fare to Lyttelton, and- she-' left on Wednesday night apparently without any definite, arrangements made for her' reception anywhere. ; The - baby- was born during the night,- and the . police were informed of the birth on the arrival of the steamer'at'Lyttelton. on the following-morning. The woman seems :to have been, told' that she could go to the ; Samaritan. Home, and the authorities of that institution ■ were communicated with by..telephone. ' They replied that they'could not take .the woman and child, the home bemg intended, for; persons of quite another class, and not for . those who -were -. merely destitute. . .. The secretary of .the Charitable .Aid Board .was also- communicated with, but ; meanwhile the.. Salvation . Army-.-stepped'-in, and the mother and child were provided with a_ temporary abiding place by tuat organisation in its. maternity home. ; In answer: to .questions• put by,a. reporter,Mr. T. C. Norris, secretary of .the North Canterbury Charitable Aid Board, said. that; .he had .no definite . knowledge of -the facts surrounding,the:, case. . The: police - had • in-, formed him. over, the telephone that the. woman had .gone, from -Nelson to Wellington,and had jbeen..sent: on,to Christchurchj and that they wanted to send her to the Samari--.tan Home. : That Home, however, ivas ho place for such a;'case,.i and ihe did-not know what could have.induced the «Wellington or Nelson authorities to think-that it- was., Later ,oii ho had been informed that-tho Salvation .Army.; had ; taken the • woman-in;.-.. It .was true that somo . Charitable : ; Aid -. Boards.- occasionally .tried-, to shirk their responsibilities by ,sending ion cases, to,.other districts, jand even paying steamer'fares, but he could, not. , say , v whether. .this course' had-. beon : ;- taken in the .-case/under notice;, "In ordinary cases,'.' ,he added, '.'we would, resent, that by- sending /the. case '.back pr...giving the ■■person-, the.,,opf' .portunity,^:;^ -inc-thißfjcase;this: ,'would,bs. iffipqssib)e;"f;i-;. . ;s Hora : ,M i . Tli© ' jmatron.',j)£' • -Salvation! -Armyi Ma-; ternity Honieosaid 'that sha-.-knew-'^nothing l .:of;.'.the;-.circumstances under -.which young, .woman , was shipped from Nelson to Welling-ton,,.and,from-Wellington to this. city. The'i Army's. Home. was .not - intended:. for; theire-' ioflptibiiifpf-.married but.the,-urgency I of this ; case.-was such that. the.-rule was set aside. ...The.young woman.woulcl.be kept j,.in .the "Homo,: until, she .was .ablo, to": shift : fbr,„herself. • She understood that, the young,.woman;, had communicated, with :the Samaritan Homo here .before leaving Wellington. ■Mr.;, C.-vHastings-Bridge, chairman of;the Samaritan'.Home; Committee,..said; that lie had no personal knowledge- of the case. 1 He ;had- : ; asked«. the,matron. to report, to him on,.tho: matter.;.in .writing, - and, ;until :, he received- that report he would not , be able to, give any information. ,•