INDIGENT CHILDREN

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2832, 25 July 1916, Page 6

INDIGENT CHILDREN

BOARDING-OUT SYSTEM CRITICISED INTERESTING •FIGURES "That the control and maintenance of all indigent children in tho Dominion should be-.undertaken by tho ! '.State." 'V The above was a remit that was to have Keen discussed by Bodies' Conference last week, in'connection with hospital and charitable aid levies, on tho motion of Mr. ff. Baldwin, Mayor of tho Lower Hutt, and' Chairman of tho Wellington Hospital and Charitablo Aid Board. The motion was ruled to have been, covered, when a previous remit approving of the nationalising of "Jill hospital and charitablo. aid work was carried, and, consequently, was not discussed. Mr. Baldwin dofes not bolieve that the present, system is either a creditable or profitable one to the child or the State; "I cannot help being impressed," said ITr. Baldwin, "with the good work that has been dono and is being done in'Dr.Barnardfl's Homes in England, in which .places boys said .girls are trained to be go«l citizens in those years in which our indigent children are being taught little. or nothing. In those homes' every lad 'and girl, is ;taught to be of some .real use in the world—is turned out an efficient tradesman.of ono kind or another, and the girls are taught sotno womanly • employment or trained In, domestic work. The number of Barnardo boys who have gone to the front is positively staggering. That shown that the, right precepts must have been tauglit tTiom when'they were in the homes—for, in iny opinion, environment, discipline, and training ate stronger factors than hereditary drawbacks. -,V

. "Would it not bo better,, lo assemble all our indigent-children in one-or--two .big homes, instead of planting them out promiscuously as at present?' I don't know that such homes would cost , the Community anymore (if as::iuucW as the State is paying at present; .whilst- tho cliild—a much more valuable factor today than ever before—would be given a much bettpr chancc to qualify forcitizenship under circurnst'ances a good .deal more favourable, to .success Jn.'life ;than : is at present the case. The spirit of the receiving home law was a good "one. It :was..thought that'.some people would not jnind taking in an orphan cliild and making' it'oue of the family, so to speak, in' , return J for-7s. 6d.. a*we'ek, but it is*,, very doubtful if that spirit;,is' presumed by thoso people ' who ' take> thein in. We brought one case uncler the notice of tho Department, where one wbmiin'had tafcen in ten qhildreu—had actuallyr mado a business of ]t! I don't think this .was ever intended-when, the Act-was framed.".

As an indication of the proportion of .those boarded out- to those accommodated in schools, the figures forl'JlS-16-for Wellington arc as good a criterion as any. .These 'are as follow• In St. Joseph's,-Hgrno ......... 40 St. Mary's Home • 4 "•Wcreroa Farm ...; 6 Cavershaii Home ' S Nelson Farm .V, 5 . Te Orangi Home';../.:..... 1-. Receiving homes 287,. : >. . ' sis -For 1 the purposes of comparison, .Mr. Baldwin inquired sva to tKg. position in tho other three 'centres. The following table shows the number of children dependent on State aid, the amount' paid for their support, and the amount received on behalf of children :so supported:— No. Cost. Received.

,£ J! v , Wellington 348 .. 514. r >, 828 - North' Canterbury ... 1.32 '' 2402 447 AucklaDd— 80 1494 121 Otago .'.... 26S 4728 762 Mr. Baldwin was asked how it was'that there were more indigent children being supported in the Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board's district than in 'any other,: but he coujd not accountfor it, unless it was that jjebplo made moro use of charity as a leaning-post here "-'tha.n'elsewhere.. He was also unablo. to say' why Auckland's bill. was so much " lower than Wellington's; other than suggesting that indigent folk might be' less numerous there than in Wellington. The ' outstanding was that Wellington is "paying'more~for;the up&ep of indigent, children-than Auckland and North Canterbury (which.includes Christchurcli), to-' ■ gether, which fact alone cries eut for inquiry.- 1