"CHILDREN A CURSE"

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 26, 25 October 1918, Page 3

"CHILDREN A CURSE"

THE HOUSING PROBLEM

SEVERE STRICTURES BY MAGISTRATE

Severe strictures regarding the practice of ndopting children owinsr to the exigencies of the housing situation were passed by llr. P.. V. Frazer, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court yesterday, in a case presenting some extraordinary features. A man named Brie Hugh Temperton and a young married woman named Fanny Mary Allison M'Kenzie were charged with having retained in their care for a longer period than soven clays, for the consideration of a sum of ,£ls, a fourteen-months old infant, without being licensed under the Infants Act, 190S, as foster parents. The infant belonged to Herbert David Jamieson and Louise Jamiesou, and the case, was the sequel to the recent hearing in the Lower Court of a charge against the accused M'Kenzie of having abandoned tho child. To the latter charge the woman had pleaded not guilty, and she is at present awaiting trial at tho Supreme Court.

Chief Detective Boddam prosecuted, Mr. J. J. M'Gratli appeared for the defendant Temperton, and Mr. J. Scott represented the woman M'Kenzie. In tho present case tho female accused pleaded guilty, but Temperton entered a plea of not guilty. Herbert David Jnmieson, father of the child, said that in response to an advertisement, which he inserted in a local paper, the accused M'Kenzie and a man, representing themselves as nfan and wife, called on witness and agreed to adopt witness's child. The. woman called herself Dolly Marion Temperton, and she and the man whom she was with took the child, for a premium of £15. The woman said her husband was in receipt of a pousion of =£8 per month, and that he made £i 10s. weekly as a taxi-driver. She also stated that she had a lovejy home at Karori.

Crass-examined, the witness Jamieson stated that the reason he and his wife desired to have their child adopted was that they had had trouble in respect to it when looking for board and lodging. At one place some of the boarders' had left and complaints had been made at other places. "When the mother desired to do some washing for the child objection had been raised, and it was found impossible to give the infant proper attention. , , "It is a damnable .thing, really, that this sort of thing should go on and not bo stopped," remarked His Worship, in referring to the matter of people advertising for others to adopt their children when objection was raised to their presence at boardinghouses. "Children are apparently looked upon as cureee in this community, when the country needs every lito we have. It is a fearful etate of affairs. It has come to' a pretty pace when a parent finds that owing to the conditions that seem to be troubling him just now he is unable to keep his own child, even when he is in a position to earn sufficient money to keep it. His Worship added that he, supposed this sort of thing would go on until something was dane to stop people coming to Wellington, when it was not essential that they should live here. The Labour Department should keep some kind of a register, which should be divided into two. parts. One part should contain the names of people who must live in »ellington and the second part the names of those who merely desired to live in Wellington. Houses should only bo let to people who found it absolutely necessary to live here, and it should be made a punishable offence for houses to be let to people {unless their names were included in the list. . , , ... , Fanny Mary Allison M'Kenzie admitted the olfenco. In the witness box ehe said Mrs. Jainieson handed her the sum of .£ls. After receiving the monoy witness and Tempertoii left the house and went to 7 Orangi Kaupapa Road, where they stayed for a few days as man and wife. Afterwards she went to Nelson. Ine woman stated that she was ignorant ol the Infants Act. She did not know there was such a statute in existence. In reply to the Magistrate the woman stated that she could not nssign any reason for wanting to adopt the child. His Worship: There seems to be something behind this altogether. The woman stated that her husband was at the front at the present time. She had a child of her own. After ehe returned from Nelson, where her home was, Temperton paid visits to her, but did not live with her. His Worship: Why did you afterwards abandon the child? Accused: I do not know. M'Kenzie also stated that she had spont the best part of the .£ls in buying comforts and clothing for the child. Mr. M'Grath submitted that the information against Tumperton should be dismissed, as he had not been in possession of the child for a period of seven days. Counsel alsp remarked upon the apparent unwillingness of parents to bo troubled with childron these days. Toung couples were too fond of pleasure to be encumbered with children. The curse of enjoyment" was at the bottom ot tno whole trouble in a great many cases. _ His Worship said there was no evidence that such was" the state of ailairs in the present case, although such an element was present in other similar cases. The case under notice had arisen as a result of the peculiar social rondi--1 tions under which people were living at present in 'Wellington. Difficulties had been placed in the way of the Jamiesons, and that was why they wanted their child adopted. Nowadays people who were unfortunate enough not to liave homes of their own had to go round and apologise for the fact that, they had children, and humbly beg that that fact bo overlooked. If lie had his way he would sentence to six months' imprisonment anybody who advertised flats, rooms and so on for adults without children. Unless it was desired that children should be placed in a homo where they could- be properly looked after, he could not imagine any parents, who were nttnchod to their children, being desirous of getting rid of them. The moving party in tho present case seemed to be the woman M'Kenzio, although ho confessed ho did not know what her object was. She seemed to be a. peculiar sort of woman. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for her conduct. So far as Temperton was concerned, there was no case. He had simply stood by and allowed his [ name lo be used, and had allowed him- , self to be regarded as the woman's husband. He did not receive tho money, and apparently had had very little to do with the matter at all.

As ho had not kept the child for more than seven consecutive days, the information against Temperton vns dismissed The accused M'Kenzio was remanded for fiontenco until November 11, in order that the previous charge against her should be dealt with by the Supremo Court. •

His Worship then pointed out that all premiums for the adoption of children must Tμ approved by the Court. People triio accepted premiums must also !» Mcensed as foster 'Barents.