TOLL OF EPIDEMIC

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 76, 24 December 1918, Page 6

TOLL OF EPIDEMIC

CARE OF WIDOWS AND ORPHANS

DEPUTATION TO MINISTERS

DUTY OF THE STATE A Labour deputation waited on the Minister'of Education, and tlie Minister of Public Health yesterday regarding the measures to he taken by the Government in dispensing relief to the sufferers by the epidemic. Mr. P. Eraser, M.P., introducing the deputation to the Minister of Education (the Hon. J. A. Hanan), said that the deputation had come as the result of a meeting held on Sunday morning to consider the position of people of the working class who had been left in a destitute condition as the outcome of the epidemic. Mr. M. J. Reardon, president of the Trades and Labour Council, said that it could safely be said that in the hour of this country's deepest trial the people of the community had risen to their most sublime height, and he thought that tho deputation would be voicing not only its own opinion, but the opinion of the whole community when it asked that the widows and children who had suffered by the epidemic should bo treated as well as the community could treat them. They wished the' widows to know that they were being given no charitable dole. They proposed to ask that children should not'be separated from their mothers if this could possibly be avoided. Mr. Hanan: You can have my assurance right off on that point. Mr. Eeardon: That removes one difficulty we understood was in our way. We also ask that if the mother is to be left in charge of her own children she shall have the allowance the State would have to pay for their maintenance in an institution. Mr. Hanan: She will get that. Mr. Reardon thanked, the Minister for this assurance also. He proceeded to ask for an allowance for the widow to obviate the necessity of her going out to work to the detriment of her children's upbringing, but the Minister said that this matter of the relief of adults was in the care of the Minister 6f Public Health (the Hon. G. "IV. Russell). Mr. Reardon asked the Minister to al-_ low children to lie boarded out rather than that they should be sent into an institution.

Mr. Hnnan: I am particularly in accord with you in that. That, is my policy, and I am trying to give effect to it. Mr. lieardon mado another suggestion— that there sho'ulil bo appointed an honorary visitor to children boarded out. He mentioned that his committee would be prepared to appoint a suitable woman for the work. His committee had a feeling that an official visitor had a tendency to become bound by routine and regulation, and that a voluntary .visitor would be more likely to do the work in a sympathetic fashion. Mr. Hanari said that he would bo pleased to accept the suggestion, but experience had shown (hat foster mothers of children had a great aversion to baying women coming prying round their homes. The scrutiny of the official visitors was mosl stringent. A voluntary visitor might he able to do good work, but much would depend on (ho character of the person appointed. He said I hat'he had a.'vote on the Estimates which was intended to provide for the appointment of a woman who would be specially qualified for the work of looking after the children boarded out by N the Department. 'Mr. Beck, the officer of the Fducahon Department who is in charge of children given into the care of the department; explained the policy of the Department in dealing with such children. He said that the policy of the Department was to encourage parents when they were in a position to do so to retain their own children. Failing this it had been the policy of the Department to find parents for them and to provide homes for thorn in which they could be reasonably well brought iii). ,In dealing with children who had been''orphaned by the epidemic, Hie poliev of the Department would be first of all t% make sure that there were no relatives of\the children who would be able, and willing to take care of them, and if there were no relatives to -find foster parents for them who would he enpab!" of bringing up the children properly. .- In replv (0 another question the sl>n■ister said that there would be. no objections raised to a wither having access to a child, even if the child were illegitimate, provided the mother was n person whose influence on the child would -not be bad. , ■ The deputation next interviewed the Hon. 0. W. Eussell regarding the allowances to be made to widows left with families of children. The request made bv the deputation was that the widow with' a family should be made, in addition to the allowance in respect of her children, a grant of sufficient for her own maintenance to obviate the necessity of her going out to work. The argument was that if a woman had to go out to work her children would suffer. Reference was made fo the' vote of .£IOO.OOO on the Estimates for th» epidemic, and it was the opinion of Mr. ftenrdnn that this money would be available for the rehef of distress. B»t Mr. 'Russell said that most, if not all. of this sum would lie required to mo*t the expensesof fig Mi"g the epidemic. The demand of the Auckland Hnsnital Board would not )>« less than ,C?o.(ino.. The Minister said t'-nt if money 1/ad not been spent in doling nromptlv with the disease we should not have frnt rid "f the epidemic in such a short time. Mr. Heardon asked that widow* who h-d lost tl>eir husbands vi th" epidemic should receive the same allowance—S!),s. a week— ,i« was given to t'>e wi*;w of a soldier who was killed in action at the f.-nnt. He mentioned also the case of the widower who had been' able to maintain his wife, but who would not be in a position to emnlny a housekeeper to look after his children. The Minister se'd th»t this was all provided for in the scheme which he had submitted to Cabinet. Tn the case of the widower provision was made to emble him to employ a housekeeper. With i'egav.d to the ouestion raised nhont the allowances to widows lie _ would not like to express an opinion without consideration.. Certainly the intention of the Government was that tb»s" women should not be restricted to the widows pension. There would bo n guarantee from the Government of 10s. Od. per week for every boy up to the age of 16 years, and for "very girl up to the age of 18 years. But the question of pensioninf widows on tlie srale of (he widows of soldiers wis a lui"" one. "It is one." said the Minister, "that I am not af".->id to face. We give pensions to the widows cc soldiers hnoniiw the nmo»*)( avowed is necessary for the honourable maintenance of those who receive it. _ We are bound lo r"C""nise that in this snee.ial nrovisinn for th« ornha"? of the epidemic we are ndvniHng n step in o"- social i«" : sIntio". T can't see any difference befwen tlm child Hiose fiith"r ov mnH"v d ; "d bv this nrii(i<"nie and 'he child who*" father djed through fallin" down the hatchway of a steamer, or through being run over by a motor-car." Mr. HusfU said that he would bring the question of the payment of the allowances on the basis of soldiers' widows' pensions before Cabi'">t at the first, meeting aftrnvrhe holidays'. He agreed generally with the proposition t)•■■>.< a women who bed to go out lo work for her livi'ig could not i>r""ei'lv care fir her family. There mi'/ht be some r'r>-sm-oo in the Imirmoit of wot»o]> of t ! ' : s class. Tt could hardly be said t'-<t tl,n need gf a woman wifh one "MM r«i eonmirnbl" "-iHi tl>»t of f'o mwin with sav four children. He nssuvd Hi" de:>t>-Mio-i \\vy tLn .-nnev -nnld '<" f'«»"d to piisiiv H'M fl'x wuWs •..>,! ofl.n(leiVuHtlls c f '-rnn.'wi-'""." <-'-«l> V th« (...i.'oini" "-n-il.l b- fni"il l. v l'.« <•■!«',■<"•«. nient. mid tbi 1 "."X 1 eoss'en I—' : -;l:i( : -" \vou''l b" brought down tn place "10 whole scheme on n sure footing. (.Applause.)