DROWNING OF MAORI CHILD

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 16 June 1933, Page 8

DROWNING OF MAORI CHILD

EVIDENCE AT INQUEST.

VERDICT OF ACCIDENTAL DEATH

The circumstances .surrounding tlio death by drowning of a Maori child, Torekenga Balia, at Okaiawa on Tuesday were the subject of inquiry at an inquest held by the coroner (Mr R-. S. Sage) at Hawera yesterday afternoon. His verdict was that the death was due to accident. Sergeant Henry, who appeared for the police, briefly stated the facts concerning the child being missed and subsequently being found drowned. Maori measures for resuscitation were taken, but without avail and medical aid was summoned. Dr. H. D. Cameron deposed to his being called to Okaiawa to attend the child on the date in question. He found that life was extinct. He said the body was that of a male child, probably under two years old. The body was still warm when lie made his examination, though the lips were livid. The child was not in too healthy a condition. He found a wound in the roof of the mouth and, on pressing the abdomen water welled up into the mouth. In reply to the police, witness said the wound, in his opinion could be caused by a finger being put into the mouth to free it from food, during attempts to resuscitate the child after the Maori fashion. In his opinion death was definitely due to drowning, which he considered had , occuned about two hours previously. Jack Italia, father of the child, .said it had been adopted, according to Maori fashion, by his mother. On the day in question he was at Oliawc and heard of the death of the child. Mairi Balia, sister of the previous witness, said she was bathing the little children outside the house In the sun. -She missed the little boy. _ 'She -called for help and Rachel Rangi, and later Awahiou and Rangi Phillips, came. The first mentioned pulled the child out of the -stream and gave it to her. Shortly afterwards her mother -came and they tried to revive the child with hot water and by other means. The child was missed only a short time. It was quite active and used to playing about outside the house.

Rachel Rangi, who was present at the home with the previous witness, corroborated her evidence, adding that the child was lying face down in the water. There was a sloping bank, at the edge of the river about two feet high and she went into the water, ■about a foot deep to get the baby, which she thought w T as alive at the time. They tried by means of the smoke of a fire to make the child breathe. John Awahou, of Okaiawa, said he knew the child well. He told of the efforts made to resuscitate him by a custom known to, and practised by, the Maoris. Ho said, however, that he considered the child was dead when ho saw it and that it was an accident and no one was to blame. Constable E. Pidgeon, of Normanby, -deposed to his being called to a drowning accident at -Okaiawa. lie went out and met Dr. Cameron there. The stream -would be about a chain from where the girls Avere bathing the children' and had a sloping -bank into water a little over a foot deep. If a child fell in the current would carry it down on to a stony beach. He considered the drowning was accidental and no blame was attachable to the girls. The coroner said his finding as the result of the CA T idence w r as that the drowning was pure accident and that no blame attached to the girls.