TALE OF POVERTY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4590, 20 August 1923, Page 2

TALE OF POVERTY.

A FAMILY HALF STABVED. PITIFUL MELBOURNE CASE. On visiting a house in Napier Street,, Fitzroy, on July 29, Policewoman Connor and Plain-clothes Constable Davern saw a man, who was out of work, his wife,, and their family of six children having a meal on two meatless bones, a tin of dripping, a dry crust, and an ounce of butter. , It was ascertained (says the Melbourne Age) that the husband was out of employment,; and that the son, 19 years, and 17-year-old daughter were also out of work. The other members of the family were an invalid gir] of 15 years, two younger children, and a six-yeah-old boy, who was mentally deranged. The children, who bore signs of insufficient nourishment, were actually starving, and ,tlie mother —herself i n a half-stai’ved condition—had been doing a little cleaning work in ordei - to obtain money to buy the family’s dinner. The 10-year-old daughter had been attending school without boots, and no food had passed her lip,s since the previous day. The father had worked for some time on the wharves, but he had latterly experienced difficulty in obtaining employment. In consequence the family had been evicted from the tumble-down house which they had rented in Gipps Street,, Collingwood. After hearing this pitiful story Policewoman Connor made an examination of the house and could not find a single article of bed clothing. The children, who were clad in tattered rags, huddled against each other at night in a corner of the room to gain warmth. The invalid girl is to be admitted to St. Vincent’s Hospital, and the two younger children will be removed to a home. The grown-up boy and girl have been told to find work.