WARNING TO “KIND PERSONS.”

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 81, 12 April 1913, Page 3

WARNING TO “KIND PERSONS.”

DANGERS OF ADOPTION

[Pek Press Association.] Auckland, April S. The risk of adopting children in rough-and-ready fashion without having a knowledge of the Infante’ Life Protection Act were exemplified by a case which was brought in the Police Court this morning before Mr E. C. Cutten, S.M. Elsie Treacy, a married woman, of Pan son by, was charged that not being a licensed person, she retained an illegitimate child in her possession for more than seven days, for the purpose of maintaining it apart from its parent®, and in consideration of the payment of £3O.

Chief Detective McMahon said that the accused, who admitted the offence, had replied to a newspaper advertisement which was intended to find some kind person willing to adopt an infant baby girl. As a result, she met a married sister of the child’s mother, and arranged to adopt the child on payment of a premium of £3O. The premium was paid and the child was transferred at the age of two months, from Warkworth to its new home in Ponsonby. Some few months later the baby fell off a bed and broke a leg, with the result that it had to go to the hospital. There the circumstances became known to one of the doctors, and as he considered that Mrs Tracey was not in sufficiently good health to tend the child properly, he advised that it be sent back to ite mother. This course was adopted and the matter became known to the police. None of the premium money had been returned. The Magistrate remarked that the whole thing, including the acceptance of the premium, involved a serious breach of the law, and he would have to take time to consider what should be done. He thought that the accused would have to be fined the, full amount of the premium she had received, but he would let the matter stand over till next morning.