ALL GED GRAVE SCANDAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 257, 20 March 1913, Page 7

ALL GED GRAVE SCANDAL.

A CHILD. ~ f IIOSPiTAL BOAIID EX.ERCISED. " A RELIC OF THE DARK AGES." .Allegation:; of a grave condition of affairs m connection with the administration of the Infant Life Protection Act, which call for the fullest enquiry, were made at yesterday's meeting of the Taraiiaki Hospital and Charitable Aid Hoard. The "cause celebre" was a respectable and bright young girl under the care of the Board, who is in the fullest possession of her faculties, and whom, it is alleged, was literally hounded to earth by certain Government ollieials de:Sirous of committing her to a home for | mentally-defective girls. An officer of the Education Department contended that the girl wa* mentally unfit, and sought to remove her from' the control of the Hoard. The Board, being convinced of its own mind, and having expert assurance that the girl was quite rational and of unblemished character, fought the departmental ukase tooth ami nail, even going to the length of ignoring a warrant for the girl's arrest and hiding her from the police. The Board has several times refused to ruin, as was pointed out. the girl's life by handing her. over to the tender mercies of the authorities. In December the following communication was received from a district agent emploved by the Education Department:—-Upon m'v representation of the case of the girl, the Education Department have decided to take her under protection with a view to placing her in a school for mentally defective girls." The agent also requested the Board to answer a number of questions regarding the child's condition and character.

The Board did ii'ot reply to the communication, and a further'letter was received from the agent, soliciting an immediate answer. This the Board also ignored.

The next step was the receipt bv the Board of the following letter from the agent:—"The Secretary of Education directs me. to take steps to have the girl brought to Auckland. Please send her to Mrs. Kent, who has-,in order for her steamer fare, etc."

I _ What transpired is best summarised f in the following statement, which was made, jit yesterday's meeting of the 1 Board, by the secretary (Mr. C Leiiper;: | "On Sunday, February 2, Mrs. Eva, who | acts as matron for 'the Board's chihi- ! rem called at niv home and also at Mr. \ Bellringer's. We were at the Home and {Hospital. She left a letter from Miss I Jackson, manager under the Infant Life 1 Protection Act, asking Mrs. Kent, local ' manager, to send the girl to Auckland by the boat and sent her fare and 5s «for the stewardess. Mr. Bellringer instructed me to ask Mrs. Eva to send the child to the Old People's Home, where she conlil be under Dr. Hnnif's supervision, and if the child were mentally or morally defective the Board would deal with the case. Mrs. Eva promised to send her. which she did on February 0. I DODOIXC THE POLICE.

"On Febraurv 10. Constable Egan rang up the office and asked me where Mrs. •I. Eva lived. I gave him the information, and asked what he wanted to know for. He said 'that he had a warrant for the arrest of a child named .

j wlio was feeble-minded, and was to be t sent to Auckland to be placed in a borne for such "iris. T told him the child was not there and would not inform him of her whereabouts, as T did not consider her feeble-minded. T went and saw Sergeant Haddrell, tvlio showed me « copy of the warrant issued by the Hon. "Mr. Allen, Minister for Education, for her arrest. The Sergeant said that the Board would not have to pay for her maintenance if placed in the home. I rang up Mr. Quilliam (the Board's solicitor), who then raroe, to the police station. I asked him if the Board were liable, and bis reply was in the ajffirma-.' tive. T asked him to FKJHT'-THE DEPARTMENT, and rang up Dr: Home, who also came to the police-station. The doctor said, that from what he had seen of the' child he did not Consider her a child who should be sent to'a. Home for feeble-mind-ed girls, but he would examine her next day. On February 17, Mrs.:Uay]y, matron of the Old People's Home, and also a certificated nurse, informed me that she considered it ' A SCANDALOUS SHAME if the girl were to be sent to a home for feeble-minded children, as she considered her not a fit subject for such an institution. .Dr. Home rang me up and informed me that be bad examined the girl and found that she was not a feebleminded child, and advised not to allow her, if possible, to be sent to Auckland. On February IS, Mr. Quilliam wrote a letter to Sergeant Haddrell re the reason for not sending the girl to Auckland, and ou February "2o Sergeant Haddrell asked ine for Dr. Home's certificate re the girl, which 1 obtained and handed to him, such report being asked for by the Education Department. I have also on several occasions seen the child, and. from conversation- with her. consider it would be an injustice to have her committed to a home for feeble-minded girls, as, in my opinion, she is far from being a subject for such an institution." THE LAW DEFIED. Mr. Leppcr also submitted a copy of the letter he bad sent to the police, in which he pointed out that the girl was under the control of the Board and that everything possible was being done for her welfare. "In these circumstances." wrote Mr. Leppcr. "and as the Board is satisfied that the girl should be allowed to remain where she is, and not being aware of the power under which you propose to act. I regret that 1 must decline to give you the information you require. T may add. however, that it is distiiicily untrue to say (hat the girl is feeble-minded, or in any other respect a lit subject to be -''lit to such an in-ii-tuiion as you suggest. 1 have' umloii'ued medical testimony to this cli'ect." AX Ol'l'LAU DFMOXSTRATION*. Tu order that there should be no doubt as to tin. girl's rational condiiiou. i ; 'e seercury staled -ilia! (lie girl was i:i ":'!!i;i:;' lor ev ;>,;:\;1 ion bv members. The child, who Is I.", year- old. was accordingly conducted into the Hoard roo'.'.i. She appeared to he of a verv bright and happy disposition, and answered a few queries put to her by Hie chairman with entire satisfaction. ' In ell'ect. she staled 'hat she was perfccMv happy and contented with her present, state, and ~li" said this with very good grace. A very shod interview siiiliced to absolutely convince members as to her pciteclly .s-ane cr^piin'..,' The sectary also stated that she was of •;oo<f v r|lew;ieicr and a good worker, and hn.rwiil the following extract from the "loijitKlv renort of the matron of the Old I'e&pjje's Home: "The new inmale (the ,-H$ i.i.Mu'vslbnO is progressing very wi'jJLj ;S!ie is; blight and cheerful, very obefjienl.-and most willing to perform ep-Tv dill \- that is required of '""'■" d■' : .faIME STKATOHT TALK. Members were ur-Miimons itt -upiviriing the'srelioii-o'f the' chairman and the sccveianvnnd were ama/ed at what ihev referred',to as "Mio scandalous state or' aliairs' disclosed."

Tim chairman (Mr. F. C. J. Bellringer) was particularly emphatic. 11, wan, he saiil, an absolute outrage on tlio liberty of the subject, and it almost made one wonder whether we in New Zealand were not in the "dark ages." It was scandalous that the Hoard had been constrained .to go to the length of hiding the child from legal custody in order to prevent such a flagrant act of injustice being perpetrated. Had they not taken such a firm stand a perfectly respectable and mentally-efficient, but defenceless, young girl would have been ruined, for that was What it amounted to. Surely the Education Department must be very hard up to keep itself going, if it had to send its inspectors out hunting for bright and happy, children as the one in question. It was a scandalous thing that representation should have been made to a Minister of the Crown and that he should have, by signing the warrant for the child's arrest, made himself a party to 1 an act which was such a traversty of liberty and justice. I'.ut for the energy of Mr. Lejipcr and the Hoard's solicitor the child would have assuredly been committed to the home. "Members knew what that would have meant for an innocent irhi Things had surelv come to a pretty pass in Xcw Zealand when the laws of the country permitted a harmless and'unsullied child to be arrested and consigned to a home for defectives without even so much as a medical practitioner's certificate that =h<> was weak in intellect. The.Department had not even consulted the Board in the matter, but had contented itself with the representations of one of its officers, who had previously been at logger-head's with the Board. The Board's statement, 'backed by medical advice, that the child was perfectly right had been ignored. Tt was a nisi tier of serious and far-reachr irig importance, and concerned not only Taranaki. but th<> whole of New Zealand. In view of the circumstances, it was quite right to assume that this sort of thing was going on over the whole of New Zealand. Ho approved of the principle of the detention of mentally- > weak girls, but he did oppose any attempt to gftt hold of children who were perfectly sensible and who had a fair chance to get on in the world. Once thy i Department got an innocent girl inti the homes, it was v GOOD-BYE TO THEni CHANCE IN LIFE. s The matter called for the closest enquiry. Mr. E. Maxwell endorsed the chairman's remarks, but pointed out that the , Minister was not 'to blame, as he. had ] probably signed'it in- good faith, based > upon the representations of the heads of the Department. This did not get over | the fact, however, that it was a scandalous condition of affairs, which deli mandod the most searching investiga- ! tion, and the services of those responsible should be dispensed with. "To think," he remarked, ''that we are living iin the twentieth century and in a free country, and that an innocent child can lose her liberty and her character and her whole life be ruined. The thing is so gross that it is hardly conceivable that it could take place in the present day." He added that if the Hoard could not get the Government to move in the matter steps should be taken to approach Parliament with the object of holding a searching enquiry. The law was at fault when it permitted a child to be consigned to a home for defectives without the production of a medical certificate or obtaining the consent of lief guardians." STRONGLY-WORDED RESOLUTIONS. Other members also roundly condemned the Department's action, the opinion being expressed . that the whole of the law bearing on the subject required to foe drastically altered. ' As an upshot of the'discussion, the j following motion was unanimously carried, moved by Mr. Maxwell:—"That the Board requests that a searching enquiry J be held into the condition of affairs that I eprmits of the perpetration of such a gross injustice as is shown .to have, taken place in the case of the, girl , and. further, that the removal of the officers immediatelv responsible is demanded." Mr. A. IT, Halcombe then moved that the Minister .of Justice l>e .requested to stay the warrant for the arrest of the' child admitting her to a mental defective home, pending the enquiry asked for by the Board. ' This was seconded by ..Mr. --T.- Brown and was also- carried'unanimously. -, Mr'. J. T?rown suggested that a copy of the resolutions .be forwarded to Mr. H. Okey, M.P., requesting him to fake any action was also agreed to. !