WARNING TO "KIND PERSONS."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 274, 11 April 1913, Page 8

WARNING TO "KIND PERSONS."

DANGERS OF ADOPTION. By Telegraph—Press Association, Auckland, April 0, The risks »f adopting children in rough-and-ready fashion .without having a knowledge of the Infants' 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, o£ Ponsonbv. 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 parents, and in consideration of the payment of £3O. . *■

Chief Detective McMahon said that the accused, who admitted the offrncc, had replied to a newspaper advertisement which was intended to find some kind person willing to adopt an infant, haliv 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 nt the age of two months, from TVarkworth to its new home in Ponsonbv. Some few months later the habv fell oT 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 eood health to tend the child properly, he advised that it be sent lmck to its fiother. This course was adopted, and the matter became known to the police. None of the premium money had been returned.

The Magistrate remarked that tlm "'hole thin?, inclivd'nnr the acceptance of the nremium, involved n serious breach of the law. and he would have to take ''"if to consider wlint should be don». T Te tho'inM. fho f the accused wnnlil have to be fined the full amount of th» ro'nminm she received, but he would M the matter stand over till next morning.