AN UNFORTUNATE FAMILY.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 September 1920, Page 6

AN UNFORTUNATE FAMILY.

FATHER HANGED FOR MURDER. SIX CHILDREN LEFT DESTITUTE. (From Our Own Correspondent.) Stratford, Last Night. The case of the Bennier family, which was recently mentioned in Parliament by Mr. R. Masters, M.P., was again discussed at to-day's meeting of the Stratford Hospital Board, when a letter was received from Mr. Masters asking if the Board would instruct its solicitor to draft an amendment to apply to such cases to the Hospital and Charitable Aid Bill so that he could move the amendment when the Bill came before the House in committee. The chairman said it was the duty of the Board to see that the disability imposed upon it in such case 9 should be taken off its shoulders and borne by the Government. In the case of the Bennier family the State had taken the breadwinner and left it to the Board to provide for the family. Mr. E. How far would you I propose to go? The chairman: I don't think it would be necessary to make very wide provision. But when the State removes the breadwinner, as in this case, the | State should bear the burden of looking after the family. i Mr. Walter: How about a man who is imprisoned. Should the State look after his family. The chairman: I'm not sure whether the provision should be as wide as that, but in exceptional cases the Board should be relieved of its present liability in that respect. It was decided to authorise the chairman and secretary to interview the Board's solicitor, and to draft an amendment likely to secure the desired effect. The Bennier family consist* of six children all under the age of 16 years, the father of whom was hanged for murdering his wife several years ago. As the family resided in Stratford at the. time of the murder, the Board has had to bear the cost of maintaining them in a public institution until the children reach the age of lß.year3, and it is this liability of which the Board now desired to be relieved.