THIRD DAY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIV, Issue 3, 18 January 1906, Page 5

THIRD DAY.

On the enquiry being resumed on Friday morning Mr. Cassidy asked that certain documents and papers which were lh the custody, control, possession, or procurement of the Charitable Aid Board or its officials, should be produced for the information of the Commission.

The Commissioner directed that the papers should be produced. -, „ , , ,- , , - r Mrs. Ada Wells was called by Mr. Cassidy.* She was ' now in her sixth year of membership of the Charitable Aid Board. Witness was very sorry Mrs. Carpenter had been forced into such a position. She thought the matron had carried out the work under the dominating influence of a dominating person on the Board, and the Board was largely to blame. She did not think Mrs. Carpenter would be aggressively, unkind ; the Board was very largely to blame. Since the enquiry the children who had given evidence had been dispersed in various directions. She had never been satisiied .with the physical condition of the children. All mothers knew that children ought to have a bath daily, instead of once a week, and that •without supervision. Then, as to morals, the diction of the children had shocked her, and savored of Billingsgate. And there had been no proper amusement or recreation provided, the whole being very unsatisfactory. Witness repeated that she did not desire to attack 1 Mrs. Carpenter ; "slie was sure that had the matron attempted to carry out witness's ideas she would have lost her position. She (Mrs. Wells) would never begrudge money spent on the Orphanage, but she considered that they were not getting a proper return for the outlay. After Mrs. Temby had left the Orphanage, witness visited the institution— allowing a reasonable interval to elapse— and found it in 'an indescribable state of filth.' 'The kitchen and scullery w.cre,' said - witness, ' shamefully neglected, and there was half an inch thickness of grease. The dining-room was in a similar state, and there appeared to be no tablecloths. The bedrooms were in a corresponding state of misery*— dirty old beds and bedding, unclean blankets and sheets, of which there were very few.' She was forced to make public allusion to the} state of affairs, and on subsequent visits found an 'improvement had taken place. Then! the old Orphanage was burnt down. Witness went on to detail the circumstances under which the charges against the Orphanage were brought to her notice by Mr. Mellish and Mrs. Peachy, and went on to the case of the boy Percy Whittle." At a committee meeting after Messrs. Harris, Horrell, and Scott had seen the boy in the hospital, Mr. Harris said Jhe had seen a sight which shocked him, and he declared, in effect,' that the serviices of the matron ought at once to be dispensed with, or the Board would have the town about its ears. After all the enquiry into the matter, Mrs. Carpenter sent a letter to the Board, practically dictating her terms, and the Board took the very undignified course of accepting her demands, although Mrs. Black fought strenuously against it, witness not being present at that meeting. Then the children were gradually boarded out, and the Orphanage had become practically a receiving home. At subsequent meetings of the Board the Orphanage had been the cause of much discussion. At the November meeting Mrs. Carpenter reported that May Burbury had been guilty of insubordination, and the Board took the very mean and undligmfied course of trying to shelter itself behind that little child. That meeting was talked about in Wellington, and probably led to the institution of the present inquiry. The boy Frankie Hammond was a tuberculous subject, and ought never to have been beaten. She had remonstrated with Mrs. Carpenter but the matron said the boy was well. Witness entirely disapproved of the ' silence ' system. Further examined by Mr. Oassidy, witness said she had opposed the motion at the Board Meeting that a master and a matron should be appointed ; she thought it would be better to have two women, who would be more likely to criticise and keep themselves and things in order. She had had to make complaints publicly, because ib was absolutely useless to hope that the secretary would attempt to carry, out her wishes. She would not wonder) at any children having ' fits of misery. at the home, from -what she knew of it. Children—and especially those 'in" such circumstances— needed brightening influences brought to tear on their lives The child Attwood was always in the kitchen when witness visited, and looked dirty and uncared for. There had been no attempt at bathing at all, until the Board was brought to indulge in the ' new-fangled idea of hot baths.' In reply to the Commissioner, witness declared, that she had been kept oft the institution's committee and that a persistent effort had been made to exclude her from it. She was keenly interested in the children as all members well knew. ' Mr. Cassidy : Is it not a fact that a. circular was issued to members asking them to keep you off the institution's committee,? The commissioner said he would not take secondary evidence on such a point. It. such a circular had been issued, it must be in existence, and could- be 'produced He should be very much surprised if such a circular had been issued. Mr. Cassidy said a copy of the, circular could be oroduced. y

Mr. G-. Scott : I will bring it this afternoon. .In further reply to the commissioner witness said Mrs. - Carpenter^ diction was not choice, -as a rule.- She had frequently objected to Mrs. Carpenter's written,reports, as they 'contained object idna'bie" terms 'and' allusions. Witness thought there should be a regular dietary system at the Orphanage ; the food that the children Vere given was not the sort to build them up. It was quite wrong to give them dry bread as a punishment. . ' -'. „ „, ; ■'','- : Mr. Lane then proceeded" ' to call witnesses on behalif of the Board. - ' '. \'' . ; ■ " • . Hugo Friedlander/ .Chairman 1 of the Charitable ,Aid Board for two years, "stated that it was. his desire toassist the enquiry in every way. Mrs. Carpenter was appointed in IyOO, while an (inspector under the Board. The following year she was relieved from the inspectorship. The complaint he received from Mrs. Wells was the first he had heard. He had paid surprise visits to the Waltham Orphanage, and as tar as he could judge the children had plenty to eat, and the food was wholesome. They had always told him that they were given as much as they wanted, and were never allowed to go hungry. At one dinner he saw there was vegetable soup, Irish stew, containing meat, and afterwards a nice ma Ik- pudding. The table was very nice and clean and neatly set ,but. At the tea he saw them having bread and butter and two kinds of cake. As to breakfast, Miss McArthur told him that a jug of milk was put on the table with the porridge for the children to help themselves, as some did not like the milk. When Mrs. Wells complalined, however, the matron thought she had better put milk on all the porridge, whether they liked it or not. He made it his business to talk to the children, took them lollies, etc., and questioned them as to their happiness ; during all the tume he never had a single complaint from the children. He had visited the lnvercargill Institution without being known, and could honestly say that the children of the Waltham Orphanage compared favorably with those at the former institution in every respect. The lnvercargill Orphanage was better managed in some respects, but there an expenditure of £11,000 had been incurred. Mrs. Carpenter, although not an ideal matron, had done her duty to herself and to the Board. A big question was opened up, but he held that 'it was not the duty of the Board to bring up the children ' as ladies and gentlemen.' So long as the children were taught to be honest, truthful, and able to take care of themselves, he considered Mrs. Carpenter had done her duty. On resuming after the luncheon adjournment, Mr. Friedlander read a list of about 28 children who had passed through the Orphanage, under Mrs. Carpenter, not one of whom had a bad' record. After reading various letters received in connection with the complaints, witness said there was no doubt that after the children began visiting Mrs. Peachy, discipline could not be maintained as well as previously. Witness repudiated the statement that the Board was controlled by the secre-. tary, and quoted statistics of the work done during the year. Referring to the case of Percy Whittle, who was admitted to the hospital on August 28, witness read a letter he had received from Dr. Crooke, house surgeon, as follows :— ' I examined him on admission, and found his general condition fairly good. He- .was thin, but that, in my opinion, was' accounted for- by his having had pneumonia three days before admission. We havo frequently had children from the Orphanage here, and, in, my opinion, they all seem to have been thoroughly looked after and attended to. Percy is a delicate child, and frequently ailing, and were he not well looked after he would soon show signs of it.' As to the statement made by Mrs. Wells that she had been deliberately kepi, off the committee she would like to be 'on, witness said they had to have regard to equity. It was left to tho members whether Mrs. Black or Mrs. Wells should be appointed to the Institutions; .Committee. A ( s to this boarding-out system, some of the .homes were by no. means suitable. He made yisitjs • and and 11; was decided to remove children who were not in approved houses. The Board authorised him , to . advertise fox' suitable homes, &nd over a hundred replies' Avere. received.. All the houses were carefully inspected, and when suitable homes had been obtained, thecchildrpn i'were,"drafted into them from the undesirable' places," and also somo frorrTthe Orphanage. :With reference 'to the 'silence 1 punishment, he • had been repeatedly' at the "Home, especially during the past , twelve months, and he-had never seen the children in .any way repressed;' he had seen them playting about in the garden as' happy as children could do. The behaviour of the four children who had been cafled as witnesses, ought to be a proof of their brightness. As- to' the «• stick " used for punishment, it was not much thicker than a penholder, and about > twice as long. . . . . (Continued on page 15.!

(Continued from page 6.) To Mr Cassidy : As lar as lie. knew, there were no regulations drawn up for the management of the Orphanage. Mrs. Carpenter was given practically a free hand, but received verbal instructions, he believed, from the Institutions Committee. Up till the enquiry was held he had always regarded Mrs. Carpenter as doing her duty thoroughly ;he had become aware since, however, of improper language which she had used, and which he would not have allowed to go on if he had known before ; he would have taken steps to secure her dismissal. He had not been aware that children were purfished by being pat 'on silence ' for weeks at a time ; he did not approve of it, nor of changing the children's food as punishment. As to the two green drosses, he was told that they were procured at the special request of a priest. Mr. Harper interposed with the remark that Mrs. Carpenter said it was not the priest but the childien themselves who asked for the dresses. When the enquiry was about to be adjourned, Mr. Cassidy produced the circular referred to in the morning, winch, it was alleged, asked the members to keep Mrs. Wells off the Institutions Committee. It was a type-written circular marked i' confidential,' and ran as follows : — ' Agreed (privately) between Messrs. Harper, Friedlander, McMillan, Scott, Horrell, Harris, and Wolfe, as follows :■ — (1) attend the meeting on Wednesday, December 7th, at 3 p.m., and support the nomination of Mr. Firiedlander for the chair ; (2) to support other proposals, namely, to hold the ordinary meetings ot the Board in future on Wednesdays at regular intervals of six weeks, at the hour of 11 a.m., the first of such meetings to be held on January 18th, 1905 ; to limit the number of members of the Charitable Aid Distributing Committee, to seven, including the chairman of the Board, who shall preside at the meetings of such committee, which shall be held on alternate Wednesdays at 1.45, when those of the above-named members who may be appointed will endeavor to attend as regularly as possible. (3) To support the nomination of the following members on the several committees, and the limitation of the number on each as shown — Charitable Aid, seven members, Mrs. Black, Messrs. FRIEDLANDER, HARRIS, HO/RRELL, SCOTT, and Radchffe, and Mrs. Wells ; Institutions Committee, six members, Messrs. HARRIS, dobson, McMillan, friedlander, samuels, and Mrs. Henderson ; Finance, six members, Messrs. HARPER, FRIEDLANDER, DOBSON, DAVIDSON, SCOTT, and Cooper ; Tuarangi, six members, Messrs. HARPER, FRIEDLANDER, HORRELL, WOLFE, and Mrs. Henderson, AND to VOTE SOLID for all those whose names are in capital letters. If any substitutes should be suggested let them be made by, other members, and be settled to please themselves. Copy sent also to Messrs. Dobson and Davidson, with Mr. Harper's compliments.' In reply to Mr. Cassidy, Mr Friedlander said Mrs. Wells was anxious to get on the Institutions Committee, but the Board as a whole thought the members elected were just as capable of doing the work as Mrs. Wells. Personally he should be very glad to see Mrs. Wells on any committee on which she desired to sit. The document was put in and the enquiry was adjourned .until 10.30 a.m. on last Monday.