FIFTH DAY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4, 25 January 1906, Page 4

FIFTH DAY.

The inquiry was contiinued on Tuesday, when Mr. Lane, called John T. Smith, ex-chairman of the Board, and a member for twelve years, who said he was a member until 1003, and was chairman of the Institutions' Committee for ten years. He had a good deal to do wdth the Orphanage, and visited it frequently whilst Mrs. Carpenter was in charge, Fa far as his observation went the management was satisfactory to himself and the committee. He used to speak to the children, and always thought them happy and comfortable. Mrs. Scott (wife of Archdeacon Scott) was called by Mr. Harper. Witness said she had known Mrs Carpenter for elieven years. Witness knew her when she was an inspector for the Board. She had frequently seen her lately in connection with charitable aid work. She wrote to Mr. Friedlander the letter which had been published. That letter expressed her views. It was a voluntary letter, of which Mrs. Carpenter knew nothing. Mr,s. Carpenter took the very greatest care in regard to motherless children when an inspector. She was very kind indeed to them. Mr. Harper then called Archdeacon Scott of Sydenham. Witness knew Mrs. Carpenter. He paid one or two surprise \lisits to the Orphanage. The children were usually playing about, and he was surprised, m particular, at the energy of the little boy who had only one leg. He never suspected anything being wrong and was not 'on the look-out,' but he never had the impression that the children were at all depressed ; in fact, they were rather the other way. Mrs. Jessie Henderson, a member of the Charitable Aid Board for two years, was called by Mr. Lane. The furnishing of the Waltham Orphanage was carried, out under her supervision at the request of the committee. She frequently saw Mrs. Carpenter, and made several suggestions as to the management;. Mrs. Carpenter was amenable to advice, and always received the suggestions in a good spirit. Witness made a surprise visit once, and saw the children at dinner. The children had just finished, but one was having dinner alone as a punishment. The food consisted of roast beef and turnips, and there was plenty of it. The food was plain but wholesome, and of sufficient., quantity. The children seemed cheery and unrestrained. They did not seem down-trodden, but were bright, and polite in their manners. The clothes of the children she thought were unnecessarily dowdy. Her personal opinion was that Mrs. Carpenter was not well suited for the position of matron, whatever her qualifications were for the inspectorship. To Mr. Lane : She believed Mrs. Carpenter was kindhearted. She had not seen any punishment of children except in the one case where a child was given its dinner alone. Miss Catherine McArthur was called by Mr. Harper. She said she was assistant at the Orphanage. May Burbury was thfere when witness tc^ok up her duties ; the girl was very sly, and would get others into trouble. If children were very naughty they were punished by the ' silence system ' for a day, or perhaps more. Florence Attwood was put on silence for a month because she was extremely troublesome. The children could always speak to Mrs. Carpenter and witness, but not to the other children if punished. They were very seldom punished by the strap. When they were punished it t wa3 hiighly necessary ; if some of the children had been punished sooner it would have been better for them. The ' dry bread ' punishment was very seldom used, and then only for one meal. She recollected Percy Whittle being taken ill on August 26th. From August 6th to the 12th he was fairly well, but he was never very strong. He showed no signs of pneumonia. On August 12th he was punished by being given dry bread. On the 10th, at night, she heard a noise, and found

Percy black in the face with croup. She went and got hot water bottles for him. The next morning he was practicably well, but witness found him ' flying around' in his^ nightdress. She reproved him, and sent him back to bed, but he did the same thing on the two following mornings. Then she gave him dry bread for breakfast, but ai about JC o'clock in the morning she gave him a cup of hot milk and biscuits. She was up with him two nights before the doctor came, and sent him to the hospital ; she thought at first it was typhoid. The boy was still 'in the Orphanage, but was not properly well, and she did not think he would ever be. She had no I held any of the children down when they were being punished, but she had guarded them, in case they should struggle and catch the strap in the face. Mrs. Carpenter was never severe, and twelve strokes were the most she had ever given. The children were strapped on the part of the body on which that operation was usually performed. She never heard Mrs. Carpenter use bad language. The matron was very kind, and the .children were punished less than most children in private homes. The dripping used was very good, and the bread was often toasted. 'No complaints were made by the children ; in fact, some of them had asked for dripping instead of butter. The children had plenty of games, and used to do their lessons in the evening. Mrs. Crook used to teach the girls sewing on Saturdays. After they had done their home lessons, in the evening they used to sew. She made the dresses for the two Andrews' children ; they were the first she had made, butt all that was wrong was that they were too full. They were trimmed with pink sateen. She never heard the children complain about the dresses ; they seemed to be proud of them. The Andrews' children cried rather bitterly when taken from the Orphanage. They used to call Mrs. Carpenter ' mum,' and were very affectionate to witness also. The children used to have a good meat meal for dinner. No distinction was made ou Fridays in regard to the Andrews, because they were delicate, and required meat, and Mrs. Carpenter had spoken to Father Cooney about the matter. Both the Andrews' children were very troublesome, and they used to swear. They were punished for that, and put in the corner. She never heard Mrs. Carpenter call those children ' little bitches.' To Mr. Cassidy : She used to ' guard ' the children when they were whipped by putting her hands on them. It was not her duty to hold them still on the bed , that would have been impossible, as most of them were as strong as she was. Witness never heard Mrs. Carpenter call the children ' little bitches.' On one occasion the matron told her she had called them "those darned children.' In reply to Mr. Bishop, witness said there was always plenty of food. There was always a lot of milk on the table, for those who wanted it with their porridge. The dripping was of good quality. The children never complained about it ; they would have had butter if they had complained. When Gertie Andrews refused to eat milk pudding she was given cod-liver oil as a punishment. The girl was very thin, and they wanted to build her up.