BAINES' BAIRNS.

NZ Truth, Issue 234, 18 December 1909, Page 6

BAINES' BAIRNS.

Ojiiiiel M. IJaines, of Addington, made a h\£ effort to hold cu.tcdy of his five littlo {•.iris m Clai&iciiurch iS.M.'s Court recently. The kiddies were charged with being inmates o£ a house with a drunken mother, and the police reports went to show that ma was given over entirely to drink and had associates whose repulat'cn was of a most unpjeasant character. Baines tnd?avorcd to impress upon Magistrate Bailey that he was quite capable of loo': ing aiter the kiddies, m spite of the wife's misconduct, and he pointed to the healthy and well-kept appearance of the youngsters. lie acknowledged to Kub-Tnci'et'tor McGrath that he was m the habit of taking a beer occasionally, but this .- (/roach to insobriety didn't disqualify him from looking after the family. The Sub. questioned the father very Yiossly with regard to his wife's habils, and also those of her lady cronies, and the -S.M.v remarked that the-chil-dren i-of ta'n'y looked well. The fact that ms ni them was not wearing boots escape'! !>it:iil:ch. The. Bench was of the opinion tat <li\siiite. the apparently wellkept ooir'iti-n of the chiiurw, the police reports avtc entirely against the contimi"n?« «••{ custody, m their parents' howfi. r U'». n-ot'-er "was given over to drin 1 ", : nrl th : itnrroral atmosphere was bad :.nd dntisrnrous for very yo'-'ng girls who were arriving at an impressionable nge. Cnnsi tiering all the facts, his ' Worshin di'Cid^d to 'commit the children to a receiving home or .some such orphanage as the reliefon of the parents would permit. The £üb. (to UainrS) ' What is your rclie;ion ? Baines : I'm a freethinker. The children were accordingly committed to the )ofa! institution without any Btipulatirn ahcut creed