CORRESPONDENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIII, Issue 119, 20 May 1892, Page 4

CORRESPONDENCE.

REPLY TO DR. MACGREGOR'S REPORT RE CHILDREN

BOARDED OUT.

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—ln your issue of May 17th, there appears a report from Dr. Macgregor relative to some children boarded oub by tlie Charitable Aid Board under our charge. Tbo report appears under a heading (in capitals) of a very sensational character, and, of course, will be devoured in globo by those who delight in such items of news. There aro always two sides to every story, and as you have published Dr. Macgregor's statement, we expect you will do us the justice to publish our reply to thab reporb. In the outset, Dr. Macgregor says that he found that there wero eight children boarding at our establishment; that is a mistake, he ivas not told we had eight boarders, and that four of these were paid for by their mothers or friends. 2. " The surroundings and interior of bhis house are squalid and dirty in the extreme ; and it was evident that tho normal condition of the place was filthy beyond measure." These are strong expressions for a gentleman* in Dr. Macgregor's position to make use of, withoub making further inquiries, and will greatly surprise some very respectable people who have beon in the habit of visiting us, and some who have resided in the *house for several months at different periods within the past two years ; and certainly reflects upon the police constable of the districb, who has paid us five surprise visits within the last few months, if such a state of things existed, and were not reported by him. Certainly the place was in a state of confusion, and some portions of the floor dirty, bub it was stated to Dr. Macgregor before he had entered the first room that Mrs Stickley was nob in a presentable attire to receive the visib of a gentleman, and waa asked bo wait; a few minutes;

there was no attempt to excuse anything, it waa stated thab wo were having a " cleaning oub.!' Tho kitchen .range, had-been cleaned oub, and preparations; mado \ for whitewashing the chimney, the furniture in tbo children's nursery was all displaced, the cradles were in tho back room in order that they migbb be pub oub of doors to air and be washed, and considering ib was before 11 a.m. bhat the visit was paid, it surely cannob be much of a surprise bo .find a house in some abate of disorder and confusion. Dr. Macgregor has very concisely stated his impressions of whab he saw, and drew his own conclusions withoub even asking any explanations. Dr. Macgregor says "thab ib waa only by porsisbing in seeing everything for myself thab I found my. way into a side room where bwo girls slopb." This statemenb implies bhab some efforb was made by us bo prevenb him from seeing all he wanted to see. If our answers were not satisfactory to him, ib was because bho overbearing and insulting manner in which he addressed us, absolved us from any obligation to treat him with the courtesy duo to his official capacity. Dr. Macgregor says " the beading ho saw was scanty, and so filthy as nob to be fit for. a dog kennel, and mattresses were wee and rotting, and clearly had nob been attended to for a long time." All assumption on bho part of Dr. Macgregor, who never asked for any explanation. Had he done , so, he would have found there was a good supply of blankets in the house, besides those outside airing. Those ho saw had been thrown there by the girls to hide bhe weo mattress. Tho mattress tickings were certainly old and discoloured ; one of them was filled with oaten chaff, the other with clean wheat straw, which had been in use not more than ono month ; bhe other, a palliass, certainly was not so cleanlooking as it might have been, but whab Dr. Macgregor' mistook for rottenness was nob the result of any uncleanness, but of an accident. A bucket of lime - wash had fallen upon ib and remained undiscovered for some time, which caused the discolouration of the cover and tho straw for the space of aboub a foob square, and ib had only been put in use temporarily while tho proper tickings wore in tho wash previous" to being re-filled with new straw. The straw in the palliass is perfectly clean, and as good as when first put in by the maker. If Dr. Macgregor had wished it, bhe thing would have been ripped open for his satisfaction. He says, " the most distressing thing of all, hoicever, was to hear these children say thab they had a nice, clean, warm bed !" What Dr. Macgregor can mean I cannot understand ; tt7e children only told him what bhey had repeatedly told Mrs Stickley, but he appears to have been disappointed at their reply, and then assumes thab they were brow-beaten and ill-used at home because when he told them that he had jusb seen their bed and tried to find oub why they told him what was not true, they looked at hira and were too terrified to say a word more. A To doubt they were ! They were not too terrified to detail their interview with Dr. Macgregor when they came homo to dinner, and voluntarily related the questions and the answers which they gavo. Relative to what he says in the reporb thab "they were insufficiently clad for bhis cold weather, and the boors of the elder one were completely useless/ this girl's boots were uewsoled March26th, as also fchoseofthe younger girl April 16th, and paid for by the Board. They had good underclothing, recently supplied by tbo Board, and should have had them on. Ib was not to be expected that a girl of 11 years of age should want a nurse to dress her; the clothes were placed at their disposal, and Mrs Stickley always saw thab the younger one had on her proper garments. Dr. Macgregor says, "All I could discover was thab sometimes they were beaten by a big boy with a stick." Thi. does nob quite agree with whab bhe girls related to us. Either Dr. Macgregor forgot something they told him, or thoy exaggerated a little in details. Ib is not true that they were b6aten by the big boy with a stick. Ho did on one occasion interfere when tho elder girl was boating tho youngest (bhree years old), and whon told to desist, continued her unkindness, and he then gave hor a stroke or two wibh a small switch." Such things as a rod, cane, strap, or other instruments of torture are never to be seen in our house or allowed to be usee?. In conclusion Dr. Macgregor says, " tho 'girls have a pinched look, and aro very thin ; / believe thoy are nob sufficiently! fed." Another assumption on the part of Dr. Macgregor. Tho children were questioned oh that point very minutely, but ib appears did nob make any complaint. Thoy had the same kind of food which we havo ourselves, they sat in the samo room wibh us, tbey had a share of frait.of which we had a crood supply during the season, they had a plentiful supply of milk. Nothing is ever locked up, and if they had wanted they could havo helped themselves withoub detection. To their crodib we musb say we never had any reason to think that they had taken anything which they would wish bo hide from us.— I am, etc., John Stickley.