A CHILD'S DEATH.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 69, 20 March 1908, Page 4

A CHILD'S DEATH.

DEPLORABLE STATE OF AFFAIR 3. An inquest on the body of Williant Vivian Garrick, aged four and a-haU ' months, who died in Karitane Home oil Saturday, was held at Dunedin on Tue» day. The evidence disclosed a deploy able state of affairs, showing that nine people were living in a three-roomed ten» ment, which was described by a medicai witness as being in an indescribably filthy condition. The child was born on Novein ber 24, and was taken to -the Home in' Forth-street, where it was fed. on humanised milk for 15. days. -Thechild was at ; terwards taken to the mother's home, : where humanised .milk', treatment wa* continued, but the. child, was subsequentlj fed on cow's milk mixed with water, afeo Neave's Food, the reason alleged for tbie I change being that the child did'not thr/iy^. on humanised milk. The jury retmaeo a verdict to the effect that death wat [ due to acute indigestion, produced \>j improper feeding, the opinion being alai expressed that the insanitary surround ings had contributed to some/extent t( the child's death. (By Tclegrapn.—Press AEBotlatlon.) . DTJNEDIN, this day. At a meeting of. the Society for th» Protection of Women and Children, re ference was made to the inquest on. the child Garrick on Tuesday, and the casf in its bearing on future legislation wa» discussed. Reports showed that the casi was brought under the society's officerV notice last January, but the Governmenj Inspectress decided to deal with the case and the society had no locus standi. Thi society agreed to press the Government for amendment of the Act in the direo tion of allowing the society to bring case: before the Court. The society wishet some addition to be made to the Act, s< that when a Magistrate is satisfied thai a home is inimical to a healthy and moraf upbringing, a child may not be committed to the home. The society favour! the appointment of a special .magistrate ', to deal with all these cases on lines ct recent English legislation.