WELLINGTON NOTES.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 9737, 27 May 1897, Page 5

WELLINGTON NOTES.

(By Telegraph.)

[FROM OUR SPEOIAIi CORRESPONDED.]

. WELLINGTON, May 26. - The Trustees of the Benevolent Institute have formulated what they term a complete refutation of Mrs Grace Neill's statements. Thgy say, as to the alleged unsatisfactory boarding out of children, the supervision being nominal, the fact) is that the children on , the bpoks are regularly visited by the ladies of the Christian Association, and also clothed by them in nearly ©very case. The Trustees are of opinion that Mrs Neill's 6h*cges are a slur on those ladies. Mrs Neill made a number of specific charges, which the! Trustees deal with seriatim. Charges 17 find 13 are dealt with by the Trustees as follows, and this will give some idea of the manner in: which Mrs NeilPs report ia looked upon by them. 17. "The woman has two daughters in situations as bar' maids and one son driving a milk cart. She is reported to bo a heavy drinker and lets longings." Inquiry proves that one daughter is iv another part of the colony and gets £1 a week aa a barmaid, the first time in a bar, and at work two months. The other girl hoe-never been in a bar and is sick at home, as is also , the lad, who is stated by Neill to be driving, the: milk cart. Both are out-patients at the Hospital. The woman is a sober woman, and strenuously denies that she is a heavy drinker, not having taken any intoxicants in hejT.life- ■■'SI. •' Man and wife and two girle fifteen and seventeen. Girls nob at work, said to keep their parents by prostitution; 3s |5d and two .ratione." Very little appears to: have been known of this family, octhe above statement would not have been made. The family consists of more memthan stated. One girl's, whereabouts is not known to the parents, the other one is lying ill at home, and was to have been married recently but for this illness. The other ohild at home is a boy going,to school. Another son is paying 5s weekly through ■$ke the iMj^mfcM liff'lather, ■ wK&V is unable to work; while the mother had her thumb amputated owing to poisoning, and ie now partially paralysed in. the face and one side of the body. The history of the family, the father's cruelty, &c, has been frequently related to the trustees. The mother sfcvongly characterises the statements re prostitution and its proceeds as alie. -■ -: •■ ■' .. ■'•;. ■, . .•■■■ . ■■■ ~

A man named Freeth was etnok tip and robbed of a small sum of money the other day on %\xo Runutaka ranges. Two men have been arrested, and will be charged with Ijhe,offence. : ■