THE ADOPTION OF CHILDREN.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 10756, 8 September 1900, Page 9

THE ADOPTION OF CHILDREN.

HOW THE ACT WORKS.

(HT OCR SrECIAL B-FOKTEB.)

In 1835. whin the present Adoption of Children & ci was before the Legislative t'ouiH-ii in the shape of a Bill, tbe Hon. E. C. j Si'-vfn" pointed out that honourable mem\ytn ha 1 n■'» opportunity of knowing from ,„v puhiic p;ip.rs the extent to which ad- ' , t x ,,> had Wen taken of the Act, which lJ,c I'iii bs'iKVt* the Council was intended to, r f,'.iMe Consequent on the matter being I 3>i ~ before Ministers _ ri-turu «ms pitpai'i.d. showing the number 0 r a u'<\...iUon-i granted under the old Act, but sir..-* then apparently there has been E „ Kiniil-'-r infunnuiion given respecting thq ~- K . ia . «,f ih<- rifrw AoW In view of tho $t . u?IW lit in.ide some time ago by tbe StitK>n(iiitrr M:i-istiute at Cliristchurch. Mr \\ Hfoth-'-m. that no difficulty was expert- '■" j> rsons willing to undertake, tbe charge und cure of ©rpl_ura or destitute children. ;v rt pn sent alive of "The Press" jntf-riii'tt'td Mi- lketh.un on the subject, 6! hl ( ,li»..ii:ifd «>mo interesting information on th; 1 working of the Act. {{■• «tv cf preface, it may be mentioned <jbat thy Aft provides that an order of of a female child may bo made to a 'hu>b;iul iiud wife jointly; to a married woman alone, but with the written consent 0 f b"r hi.K--h.ind ; to any unmarried woman, v hn, in tli'.- opinion of the Judge (District o>nk Jtalg;- «»r Ma-irftraie), is eighteen years older th;m th" child; or to any unmarried man. ulu» I" at forty years older than the child. With reference to the adoption of «, in.-c child much the .«amo conditions apply, t ! :e '-n!y difference being that * roarrkituu'ii "">**- bave the. written consent of his wife, and I'.uy unmarried woman proposing t«> _-h"-t - l m:l ''' t>h ' l( * must fort y «._!■* <>hh' "f'»:Mi the child. Before making .[bo orilr. tlie Judge or .Magistrate may ewmim- the applicants upon oatb or offiJwi imd i» to ba satislied that the child J under lifi«m years of age ; that the person or per*>_- proposing to adopt it are of a Zd r'puie, und of Miffiriwit, ability to >.rin' uj» uwiumin and educate the child; Sat'the child's uit-re-ta und well are will £ p--nioted by the adoption; and that the *_V«1 if ovir twelve years of age, consents tthe adoption; and -ball require the cor* Unto! U.e pareuu or guardians to the adopS?„ Wilb certain exceptions, which are Sk'd the adopted child ihrt for all p«rj i«-f„l w-dlock of the adopting parent. W Ur S-etbamt in answer to queries on Mr B *«t "id that magistrates bad to tfe m I ctre ut makfng order, under £■"___ Sd th greate-t po.U.e care wa* the Act axiO, iit fc n(loptlonSf he cXc were undertaken without any inlg n,V I rv J 'eon"dera l i:on, being aaked! tor rX 3-1. ""g parent; ami with very few by th< -«i,.p g i adopted were ll- «« T fe"'" 1 now and then the Ultimate -J 0 ™ o{ money suffl--9 where the father of an illegitimate the accumulations of interest, became it Vropmv of the child when it reached tlw ■!'»« of fourteen years*. \ lar E « proportion of tie people who adopted ch&ren were middle-aged coupka X had war*, a family which liad grown ul and gut out of leading *tnop, *£ £. wif* drsirinic to 'have a chiM to occupy-*« mc vS Wiea for an order to adopt onT Some of the ap pi cants Bave had a child utdtr the Infant-' Life Protection A,- have taken v liking to it, and have .'" decided to adopt. OtEer «* _m_rried couples, who are «th.r clueless or do not dwire to bave children of their own In Mr Beetham'- experience of tbe wo kin. of the Act, he did a_* having to dea! with an applicant who WM forty yearn older than the child to be d applicatio__ were usually made through a -lawyer—aa indication, to some extent, of the character of the appbeants--afld the application* were always eupported by affidavits from well-known people re__rdin S the character of the person adoptfofi the child. It was. in hi» opinion, extremely improbable that people who at the time of adoption bore a good character «-iequentlr dcv elope totally different. q__!it-^»; and as to persons adoptmg children with the object *üb.«iqucntly of oompelling them to iive immoral lives, or adopting them for immoral purposes, he s thought it was extremely unlikely. His experience had been that the adopting part>nt,t soon begun to look upon the child aa if it were their own ; indeed, he cited one ©use where evident anxiety was manifested by the applicant- that there should be no i possibility of the child being taken_ from j them in "the future. "As soon a_ I put ■ say name to this order," Mr Beetham bad told them, "no power on earth can take the child from, you!" "Oh, let- us see you mite it," they exclaimed, with eagerness, and their pleasure when th? signature waa appended was re.tl ami undoubted. "I think my.«elf," remarked Mr Beetham to the representative of "The Press," "that the Act m working very wcCl; the great safeguard is the rigid investigation by the awgisirate before the child is given over, and that that investigation is rigid is, I tfiffik. shown by tho fact that very frequently orders of adoption ai-e refut?ed." As to the Stote taking steps after the child has been j&dopted to ascertai'i that it is being well oared for and properly brought up. he did not think there w« any necessity tot such procedure, and furthermore, pointed oat that it would be impossible to make %b!ative provision for such inspection, chiefly on {] m ground that the adopting pMHitw, having undertaken the suae respone.iMhties with regard to tha adopted child as they were under with regard to their would be impossible to get people t» adopt children if the parents were to be subjected t > .State supervision. The < ej-ss of people who adopt children wou£d tat tolerate such interference either by a ««y inspector or by the police. He did . not think it was at ail necessary, for there ~a» practically tha__-imo safeguards with Jtapect to adopted children as there were fer ordinary children ; and his e.:perienc«= t [ \x i}m Parents became just as fond « the adopted child as of their own chil wen.

Mr Beetliam kindly supplied the follow- "»? %nrfi» respectinjj the apnlirations unY*Jh* Act in Christ.church front December "th, 1895, tl , September 7th, 1900:— l Orders Orders Applications. M_de. Refused. tTi •- 3 3 ail i?« ... n is < Isy< ... 25 13 a IS9S ... 26 26 nil J899 ■•>■» o« 1 J >» '."'. SS 27 1