MURDER OF INFANTS.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14759, 1 September 1913, Page 7

MURDER OF INFANTS.

REPORTED TO BE RIFE IN MELBOURNE.

(By Cab!?.—Press Association.—Copyright.) (Received August 31st, 5.5 p.m.) MELBOURNE. August 31. Detectives state that many infants are murdered in and around Melbourne i every year, and that in not one case out of a hundred is the culprit discovered, no clue bein<_ ever left. The last occasion when a woman was ar- | rested after strangling and abandoning a child was in 1898. The fact that the child had been vaccinated enabled the detectives to trace the mother. The disclosures of the recent maternity bonus case concerning the illegal "adoption" of the children of unmarried women, have (says the Melbourne "Argus") disclosed a deficiency in the laws which have been passed to protect infant life. When the unwanted child is "adopted" for a small cash sum, a frequent result is that the child docs not grow up. If by simply registering the infant and moving into another suburb tho mother is able to remove all trace of her whereabouts, and if this ''adoption" is being carried on on a large scalo, then the child protection j laws are useless. That this "adoption" is a common practice is the idea of the j matron of tho Foundling Hospital. One ] girl, she said, had told her that sho had ■ had five children, and had paid £5 for the adoption of each. It- would be in- j teresting to know where those children j are now. That the laws relating to the boarding out of infants has saved many unfortunate little lives is true, but if ; this sort of thing is really common, ! more are lost than saved. This lady thinks that tho means of I coping with the difficulty is a compulsory registration of unmarried women about to become mothers. Following this, there might be compulsory inspection"; of the children. Tt- was pointed out, however, that tho changing of an address would cause the tracing of such peoplo to bo just as difficult as it is now. Some of thoso with experience in tho saving of child-life regard the Stato nursery as tho most effective possible means. Tho children whom nobody wanted would still, it was argued, bo wanted by the State. Let them go to the State nurseries, where, if they did not obtain homo love, they would at least receive good food and education and discipline. It Was urged that itwas far better that they should have their chance of growing up into useful citizens. even though some parents might throw their responsibilities aside. The point fcikou by the advocates of this scheme is that, to avoid a very problematical increase of immorality, hundreds, or even thousands of innocent, useful little lives are sacrificed, not in any prob'ematical manner, but now and every day left to the tender mercies of the harpies who make their miserable living by the illegal "adoption" of illegitimate babies.