IMMIGRANT CHILDREN

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23055, 25 June 1940, Page 14

IMMIGRANT CHILDREN

TO THE EDITOB OP THE PRESS. V, Sir, I believe offers of. homes for children from Britain are to ; be' asked for It is obvious that the success -of this scheme must largely depend upon the temporarily adopting parents -on New Zealand being given some choice in the matter of the child, they are allotted. The need of these children is urgent and the time to act may be short. I do not therefore wish, it to be thought that I suggest anyone has the right to cause vexacious delays by trivial stipulations—that the child they are willing to take must have blue eyes and curly hair, for instance. I do maintain, however, that if this scheme is to work smoothly, those who offer to take children should have the right _to stipulate the age, sex, and religious upbringing of the child'they, are prepared to take into their home. For instance, a mother might have expressed willingness to take a small girl of about seven (thinking she would be a playmate for her own child of similar age), but if by making such an offer she becomes liable to be arbitrarily allotted say a boy of 16, the scheme will break down. Also, the parents or guardians in England will surely wish that there be at least seme broad divisions on a religious basis of the homes offering here. If children are placed with foster parents holding widely different doctrinal beliefs from those of the individual parents in England there must inevitably be much heart-burning before long. So far, I have not seen published any announcement that machinery has been set up to enable us, as far as possible, to prevent square pegs , being allotted .to round holes. Neither does it seem to have been made clear whether the children are to be selected from congested areas only or whether all -children, between • five and 16, resident in Britain, may, if their parents desire it, be registered as evacuees to the Dominions. Further, could parents in England nominate this child to go under the scheme to an individual home in this Dominion? Many New Zealanders have relations; aye, and soldier sons, in England, and would confidently accept a child who had been selected there by them. The child’s parents in Britain, also, would ! surely send their child here for refuge with a happier mind if they had met and discussed things with a frien of relative of the adopting parents in Ze a tod.-Your| June 24,, 1940. ...