THE FORCE AS FOSTER MOTHER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 24, 23 October 1907, Page 7

THE FORCE AS FOSTER MOTHER.

• I'OLICEMEN AND ' BABIES. Everybody knows : thiit the policeman in his tirco plays many.'.parta, but it: has. beon left to' Mr. A." it. Atkinson' to portray. him in a novel and startling role. " To'picture tho • brawny con'stablo" as-'a conscientious.' baby's ;.nurse, giviiig ; tho'. dimpled' darling its daily bath, feeding',' it C'with. tender caro, tlion soothing, it to slumber with! a soft;arid 'crooning' lullaby, is aiV effort boyoiid tho dreams of fancy— qxcopt in a ; paritomime or comic opera. But this position — or ; something akin — is ono he, is . officially,: supposed, to liolcl in regard .to children, in State, Homes. ; Mr. Atkinson explained,tho cpso on Monday night at the meeting of the Society for tho Protection of "Women and Children.- ' Dealing with the Infant ■ Life Protection Act,.lio said tho position .whs absiird. , ' ' ," Tho policemen are constituted officially fostor mothers of the waifs , and strays who find, thomsclvos, in theso, homes," he declared, amidst laughter. "It was .said years ago . that -the British-Parliament could do .niako a, man a woman, and vi'co versa,- and tliorofovo I do not, think that our New Zealand Parliament need bo ashamed to. own that it .-has been unabio, to malco foster mothers of our ver,v excellent policemen. I could not do the job myself, even with a parliamentary certificate at my back. But-tho proposal now is to make schoolmasters, instead-of policomcn, tako up that position. Tho'Bill has not yot bocirbofore us, but, according to the Attorney-General's reply to tho Christchurch and Dunedin deputations, tho Education Department is now to tako up the supervision of those Homes." Mrl Atkinson added, that, in his opinion, tho Education De/iartment was not the proper department to, take up the work. Nurses ought naturally, to bo the supervisors, of tho homes, and, thercforo, the Public Health Department should have" control..