TE ORANGA HOME INQUIRY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 140, 7 March 1908, Page 6

TE ORANGA HOME INQUIRY.

EXAMINATION OF WITNESSES CONTINUED. : . EVIDENCE REGARDINC AN EX-INMATE. ••; (by luriiionAPH—press association.') Clirfstchurch, March 6. Tho inquiry into tho, management of tho - To Oranga Home was continued to-day. ;'A.; D:"Art-kin; accountant, said that' on' ex-, •innlato of'.the Honie t who had given evidenco previously,'. Was in his employ.. There.was no indication-, as to the girl's ago given in. the ■ liconse issued to him. He had'forwarded the sum of £2 Bs. to the matron, being the girl's accumulated'Wages.'Ho applied for a receipt, and'after some' delay- ho received an acknow- . iledgment, but; not on. tho official form. 'Margaret.. Early,'; resident 1 nurse,;, and' formerly. matron of; tho Samaritan ; Home, said that a' certain girl had boen sent to- the. Samaritan Homo' fronithe Court in. 1905. '•;The Commissioner: said that the papers 6h6wed >that he-had sentenced tho girl nomi,nally;to .imprisonment with a view of -being ablo to send her to cho To Oranga Homo. .Miss Early -said, that tho '.girl was sent' from tho,Court to tho Samaritan Home. She remainedv there .three v/eeks, and was then committed-, to tho 'Mental Hospital.,. .The 'nurses at tho Mental Hospital informed wit!noss that tho girl did not show symptoms of insanity. .. ... .. . .' " '!, ', - , Mr. , Russell: She :was (gamined- by two doctors and: the Magistrate before she ..was sent thoro. , Tho girl, had suicidal tendencies. Miss Early said that.she next heard!that tho girl. had been . removed from tho Mental Hospital. . In .-July last, Mrs. • Branting telephoned to,find if.witness would.take her :back to iho;Samaritan Homo.j ,i •• Mr. !RusselP: .-That was'; done by .• Mrs. Brq'nting.: after, communicating with'.' tho Department. ; ■■■■_ Miss Early continued that, in response to this message, she told Mrs. Branting to, make 'arrangements with. Mr'., Sorensen',, tho' chairman' of ftlio; Home -Trustees.;.:As-.a result, • tlip girl -was received back into -the Samaritan -Homo.'.; Sho ' was" at" first' rather excitiablo an~d- nervous, and: inclinod to .quarrel ! .with the,, other-'girls:-- Later, however, slip improved, and became .very good-natured and ; obliging, .'and'most ameinablo to' discipline. : "DOLTS AND CARS." ■' Aftor three 'months- had elapsed, Mrsl . Branting. wanted,tho. girl back again,-saying : that' .she. would! keep her. under- bolts , and : bars. '! Witness desired -to keep the girl in tho. Samaritans-Home,, and "at her'request Mr'. Sorensen' • saw. tho matron on" tho subject; ! .with a ..view, to, tho, girl being: sent to. servico. Mt.' Sorensen," however, reported that Mrs. : Branting had accused tho girl of such terfibl6 ■tilings that ho' coufd not -be a party tp sending her .to . any. . home where there were, children., 'Witness -. considered'"that Mrs. Branting had no; reason-to say.such a thing;. After, tho'girl,'-had been .in the -Samaritan Homo nearly a, year,she suggested again that sho. diould boisont. out ,t<), service, and that> ' if Mrs. Branting would not consent, a higher' ; power should bo! invoked. Mrs.! Bean, wifo of the Rov. • Mr. : Bean, of Addmgton, ■took: an!. interest. ..in thv girl, and offered Vto pay ;• - her 12s. a.' ..week ■' as: •. •a,:domestic'' servant.';,: Mrs." Bean! approached Mrs." Branting, who. repeated -that, she .'was going to keep the girl under bolts and bars and protcct the .country, from the likes -of her. . Mrs/ Bean got into: communication with the Minister, .and as a result, witness ;was informed by! Mrs.. Branting thai the-girl, ' was to have a chance provided witness ac- , cepted the responsibility. \Yitness accepted I tho conditions, but later on she v/as m- ; formed ;tHat;;in'stead; of: the girl - going ; situation,-sho was: to back to.To Oranga. (Witness was in a great dilemma, as the' : girl had been told that sho was to go to a ! .situation. The upshot-.was,^that the girl was taken back to''Te; Oranga for .a fortnight, and then went to a ; situation with Mrs. Bean, whoro sho had'remained ever since,'and was 'doing well. - ' ■ : ; In reply to: Mr. Russell tho witness said. 1 •that she knew that the girl was sent to the ' Samaritan Home first on the application of Mrs. Branting, and that sho was still .under .the 1 , control! of 'r tho '- Edincation Department. ■ Shoikncw, also, that it was r a breach of.tho law to prevent the girl being taken back to Te Oranga. . ~ SOME QUESTIONS. ' ' At that,time.yop.had arranged with»'Mrs.- ' i-Bean .that if,you got. the girl .she could have ' her as a servant? , •, , ! ;; .iYes;!,, ; ' , ■ /.. ' ; Had you not arranged that you would get , !:'hereby.hook l -.or. l by/crqok? • :i No;-, I;,would;hayo;given her to Mrs.; Bean . if I possibly could. , You-retuspd to'giveiher up? ;. t r I said, that they could coino and take her,' , and that; I-would not ljft a finger to prevent : it. .1 did,not tell her. not to go. Sho* was ; broken-hearted at haying to go. Did Mrs. Branting ring you up and tell you not to bo: foolish and let tho girl go? Sho spoke much stronger than,that. .■ , Did you say that your conscience'.would : not let you? .. ; , I may have used - those words. Mrs: Branting rather . tooki.-away my breath. I don't know what she. Bald or, what I said, ; but: certainly • her language. was 1 very strong. You'gave tho' girl your moral support? . '■ I suppose I did... • .' ; -. : !.. ' ■ pid you '- know.!: tbat sho had, attempted : to commit suicide?. „ ~ - ' : • I knew that she had talked about it. A lot-rof cirls are like. that. I don't-believe that sho wanted to do it.. . Did you know'that :it :took three, or four girls to hold-her to r prdvent her committing suicide? '■ '' I didn't know that. ' ■ •' f - : Did tho girl'ever'say that she didn't'want to go back?. ' : Yes. : j ■ ■ A LETTER. 1 Mr. Russell produced a letter written by the! girl whon-sho iWas in the Samaritan ;Hpme, and received by the matron. .Tho girl stated that she was very happy; that 'sho missed'them all very much; and that sho would liko to bo- back again. - ; Mr.' Salter, said; that one complaint was that the...matron . had- .kept a report regarding ,:the, girl for over a week boforo communicating it.to^the'proper person. , Tho. Commissioner: .That , will ho a .-proper . thing- ,to. examine , Mrs. Branting on when' . she!gives,her evidence. / ; ' H; B! Sorensen,. formerly Chairman of the Samaritan Homo Trustees, said that ho was acquainted with •, this- particular case. He said;,that.:when;he-i:eceivcd_ the report from'' Mrs. about the girl ,ho considered , if it was correct, it would not be safo to send the girl! to a. place where she would have to take charge of children; , V ■Mr. t Salter: "What did, Mrs. Branting- say, about tho girl ? ' • Sho said that her mother had died in an asylum'; that tho girl was very- oxcitablo; !and that she was inclined.to some'laxity in : . .. , t ■ , Continuing his evidence the witness stated that after a time !ho had no objection to :sending,tlio girl out to service! Someone got. into communication with Wellington and a' siijggestion ' was . mado that the trustees wished to got rid. of the girl, but that was incorrect. The girl; though a bit excitablo, improved, greatly! while in the Samaritan Homo. "A DEPRESSING EFFECT.": Rose. Morris, formerly nurse _at the Samaritan Home; said that tho girl was wellbohaved and a great help in the Homo; Mrs. Branting had called at the Home and visited her: a number of times, but her visits always had a depressing effect. The girl used to bo miserable for. - days afterwards. Witness was'presentiat the interviews at tho : request of the girl. , Mrs. Branting always seemed to'"rub her'up" somehow or other. If the .girl said-that she was getting on all right Mrs. Branting would say that she was getting on. too well,,and that sho wanted some of her strappings to. keep her! down.- : Her maimer towards tho girl was decidedly ob-, jectionable.' i' ' Mr.'Russell: I suppose you found that tho girl was not.fond of Mrs. Branting? . She said that Mrs. Branting was not kind to her, and that she had a "down" -on her.

Did the girl dread going back to Te Oranga? . Sho looked, upon that .possibility with perfect horror.,. If she read in,tho paper of any, girl . going; there sho used to say, "Thank God, it isn't me." Mr. Russell produced a 'letter written by tho girl to tho matron, stating that sho was looking forward to visitiug Te Oranga, and that, if all tho girls turned out. as she intended to do they would be a credit to hor. Witness: I. could not have . thought it possible for.-; the girl to write a letter liko -that-after'what'she has'said. Wero her thoughts suggested ,by you? '. Most decidedly not. I. don't know anything about Mrs. Branting. Mv.. Salter said that tho second, time the girl wont to the Homo sho .was treated with great kindness by Mrs. Branting. The period complained of wa3 the first time sh'o was thoro. That was tho explanation of tho affectionate ; letter which was written after tho second stay in the Home. . Tho enquiry was then adjourned until Monday. :