TE ORANGA HOME INQUIRY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 142, 10 March 1908, Page 8

TE ORANGA HOME INQUIRY.

• ■ f THE CONDUCT OF THE CIRLS. / >f 7 lEEE CUTTING AND OTHER OUTSIDE WORK. '-.v.?CM I'EMSOBAriI—rRESS ASSOCIATION! </ •>. Christchurch, March 9. Tho inquiry into tho - management of-To Orauga Honje was'continued-to-day beforo Mr. H. W. Bishop,' Commissioner. . - Mr. Salter called; Miss Jessie Stewart,. a certificated school: 'toacher; now \ residing near Burnside, Otago. She stated that ■ formerly she,held>.tho, position of Assistant-. . . Inspector of ..Industrial: Schools, under the Government,, and in, March,: 1905, she.was.in . ohargo,of.To Oranga.School. : ■ .'lt* was-pointed:out that:theTCommission ,-'• limited: the; taking. of' evidenceto events ,of ■ tho: past'two:years;: unless the. Commissioner, specially: ' desired ;: certain evidence. . "Mr. Bishop thereforo, aslsed Mr. Salter to indi-. ' cato : what evidence Miss Stewart : would- .-. -3(1r. : ( Salter ' said ■ that --the/ witness could:| ( i6peak in ; regard' to; the' .punishment of the -■ . • girls. -- It .had been stated; that'.tho staffhad .put in, ,the .cells for, trivial offences," aiid •' -Miss Sfowart-. could: show.'that this 'practice had.obtained , r in her: timej' inti ; that Mr. : -Pope had '.upheld her- in her represehtatioii's' to the; Department 1 on' this;{subject.' 7 She! ceuld'also speak as'to outside work,-the facilities' afforded : :thekgirls to make complaints' v to the official : and, the.,classification. said;that; at,the,present stage . . hoidid not think'ho could,tako the evidence.; He .might findvit 'necessary j :to call' Miss • Stewart at- a later stage of the proceedings. A VOLUNTARY WITNESS. * ' Honry Patten, of Sydenham, 'a tailor, a i voluntary - witness, said that ho had; visited tho Homo, to. tako afternoon services on • / Sundays.'' Judging -from what he saw of tho girls, they were well cared for and con-' • tented. They, did not seem to . suffer from .;. any -ill-treatment,' and 'there • was" nothing ''in v. ' their,faces to indicate that thoy wero harshly treated. ' Tho- matron -had the. .necessary qualification for 1 her position./v She was of a •vv/ cheerful • disposition,- and- was not - lacking ' . either'in- kindness or firmness. :- -. To Mr. Salter: Ho considered'that corpora] ' punishment i.was. necessary - ini. somo . cases . when children who-had a' t criminal taint ! . ■ wero being 'dealt: with. , It, was a, different, thing to-dealing, with', ordinary:'children. -, 'As-to -locking girls in <the cell,- ho considered that>that-was not a severe, punishment in certain cases-.' • : ■ •. - _ , . . . Would, you _6upport putting 1 girls ,in tb.' ■cell for scorching an apron ?\ -t :. , It would-depend on how/the scorching was >: 'done. It: might .have been dono carelessly. :Mr.- Rnssell: Docs tho- witness understand > that tb's cell is roaUy-an ordinary: room?.. . Mr.--Bishop: It. is really • a room which .is ■ ■. ■ called for tne .purposes of - tho ■ institution n;cell.'i In regard to the,labour done b'y the ... girls witness expressed .the opinion: that the. :-, J less idle:- timo tho girls : had : the better; it was . . for them morally.- "• ;; ,:

A DOCTOR'S EVIDENCE. Dr. Meikle gave- evidence that in Septem- : ~ber. of, last year he .was called to the Homo fto^oeiMissHow.don,:.an attendant, who was , , suffering, from a severe attack of; influehza. Ho - prescribed for -her, and indicated-'tho , treatment which should be: given.; When he ' called again Miss Howden's temperature was . up _t6 ;104.5.He did not consider that the patient 'Was- rcceiving as much nursing or ' attention to..dieting: as she, required. . ,Tho. ■ niatrcrn staffTcould. ■ not give tho timo to do-the ."-.""ing;v.and witness- sent., a . Home. - Tho' patient was ' afterwards, 1 scut to? . a privato hospitals Proper attention had ' not been paid to tho dieting' inV the • Horiie.' , -'"Miss ; Hpwdon: .requfflt-e<l -;hini" ! to -'ascertain. :.: from-,;the , matron:-whether she could be_, re- .: - li.eved.'.from;,morningi.duty'i.-.'and' .witness-.re-'commended -the granting of- - the ■' request.; :,; Mrs. Branting; said that ; .':if. Miss; jHowden- :' could not c]o" tho, duties .she' would. havo. to i -. resign,v fitness: niado' no charge of / harsh- ; ■.: ness iagain'st Mrs. Branting,. but he; thought. ;' that,'she,'looked upoii 'the''case;rather lightly,; end that she might have been more kind.; '

' ' TREE FELLING. ..AVillianv 'Robert Turner, " farmer and builder, 'Shirley,' ' who - had volunteered to (give.'evidence,"'said that ho' had not 1 looked: " on tho establishment of tho Home in : his' district/with" a.vfnendly.eye at first; iloir,-; - ever,;.hjal'had : .never',seeri^-anything.objection-' able. in',the .bbhavibur, o£i cither'./tlip. managers or, the; chilJreii. i . .Hc -had. seen'Vtlie girb.fit - •. work,, and. thoy appeared ■ to.. take . their , own .; 'time at it.', As to tbe.trce-felling and : cross-: ??* 4 there i was nothing -objectionable ' / in. it, and thero. was 1 nothing, liko driving ..oh. : the\ part ; .of the, /attendants'.; .He .'estimated that/during ,thc .past eight ; years .since the ' .Home had .been;opohSd there had beon- so mo 25 of 30. trees' 'felled; The girls would' produco< from ' thoao'/trees ';sbmo :.,ten cords' : ;of" J . wood, which he' valued' aVlOs.. a cord. They :had also taken out about ten stumps, work , ' which ho assessed/at £1 in' value.' Ho con- , Bjdorod. that £6 ss. was an excessive-valua-v.:' ,-tion - for all; tho work''dona' in' regard'-to'tho ■ ':rand .;cutting-up ; of f trMS '-'siiiyse'ivtho' . institution; opcned.ThG girls seemed . to ■ enjoy,- tho.. work, ..as they .'wero;;always laughing'- : and screanjing when ~ they were •-••• at: : ;v. it:'V !.::His ,'s' estimate.,A,:was -' that CO girls had; cut lo:i' cords of. . . r .wood .per "girl since ,Tc. Oraiiga ■ Home wa3 : v opened^?:".The ? ''fjjris ' had' worked . intermit--"J: ■ :tently ,'for weeks '.op Ja' jpb'.,.that two . men. '*;> done' in ' twb days. - The 'girls, ' . Bocmed'to 'pleasb .themselves as; to' howhardi ■ . ithey .worked,' and. the trusted;;'. ; thenv to/'somo extent,-' only , looking: at themrow; and', again. two ' saws, ■ >:'."on<y largo' and /another, small. ?.!JSto- girls had : .; ; morning'cutting ioff 'the limb '-'."'of ;'a' tree;'.'-the' piccd'-bdfrig. eighth-inches in V' : diameter.,' In the,-afternoon-.-thoy, cut "off . two..similar;Sßcbion3'. ;;Ho.heard Miss'; Hunt. . tell'them that,thoy-were, not getting on very,, ~ well,-and thoy. laughingly invited her to have a try. ' The..maSbn, : . .to. 'them;' Bid they gave her ;a;simiSrir. invitotion.;. Tho ; v" - matron took get a' bottle'Of oil to make the ■ saw/run ; better. ,Tho' end ... of'the. day's, work. was that the girls'had'cut' off ' three :8-ijiC\'scctioiiis' v of the 'log. : ' Ono ; 'morning two girls started' tp'.'saw. a,-log,' about -18in..' in'diameter.vAt; tho. end'• of an . hour they had cut five inches into iho.log. ,Then they' knocked off, and.;went'-back to • - the' homo. - Other girls-forking;on'another ■ log got' down about three inches, for;.,two hours' work.;'As-to tho work in'Hhe'lupins;' the-girls used; ordinary grabbers,-weighing a about. ljlb., and somo-American; axes. ; The ,girls,iworked',;fairly woll.:fbr -a' while,-.and then tookthings;.easily.'. He' never heard ••. the attendant urge them to work hard. ■; Tho. lupins;;ca»o'.out: erfatho ; scmd .very, easily, -■and tho broom was easily; cut-with tho axes. On an average; each girhcleared about .40ft. : square, and ; the value of. tho work .- was 1 about ■ £6.,''' Thero i.wero. .2J' 'acrqs. of garden attached to To Orarigi, and this gavo cach girl.a plot of about eleven yards .square to look after:'; In regard to tho attendants, - ho had never heard them uso a cross word, . and - they wero always- courteous to one another. - Their' conduct was an examplo to tho girls. Tho conduct of tho girls wasalso /; gpod., ' ilo had -noycr heanl one use' an imword. When tho' matron; came up ; to; them there seemed;-t0!.,b0 a' flutter of delight. • They always took opportunities to chat with her,' and-sometimes chaffed'her., , "POSITIVELY LADYLIKE." .James. vSpoight Shirley, a : retir.ed schoolmaster, was also a voluntary witness. -. lie ; eaid that about twenty-fiyo of tho girls attended tho B.unvood Church. They not only , behaved woll, but they ;vere positively/ladylike,• aS;.Lw.cll as'devotional. 'Such conduct ■ ! could not,in ;his opinion, : havp" been induced by brutal '-means.; Their of being coarse;.was of. great assistance to the ; church choir. ,In regard to tree;cutting,- tho girls were that they had offered to out down some for a neighbour if ho would give .'.thorn' somo pears. As to hair ■ cutting,, ho thought it one .of the best, things to bo done to prevent tho girls absconding if they had offended in that way previously. IJo did not think that physical punishment would bo advisable in tho case of a _ gir) , about twenty, as it'might havo a'brutalising tendency, ..