EPIDEMIC ORPHAN CHILDREN

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 251, 17 July 1920, Page 7

EPIDEMIC ORPHAN CHILDREN

OFFICIAL 'REPLY TO CRITICISM. A representative of Tun Dominion brought under the notice of the Assist-unt-Direcror of Education an extract trom The Dominion of July 15 referring to criticisms made in Auckland concernHie' tho action oflne Department with regard to epidemic orphan children, In reply the Assistant-Director stated [hat everytluu: ha had undertaken to uo durimr tint interview with an epidemic orphans' committee last year had T;een done. As stated, the AssistantDirector undertook to endeavour to amend the formal position of epidemic urnliins by amendments in the existing legislation concerning them, ■■ Immediately on his return to 3VelliDgton tho necessary legislation was "drafted in ionsullation witli the Crown Law Office •and an amendment to the Act was prepared. This was as far as tho Department could carry the matter.

Unfortunately, owing to the unavoidable conditions of tho lost session the Government was reluctantly compelled to hold over all legislation of this character unt.l the present year, and this ,was tho reason .why tho position had not been rectified... .The amended legislation was now before tho Government, and it "was hoped that it would shortly be made law.

With regard to..the procedurgjhat had to be adopted anil whiclTliad been criticised, by the Auckland Epidemic Orphans'-. Committee, it must be remembered that the action token was the only course open under tho existing log islation. The proposed amendment would expunge all the names of epi domic orphans from tho Court rocoras, though even as they stood it was a gross exaggeration to claim that the child had a criminal record against it. The only stigma that might attach to any of these cifldren had been caused by the rash. action of the committee in giving puliKciTy to a : merely technical entry which in itself carried no stigma and which would be expunged at the first opportunity. Ilie Assistant-Director stated that he had no recollection of an undertaking to let tho committee know of the result, and that there was no record of such a promise in the shorthand report of the interview as supplied by tho llev. F. Jeffrey himself. As the whole matlci was still in the hands of the Government, it would not bo possible in any case to linnouhco any result.