THE BAR SINISTER

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 141, 18 June 1927, Page 17

THE BAR SINISTER

AIDS TO ITS REMOVAL

WHAT THE STATE DOES

HOW THE CHUECH

ASSISTS

•■;•■•" One thousand four hundred and severity-three illegitimate children • were born in New Zealand last year. What becomes of these "unwanted", babies; so helpless and so handicapped at the very start.of their . /great/adventure? Can they draw ■ level; pass, or defeat their little . legal;compeers? The answer would seem to be, "With the help of the State' and charitable institutions, yes, very nearly." To begin at the beginning, the illegitimate child is usually born in such institutions as the Salvation Army Home or-the Alexandra Home, to give Wellington instances. Here, in Christian surroundings, the mother i 3 helped to a proper interest in her child. She is told that although she has not given it the best; of beginnings, still, she can give it much.ih-Jjhe way of love and a right attention; to herself vas well as the child. TfL "some homes the ( unmarried mother must^promise to remain not less than threefmonths-to nurse her baby, and all illegitimate /births are reported to the. Child, Welfare branch of the Edu v cation Department. This notification, was/prbviijed for under the Child Welfare Act, 1925, with the object of reducing the high death rate among illegitimate infante, which' had. been noted as nearly, double that of babies born in wedlock.. The work of the Child Welfare officers and that of those in ■charge of charitable homes dovetails very ,well, and when the question'arises as to what shall become of the young child, they, both co-operate if necessary in,-seeing it safely; cared for.■/'. . SJUOCESSrUI. ADOPTIONS. ."Some; of-'the/babies^ the. lucky ones, are,' a3crptedj and"'probably they have th.c.best chance in/life.^ .Child Welfare officers"iare' ; "always- oh. the look-out for adoptive parents, and the superintendent (Mr.. J.,Beck) is of the opinion that as ;a rule- adoption proves to be a happy, solution of numerous child problems, as well as,an economical arrangement in 'the; case of children whose maintenance .would" otherwise be . a Charge pn";;the State. Every care' is taken ,to / find, children with temperaments suited-: to the adopting parents, and: the; child;is sent out "on trial" for a few weeks or months. . If everything., is/; satisfactory, the adoption is ''put > tiro'agh." In the case of an illegititaate {> child,, the. consent of the mother only is required, and once the ehildis,adopted she.renounces all right to, it .whatsoever. If the child'js' over the ; age of-twelve years it must give its. consent iin writing.. The,; order for adoption is made by a Magistrate, who must: be": satisfied that those adopting the.child are oi good repute, and almost without exception he takes the evidence of/a. Child Welfare officer as proof of such.,; The: Magistrate, may also name a.child about to be adopted in accordance ;with the wishes of., the adoptive parents, but. in the past an adopted child retained, both his former Ohrisr tian name, and surname, and added to it- the name of his adoptive parents. It is not lawful for any adopting parent to receive any premium or other consideration, without the consent of the Magistrate; In the case... of infants under six years of age the premium is/ j piiid: over by .the Court to tlio district agent: of .the Child Welfare branch, and disbursed by her.as she thinks fit in the interests bf'the child.' Whore a premium is paid the home is liconsed and supervised until the premium is exhausted, but homes adopting children without: a premium are exempt from license. ,So mftch >f or adoption. Three hundred andl.sixty-flvo adoptions were arranged last' year) and very many homes, childless, and otherwise, must be the happier for having taken in some nameless mite, and there are not a few cases on record where'another, and even a third; child has been adopted to be a brother or sister to the first baby. |, STATE CHILDREN.

v., ,In,; : some -cases a single girl with. a baby^'willTiake -a situation with her childj:or her, parents may come forward aii'cl-'.take;. charge of it. Sometimes the .fatjrer- will • marry' the mother, but w.b.ere'Vshe ip destitute and incapablo:of providing for her child, and the father of it'i"' hot' found,, tho baby may bo o'ommitted'to the State. In such case it receives the'-benefits of legitimate' Statd .childrehi*.lt enters a receiving' homo, Jwhi.ch..:,is "really a place of temporary Mi^te'iijiQJi', ,:sfyhpre it stays for perhaps ia; i yrepk''b.efp,ro a homo is found for it, and it; js : liceiised to its foster-parents. The idea of foster-parents is to prevent the Child-becoming institutionalised. It joins in the family life, goes to school, to church, joins clubs, etc., and grows up as an : ordinary boy or girl, being gradually-absorbed into the community. When, the girls or boys leave school, suitable'positions are; found for them by the .Welfare Department, who at first controls i.their- earnings. Later, if they makegood tlreymay arrive at the "service agreement^' and may make.their own .arrangements, and finally they obtain "their discharge* at the age of 21, or if their conduct has been satisfactory. Children worthy of a higher education receive the same, and are often enabled to; continue their studios aven'beyond the ago when the average young : person has found employment. Special provision is made for boys with more than ordinary intelligence to attend a hostel in Auckland managed by the" ;y.M.C.A. This hostel has accommodation for twelve lads, and each year the Department selects, boys from among the State f amilles:—whether they are legitimate or not does not matter— and provided they, are proved worthy they arc maintained by the Department until.tliey;qualify for such professions as' teaching, accountancy, engineering, etc. Arrangements have also been "made recently in Wellington for aihos-tel-for 1 girls, who may be considered worthy of special opportunities in various avenues of employment. Becently the Department: engaged the services of a vocational guidance officer to find suitable avenues of •' employment and generally to .watch over the futures of these girls.v!By this it will be seen that the State does all in its power to remove any stigma which may attach itself to illigitimate children. A girl may also board but her child privately if she so desires. She obtains the name of a likely-homo' from officers of the Department, and makes her arrangements for maintenance through them.

1 WHAT THE CJTOECH DOES. VAlthpugti-'perhaps the Church does not do- quite as much for. the illegitimate child as does the State, there, are several institutions' of various- denominations which admit BUch youngsters, At the Roman; Catholic Home of Compassion, for .instance; illegitimate girls may. receive a' thorough' training in all matters domestic after they "have left' school at the- age 'of fifteen. They may not leave the home altogether until they are

cd these wonderful things belonged to us .also; that.Tys shared in the glory of Britain and in. the. peace of Britain, and. owed to her almost everything that we had;'arid that "no greater calamity could befall this little country than the severing of the ties which bound us to the Old Land.

eighteen, but before that can take positions :which,allow J;hem to return to the home at might. Even when they make a _ definite /break,': they keep in touch with and are kept;in touch by the Sisters who have,so lovingly watched over them in their;, younger days. . Neither do";tho Anglican homes refuse admission■to'illegitimatc children. At such homes they arc- educated, aud the girls -trained; for domestic duties, and the boys mostly for farming, positions. In most cases, tob, the.managers of the homes keep mi touch with tho children after they go out into the world, and the children in turn'make the home their first "port of/call" when in town.

From, tlii's^outline of the life of the illegitimate child'it .will be seen that it is _w^tchei and. cared for in a way which would have seemed extraordinary not so very-many" years ago, and that every endeavour .is made to make it feel, as other/children with tangible proof of their parentage. But while this_ noble work of- Church and State is entirely to be /commended, it is not what might lie termed "preventative." It does the best for a child born with a very severe handicap, bat it does not prevent the increase in illegitimacy. It is not to be expected that it should. Mor^parental control, inspired with a betfflf understanding of religious principles, alone can" meet the case.