WARDS OF THE STATE

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 83, 4 October 1929, Page 11

WARDS OF THE STATE

A.GEOWING jNtUMBEE

MEMBER EXPRESSES ALARM

Alarm at the number of children removed from the care of their parents to that of the State was expressed by Mr. A. Harris (Reform, Waitemata), when the Education Estimates were under consideration in the House of Representatives to-day.

Mr. Harris said he hesitated to ask for a return on the ground that the figures might cause great public alarm. Every effort should be made by the Child Welfare Branch to induce parents to keep their children.

Mr. P. Praser (Labour, Wellington Central) said the children were generally removed at the request of the parents. "It depends on the homes, does it not?" asked Mr. Eraser.

Mr. Harris agreed with the latter observation, but . doubted whether the children were generally removed at the request of the parents. The Minister of Education (the Hou. H. Atmore) said it was only in the last resource that children were taken away from their parents. No State would burden itself with the cost if parents could carry it. As tho name of the Child Welfare Department implied, the welfare of the child was the paramount consideration. He quite agreed that if they got a real parent to look after t?ie child no substitute couM take his or her place. In some cases, however, the interests of theState _ demanded that children should sometimes be taken away from their parents. However, if members could point to any case of hardship he would be glad to go into it. In one ease when a child had been taken away there were over 100 convictions against the parent.

Mr. Harris: "Do you not think that the presence of a child in the home has a reformative effect?"

Mr. Atmore replied that he thought the presence of children in some homes would have a degrading effect on the children and would not reform the parents. The Child Welfare Department was doing magnificent work.