GROSS AND CRUEL NEGLECT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5630, 2 December 1879, Page 5

GROSS AND CRUEL NEGLECT.

We regret to state that the s. ?. Hero yesterday morning brojfiht information from Tiritiri lighthouse that the infant daughter of Mr. James McKay, the principal keeper, was lying dead on the island, and had been a corpse since Saturday Piom what we can learn, there appears to have been great neglect somewhere, conduct which has C3used a great deal of pain to the afflicted parents, and to the family of thoir only neighbour, the second keeper. It appears that the child, as;ed about three months, took very ill on Thursday last, and on Friday moruing thesymptoms Wt-reaodangerous that at noon of that day the nag of distress was hoisted at thu Lighthouse, and remained in that position until yesterday morning, and yet, with the constant passing of steamers, as on Friday the s.s. Hawea and Rotorua, about 5 p.m., and numerous other vessels, and on Saturday by the s.s. lona and Rose Casey, for tbe Hot Springe, it remained nntil the s.s. Hero in sight. The weather on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday was tco rough to allow the launch of a boat, but the Hero being eighted a boat put off, aud Captain Logan stopped his vessel, and conveyed the sad intelligence to the Collector of Customs, and within haif-an-hour the launch with Mr. Parker was under weigh, and made tbe island at 4.30 p.m., when the corpse and the bereaved parents came up to town. The usual signals for assistance were flying sinf-e yesterday, and it was the duty of the look-oat man at the flagstaff to have seen and reported these, and why such was not done is at present ur.known. The same may be said of the pilot. As the schooner and its staff of officials since Friday been snugly ensconced inside the North Head ? —or has she been cruising outeide, and failed to observe the signals ? This is only another proof of the inefficiency of the present means of our signal and pilot service, and the sooner the better for the reputation of the port that some more adequate means are provided, or tho pilot station removed to a point where it cannot fail to be of the fullest seryice.