NEGLECTED CHILDREN.

NZ Truth, Issue 92, 23 March 1907, Page 6

NEGLECTED CHILDREN.

Is the Father Liable.

There were some peculiar circumstances connected with a case m which Mrs. Michael, a Christchurch woman, -was .charged with neglecting to keep her child at the Caversham Home, whither it had been committed. The State has to keep all neprlecterl chiMrcn, and waifs and sUwvs who crenerally run under the name of Ulcrvitimatos. It appears that Mrs. M. had two children, the proi'Ciiy of an erring spouse ; the off-spring of a man who declined 1o bask m her charms after a few yep.re. md who preferred the society of mother woman, who doesn't apnear on Ui? sc:ns m this c;ise. However, si-e got a divorce from him only r. few weeks ago ; a separation order hr-d been granted by the lower court. There was no question about the adultery m the case, and Vhe. the wom n n. got her <lecrre. i^ut she, too, hid a lover,, and s he was married ripht away, and. now the police came down, on her for the cost per week of one "o!f her children. As stated previously the woman, being m hotter circumstances, told her new Husband that she held ctn to*

cubus to the extent of two, and that the Government was keeping them. So the gent got them both out of the Home and kept 'em. 'The kid under notice, however, had' an ungovernable, uncontrolable, awful, damnable temper, and manifested it m so many divers ways that his newly found father sent 'him back again. But the pair kept the other youngster, who was more amenable 'to reason, and they still have him. But the boy with a temper hasn't been paid for lately, and- the' chaperon (at the instance of Department m Wellington, where all wisdom comes from), had a cut at Mrs.- Michael, although they had no ground to stand on. The question naturally arose as to wfio was to pay for the child— the married woman or the original father, the chap who brought the child into the world, and whose responsibilities are not yet over by a darned lons chalk. Mr. Donnelly, who appeared for the woman, contended that the girl wasn't liable, inasmuch as she was a woman nearly married, and hadn't threepence m her pocket ; the only man who contributed to her small and inaccessible pocket was her husband, she had no separate estate. It came out" during the course of the discourse that the original father (the only Jather, m fact, although an unfortunate kid may have two) had been paying <ls a week towards his support. " Well, he should be still compelled to pay it," said Mr. Day, and, the lady went her way rejgicing.