Both Gone to Their "Lang Hame"

NZ Truth, Issue 1030, 22 August 1925, Page 1

Both Gone to Their "Lang Hame"

And Traducer's Family Has Paid Not a Penny .. A very young girl and her illegitimate baby have just found a . resting place m the cemetery. Her seducer's parents are well-to-do. • Paternity is not denied. But the writer of the article printed below seems to think that the hand of death has. removed from them all liability (legal, not moral.) At any rate, they have not paid. The girl and the baby have.

A social worker, on whose authority "Truth" relies, writes: "Here is a true story, the end of which is not yet. decided. A year or so ago a very -young oooooooooooooooooooooooco

FORD motors are cheaper than . . ever this year— • But the % motoring flapper remains just as dear 1

girl went to service m the house of a well-to-do farmer.. She was a . well brought up girl and was" considered by her parents as quite "well able to go forth to earn her own living, especially m a- thoroughly respectable house, and j with a respected family. "The parents were people of small means, and glad for the girl -to live comfortably and at the same time earn something for herself. All promised fairly. But before long trouble arose, and later still the girl came home with a sad confession to make — -that she had been 'got - into trouble' by the young son o£ the employers, „.

"The matter was discussed, the paternity was acknowledged, and the unfortunate girl, not much more than a child herself, came into town to Dear alone the trial of maternity, the agreement being that the young man's parents should bear at least part of the expenses. However, the little mother and child needed nothing more than a 'permanent residence' at the cemetery, for trouble and sorrow weighed J too heavily on the young mother, aud of the child the quotation suits: She took the cup of life to sip, Too bitter t'was to drain; She meekly put it' from her lip, . And went to sleep again. Then follows, a bitter sequel: . . J The poor parents of the young girl had to meet the expenses of the accouchement and funeral, and though a verbal promise had been given by the parents of the father of the child, not one penny was, or has been paid, and no notice is taken of any appeals. There is no legal redress apparently, as the time limit for the legal aspect had passed. "So here is another law m which there^is great and grave need for amendment. Also another case where the equal moral standard should be introduced." On the legal aspect of the above "Truth" has something more to say. If it is only a year or so since the girl went to work, the social worker

must be under some misapprehension, as under section 5 of the Destitute Persons Ace an order for payment of the confinement and funeral expenses of the child can be ma.de if complaint is lodged within six years after the birth. Further, section 14 expressly provides that an order may be made although the mother or child is alL ready dead, and whether the child was born alive or dead. Furthermore aj though the girl was not residing with her parents when seduced, yet by the N.Z. Evidence Act 1908 m an action, by a parent for seduction it is no longer necessary to prove loss of service to the parent, and there seems to be no reason why an action should not be brought and m the circumstances very substantial damages recovered. The law is not so defective as our correspondent seems to think.

DRINK may make a man talkative, but it is nothing- to what. ha will say when he arrives out of breath just as the pub-door is slammed m his face!