Te Oranga Home.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXV, Issue 9795, 21 March 1908, Page 4

Te Oranga Home.

(Per Prf.ss Association.) Christchurch, March 19. The inquiry concerning the management of Te Oranga Home was continued) to-day by Mr H. W. Bishop (Commissioner). George King stated' that for 30 years he had resided! in Chrtetchurch or in the vicinity. He had visited the home frequently, and saw how things were done. He stated without hesitation that Mrs Bramt-inig was carrying out her duties remarkably well. Witness had been in the class rooms, and there was a distract air of contentment- prevailing. The inmates used to look up to the matron as a mother. To Mr Salter •. His opportunities oi seeing the internal- workings of the home were not quite' as numerous as those ot a female visitor might have been, and if it had been an institution for boys lie would have seen the inmates more often. He was not in favor of corporal punishment, but circumstances might alter cases, and warrant it. If it was a preventive of evil lie would allow it. The same remark applied to hair-cutting. They had from 40 to 50 girls at Te Oranga at work in the. grounds, but in his opinion there was not siitliciemt work about the place to keep a man fully employed. While he had every respect tor the matron, lie was speaking in the interests of the home. ■ Sarah Ik Jackson, manager of the Auckland Industrial School for 25 years, Bind that there were 160 girls on the roll of the institution'of which she had' charge, and their ages ranged from nine months to nearly 20 years. She had come in. tontact with girls who had been benefited by the change. She thought that there must be some form of -corrective discipline, as the inmates were not morally balanced in mind. Some could not be reached by affection, and consequently had to be corrected in some way. Personally, she disliked administering corporal punishment. She would allow a magistrate to inflict an indeterminate sentence if a girl misbehaved when neariug the period of her discharge. She had had very little experience" with incorristible girls, as when a airl showed a decided inclination to rebel she was sent to Te Oranga Home. Corporal punishment would he a good thing to strengthen administration. If n girl n-hsconded and took other uirls to a house of ill-fame, she would' advise corporal punishment. The matron erred on tlie side of leniencv. Witness did not- think that chopping worn! was at all hard on * To Mr Salter: She had to do with voinm' nirls in Auckland, and she seldom administered the maximum number of strokes provided in t lie<regulalions. Very bad oases were i-.ent to Te Oranga. Witness produced the punishment list for l''ehruarv which showed that the number of strokes varied from two to live. Witness saiit she preierrod to punish gill- herself, and not leave it to her assistant.;. Sue did not d'happi-.A-e oi hair-cutting, because if .'ill.-: absconded the police would be hotter able to trace them, and anything that, assisted t..warns keepiim them in a home should he done. Hair-cutting was not mutilation, mid they, knew that- if their hair was cut they would be more easily 'lo the Commissioner: She would admit th-it- there was vc-rv little analogy between the home she managed in Auckland and Te Oranga. putting aside incorrigible girls. The ell'eet of a commission was that ?t created a feeling of unrest among the

inmates. The Commissioner pointed out that, although the Kurnhani inquiry had a most disturbing effect on the inmates, the holding of the inquiry had ultimately been of .'l-eat benefit to the institution. Continuing, witness said, in reply to the Commissioner, that the success of an institution depended largely on classification, and if this were carried out properly it would be a good thing. It was the 'duty of the authorities to exhaust all means possible to reform an inmate before corporal punishment was resorted to . The Auckland Industrial School was practically a receiving home, and she had reallv no'practical experience with incorrigible girls. Personally, she objected to corporal punishment. (.iirls voluntarily wrote to her. or members of her stall, and the letters were a fair indication" that they desired to lead a better life. Many girls who had been inmates of the sell (nil, and. who were now married, were bringing up children better than they themselves had been hruucht up. , . Frederick Phillips Fendall admit led writing a letter to the editor of a local paper in regard to the home. In rcplv to Mr Russell, he stated that he had no means of verifying-the .statement he made in regard to the home. '! he oniv information he had was ..that supplied bv a t-'irl who had been in the institution." Me" knew she had been in the Samaritan Home, ami he was aware that she had been committed previously to 'I iUruicu. lie saw the girl at the Addingtou vicarage, when lie was visiting, but the letter "was not written (here. lie knew that all punishments were-register-ed, and- reported to the department. Mr Russell: How do you compare the meth'-ds at the home to the savagery of the slave-owners in America': —Witness: H was a savage way of dealing with individuals. Are twelve strokes of the strap the same as the lash r—l did not say it was. the same. It mav not have quite the same effect on the "individual, but it'is of the same kind. Continuing, the witness said he never intended, when lie wrote the letter, to cast reflections on Mrs Brauting. It was the department that had the responsibility of the institution.. The department made the regulations, and was responsible. There was an analogy between the punishment mentioned by him and that meted out at Te (Iranga 'Home, (fills would be punished bv depriving them of pleasures, such as bei'ng allowed to play games and I'oing out to amusements. ° Mr Russell-: We have n letter from a girl stating that it was. the punishment That deterred her from running '-away. Witness: You may cow a girl for, a time, but you cannot cure permanently' by that method. Mr Russell: Yon say this home is run on lines of inhumanity and : barbarity ''■ — Witness: Well, a girl of : 19 or 20 had her hair cut off and was lashed practically on her bare back. Witness said he did not think that anyone would conclude from his letter that the matron used the cat-o'-nine-tails. Why did you not see Mr Pope in regard "to the'home as you did when the Jnirnham case was brought under ' your notice?— Witness: If the department had sanctioned the treatment, the only . way to bring pressure to bear on it was to arouse public opinion, lie knew of only one girl who was impervious to kindness. To Ale Salter: The information given to him was voluntary. Miss liowden had not given him any information on the subject. Witness thought the punishment was barbarous. Harriet te Petremaint (matron of thw Caversham Industrial. School) said that she agreed that corporal punishment be -administered as a .last- resource. She, bad to strap a, girl-for misbehaviour. :«nd'. nottelling the. truth,, and since'..them' the girl .had. improved .greatly. .' Witness did.'.not Hike strapping .girls,, but s-hie would give the maximum- if necessary.. ; . . ■ , -. Mrs 'Kaye (am official visitor) stated- that she had'found the girls and the matron to be von the best of terms.' On an average she visited: the home about once a weeek. She had never seen the girls suffering from the after effectsi of punishment-. She;.was present when the evidence handed .to'the eommisEioiier was taken, and precautions were adopted to .guard against collusion The girls did ™t seem to .show physical distress after returning from work. The matron carried.- out the 'dietary scale, • and •the girfe liad.'aimpfe clbtihing. - The matron, wanted.. a'-girLfrom the, Samaritan-Hqme in order'-to naW= her-under supervision for a. fortnight. Witness knew of a-,situation which the'girl-intended taking, and-she did' not-- consider it suitable, as she would .he without supervision .at times. ' There was an absolute necessity for better •.cla'ssifica.tion, -and if this were' attended. t.o-there would' not be so anucih' need for' corporal punishment:- •• ■ ■ '■■' ■ " ' .'Mrs Smith stated that the iaimates could easily'have made", complaints To -the 'official' visitors, of whom.she.was one. The" food •was good .and;, there, was plenty, of it'. J The 'obcial visitors: had , urged •on . ; the_ depart,'nient the, necessity'for better, classification;and when.the .trouble'started- they, wrote to the depaHment. asking for an. inquiry,- as there was'nothing, to hide. The i employer of the girl wrote that, .the .-letter stating tihat there wasi no love between Mrs Branting.'amd herself stated- that .the girl-:had alwiavs spoken inithe highest terms of'.the home and matron,- and she (witness) - could not account for. the the sudden ' change of mind. . '