RAPID RISE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26544, 20 August 1947, Page 4

RAPID RISE

ADOPTIONS IN DOMINION GROWTH DURING PAST DECADE Parliamentary Reporter WELLINGTON, Aug. 19. The rapid rise over the last 10 years in the annual figures for adoptions in the Dominion had continued, stated the annual report of the Child Welfare branch of the Department of Education, which was presented in the House of Representatives to-day. The number of adoptions completed in 1946 was stated to be 1383, which exceeded the figure for the previous year by 232, and constituted a new record for any one year. Any attempt to account for this remarkable increase would he largely a matter of conjecture, although it was probable that improved economic conditions generally and press publicity given during recent years to the legal adoption of children had had an influence on the position. Most of the applications for adoption were received from couples who had no children of their own, parents who wished to have a companion for their only child, and mothers of illegitimate children who wished to adopt their own children upon subsequent marriage. The report stated that children could be legally adopted up to 21 years, but the great majority of those adopted were in the group from infants up to five years of age. Although there was provision in the Act for premiums to pass at adoption, this rarley took place. There were only four such cases last year. Applications to adopt infant girls usually predominated, but the orders made actually reflected the number and sex of the children available. Last year 679 boys and 704 girls were adopted. Of the 1383 adopted, 1131 (568 boys and 563 girls) were illegitimate.