DESTITUTION IN AUCKLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 2087, 22 February 1894, Page 18

DESTITUTION IN AUCKLAND.

THE SUICIDAL MANIA.

Auckland, February 19. At a meeting of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board Mrs Campfield — wife of the ex-Vic-torian teacher who disappeared so mysteriously a week ago and left letters which showed the writer contemplated suicide, being tired of his life and the struggle for existence — applied to the board to pay the passage of herself and two children to Melbourne, where she had friends. It was agreed to maintain her and the children for a fortnight to see if the fate of Campfield is cleared up in the meantime. There was an application from a man who is reported to have been living on the charitable institutions of the colony for years in the south, and who recently sent for his wife to Melbourne. Both now applied to the board for relief. The applications were referred to the Charitable Aid Committee to report, and it was resolved in the meantime that no rations be granted. The House Committee presented their fortnightly report, the first paragraph of which was as follows : — " Suicidal cases : The medical staff, having reported certain patients had stated they had conceived the idea of suicide from reading the accounts of attempted suicides published in the daily papers, the committee recommend the board (a) to call the attention of the press to the undue publicity given to such cases, and the fact that such publications tend to prompt others to the commission of the same crime, and (b) to suggest to the press that no detailed reports of such cases be given." After a general discussion the motion for the adoption of the clause of the report was lost, the majority of the members being of opinion that it would only bring ridicule on themselves if they passed the resolution or attempted to control the press. Mr Aubury moved—" That the facts be laid before the Minister for Justice." It waß only out of courtesy to the press that the committee had decided to call the attention of the press to the subject, the first intention of the committee being to call the attention of the Minister for Justice to the matter. The Chairman ruled this should have been an amendment. It could not be received now, as the clause of the report was expunged.

Catherine Lawrie has been committed for trial for attempting suicide at Wellington bj taking mafcehheadfl. A remarkable feature of the present epidemic of suicide is that in scarcely a single instance has drink anything to do with it.

At a meeting at Christchurch on Friday night to consider the Harper memorial, the committee reported that the proposal to complete the cathedral was impracticable owing to lack of support. It was decided, after discussion, that the memorial should take the form of a gateway to the cathedral, with a statue of Bishop Harper in a niche.