A CANCEROUS PROCEEDING.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 12411, 22 March 1911, Page 9

A CANCEROUS PROCEEDING.

'(Per Press Association.) 'CHRISTCHUKCH, last night. A boy five and a half years old, son of Charles Talbot, of Walton street, Sydenham, who, 011 the 2nd inst., was admitted to tho infectious diseases hospital at Bottle Lake, suffering from scarlet fever, managed either to escape 01- was decoyed away from the institution on Monday, the 13th inst. The parents of the boy state that' the little fellow arrived home on Monday evening' last, having,, according to his own statement, walked to town and then got a lift m a cart to Sydenham. The matron of the Bottle Lake Hospital, on the other hand, -alleges that the boy was lured away either by the parents'" or someone acting for them. On Dr Finch, District Health Officer, being seen by a reporter and asked for information regarding the case, he stated that the position was that if the child was not returned to tho Bottle Lake Hospital by noon to-day the machinery of the law was to take effect. An order had been issued under the Public Health Act calling upon the patents to place the child m the hospital. If this was not complied with, action would be taken under sub-section D of section 33 of the Public Health Act, which provides that "Every person who wilfully disobeys an order or m any way obstructs or delays the prompt execution thereof, is liable to a fine not exceeding £10." Dr Finch said that, everything possible was done to persuade the, parents to allow the child to go to the hospital, and they were told that, by doing so, whatever complaints they had against the institution would not be prejudiced. On the reporter visiting the parents' homo shortly after noon to-day, he found that the child had not been returned to the hospital, and the parents stated that, they had no intention of sending it back," though ; ,they were'quite willing to have it kept apart.