NEGLECTED CHILDREN

Southland Times, Issue 19255, 20 June 1921, Page 2

NEGLECTED CHILDREN

A PITIFUL CASE. THE FATHER CONVICTED. William Smith, the father of the five little children on whose behalf SeniorSergeant Eccles applied, on Saturday last, to have them committed to an industrial school, appeared before Mr G. Cruickshank, S.M., at the Magistrate’s Court on Friday morning charged with wilful neglect between the dates of May 30 and June 11. The case of the five children which was adjourned from last week was also proceeded with. Senior-Sergeant Eccles stated that it was not his intention to enlarge on the remarks he had made in the previous case except to point out that on that occasion the accused had resented being called a waster. His Worship would see from the present condition of the accused that he was under the influence of liquor, and as late as the previous day he had procured two gallons of beer. No other terms than a drunkard and a waster would fit a man who had neglected his family as the accused had done. Constable Duggan described a visit to the house of the accused and the filthy and insanitary condition in which he had found it. The house was almost bare of furniture and the only food was a piece of bread.

Thomas McCarrol, juvenile probation officer for Southland, gave evidence on similar lines and said that words could not express too strongly the filthy condition of the place. Mrs Rout, who lived close to the accused, stated that several months ago she had visited the house with food for the baby, which had since died. The house then was in an awful condition, and on one occasion the only food in the house was some rancid butter. ■ Senior-Sergeant Eccles produced notices of the liquor ordered by the accused and these showed that the amount procured in a month was 37 gallons. The Magistrate said that the case was a very pitiful one and that the accused was not a man judging from the way in which he had neglected his children. The Senior-Sergeant intimated that the family had been supplied with food and clothing and he did not wish to have the children taken away from their mother. The accused was convicted and sentence was deferred for a month to see if his conduct improved. Accused consented to a prohibition order being taken out against him.