THOSE ASHBURTON SAVAGES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 4547, 24 May 1889, Page 3

THOSE ASHBURTON SAVAGES.

Beferring to the three children " captured " by the police at Boxburgb, near Alford Forest the Quardian says " We have seen guttersnipes m the slums of London, dirty.unkempt, and m rags, but wo never saw children even m tho purlieus of St Giles who presented a more deplorable spectacle. Clothes thoy had none, for tbe filthy strips of rags which constituted their sole and single garment, and which m color and texture resembled nothing to much as a dirty lamp cloth, failed tocover their nakedness, while heads and legs and feet were wholly innocent of covering other than an incrustation of dirt. They have not the slightest sense of decency or cleanline's, conducting themselves like animals — rather with less regard to oleanlioesa than most animals. And all this m the nineteenth century, and m tbe nidst of a civilised community, where but for tho interference of the police at the instigation of indignant neighbors this unfortunate family were growing up m a lower condition than that of the lowest of savage races. The thing teems almost incredible, but is nevertheless true." The Guardian [discusses the question " what is to be done with them ?" and finds it a difficult one to answer. The Destitute Persons Act can hardly meet tbeir case, for tbe father owns 100 acrei of land, and he has not "' deserted " them. The Industrial Schools Act doubtfully meets the case. Section 16 empowers any constable to take before a Resident Magistrate (who hat power to commit to an Industrial School) "any child found wandering about ... or sleeping m tho open air, and not having any home or settled place of abode, or any visible means of subsistence." In this case the children bad been seen sleeping m the open air, but they had a home or " settled place of abode," and they had " visible means of subsistence " io a bunch of carrots and a bandy turnip field. Surely tho Guardian is making mountains out of very small mole hills of difficulty.