WALTHAM ORPHANAGE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8522, 15 January 1906, Page 3

WALTHAM ORPHANAGE.

<> COMMISSION OF INQUIRY. FOURTH DAY'S SITTING.Mr H. W. Bishop, the Commissioner appointed to inquire into charges against the management of the Waltham Orphanage, sat at the- Provincial Council Chamber again to-day to hear evidence. Mr Cassidy appeared for Mr George Scott and Mrs Peachey, who had made charges against the Orphanage, Mr Lane for the Charitable Aid "Board, the controlling authority, and Mr Harper for Mrs Carpenter, matron of the Orphanage. ' Mr Lane stated that he wished to postpone the further examination of Mr Friedlander, chairman of the Charitable Aid Board, in order that Mr Harper might call Dr Upham, formerly medical officer to the Charitable Aid Board at Lyttelton. Dr Upham, examined by Mr Harper, stated that he used to visit the Lyttelton Orphanage frequently when it was under his care. He saw the children at the Orphanage and in the streets, and thought that they were very well looked after. They seemed fat and cheerful, and were well clad. They seldom had anything worse than children's ailments.. After seeing Mrs Carpenter withrthe children he thought that she was a very goodnatured and kind-hearted woman. She was always very bright and cheerful, but perhaps her language was a little masculine. The children had the cheapest food, because the secretary "ran" the Orphanage, and if Mrs Carpenter tried to increase the expense she was at bncs brought to book. He knew that, for he had had the same experience for seven years. When the twp Andrews children went into the Orphanage they were miserably thin and were in a most neglected condition. Their eyes were sore and unclean. Mrs Carpenter looked after them like a mother. She often had Frank Hammond in her room and looked after him as well as any mother. Miss M' Arthur seemed kind to "the children also. As to the costume of the two Andrews girls, he thought that it was rather pretty. Mrs- Carpenter was fond of colours, and her own daughter dressed in bright oolonrs ]j_© those of the children. His predecessor told him that his duties at the Orphanage comprised merely a visit to the matron. + w J? r L^"?i, H6 knw for a fact that the restriction of expense related to the Orphanage. Be had the same trouble, but he was independent of the •Doa-rd, and Mrs Carpenter was not He spoke from information gleaned from someone who knew all about the Orphanage. •Witness communicated the name of *V 1 5 mant *9 tho Commissioner. * urther examined by Mr Lane, witness said that he had troubles for seven yearn regarding expenditure on outdoor patients under the Board. His ex- 1 .perienoe was that the Board was the (secretary. The differences as to"expenditure resulted in his dismissal. He received no instructions from the secretary or any other official as to his unties at the Orphanage. To Mr Cassidyi The most rigid economy., was practised by the Board, and Mrs Carpenter had done wonders ? tf p t " e cM dren fat. In Wo cases the Board 'had refused to pay for medical attention to two outdoor children, and he had had to pay. That was a specimen of the econ'&my. Mrs Carpenter was practically a slave of the Board. The secretary wa,s continually sending him notes asking him to account for items of expenditure. He never heard Mra Carpenter use the language which had been complained of. The green and pink dresses of t!he Andrews children were distinctive, but rather becoming. To the Commissioner: An alteration of diet ac punishment was not bad, if it occurred only occasionally. Mrs> Carpenter managed to secure good wholesome food for the children, keeping them bright and healthy. To Mr Cassidy : Regarding the alleged case of May BurbUry's illness, he thought that the seoret w«as that the secretary objected to expenditure on \ medicine. Mrs Carpenter asked him i not to visit the Orphanage once a week as she was afraid he would order medicine, Mrs Carpenter ran a chemist's account of her own, and he thought that she did very well. May Burbury'a oase was the only one in which she had made a mistake as to illness, thinking j the child was not ill when she was. To Mr Bishop: In his opinion the whole trouble had arisen through the parsimony of the Board. He had not | complained because there would be no one but the secretary to complain to, and it would bo no use approaching him. To Mr Lane : Though he had not complained in writing, he had often spoken to the local member of the Charitable Aid Board, Mr Radcliffe. The Rev Father Cooney, called by Mr Lane, said that some four and a half years ago he was told that the Andrews children were living in bad surroundings. He wished to have them sent to Nelson, but their relatives objected. There was no Catholic orphanage near Lyttelton, but Mrs Carpenter saw him and offered to. take the children. It was arranged that their religion should not be interfered with. While they were in Lyttelton Mra^ Carpenter kept her promise that the children should not suffer in their religion. The children went to the Catholic school every day and to ma^s on Sundays. They d'< 3 not complain to him or to any of the teachers as to suffering any inconvenience on account of their religion. In regard to the green dresses, Mrs Carpenter or Mr Friedlander had made a mistake. Mr Bishop said that the statement that Father Cooney desired the green dresses had been withdrawn. Father Cooney continued that he had never spoken about tie childiren's dress to Mrs Carpenter. _ -To Mr La-ne: The children seemed welWreosed, and, though it was suggested to him that the dresses were ; caudy, he thought that the matter wa6 one lor Mrs Carpenter's taste To Mr Cassidy : He savr little of the children at the Orphanage, but was satisfied that the Board should be able to look after th©ir temporal needs. He never saw the children at meals. The Rev E. Eliot Chambers vicar of West Lyttelton, said that he had been in Lytteltoa for twenty-one yea-rs. He visited the Orphanage frequently and caw the children. He thought that they seemed clean and satisfied-. Some of the elder girls were members of a society carried on by Mrs Chambers. The girls attended Sunday School. Mrs Carpenter was not a member of the Church of England. He never had any reason to doubt her kindness, so far as he saw her. She was not as strict !as he could wish her to be. A 6 soon as the Orphanage was burnt down, the children were taken. to the West Lyttelton Schoolroom, and stayed- there one or two riigD-tB. /- To Mr Lane : Mrs Chambers was satisfied with the appearance and dress 3 tte children who attended church. The children seemed always bright and wall He was not prepared to say that tW compared favourably wltb>>other children of the same station in Lyttel*°To Mr Caesidyt He had seen the children having tea, and they seemed to have Plenty to eat. He had nrt'knowledee of. the « Vfi te-m of man-aging the ffianage. He had had knowledge of a training ship for two years, and traintnff ships in t" 0 n^ vv were conducted JS, -strict lines. The same discmline would not be necessary for half a dozen children-, but he would not say that the l)rphan»g« sfomld be run on a «o-ae-

you-please method. Mrs Carpenter's position required certain qualities, a'ml the selection of a matron for an orphanage needed great care. Jlrs Carpenter was most motherly, but not hie iaeal matron. He had iio doubt as to her kindness To Mr Bishop : Ho thought that Mrs Carpenter erred on the side of kindness in net keeping the children under control. : Mr Friedlanders examination was then continued. Replying to Mr Gas- j sidy, the wit-ness eaid that he had already expressed his disapproval of Mas j Carpenter's calling the children <; little | devils." He had supported a proposal j to reorganise the Orphanage,, the In- I stitutions Committee / recommendingthat a master and matron should be engaged. It was thought that tfliat would be a means of -economy. Tihore was a good deal of feeling between some of t-Ee lady members and Msr^ Carpenter, and haggling was always going on. He thought that by finding auother position for Mrs Oarpeni'ter the Board would avoid a great deal of trouble. In regard to lady members, ire noticed that Mrs Wells had stated that she had secured' baths for the Orphanage. As a matter of fact the Orphanage had been far too big for the small number of inmates, amd ohang-es, including the provision of baths, had been made on- the proposal of the Institutions Committee and a special committee. Mrs Weife only approved of the alterations after 'they had been made." As for the haggling about the matron, he was forced to say that Mrs Wells had made most complaints. Mrs Wells and Mrs Black .always got credit for <reaso cable proposals, but their progressive ideas were not .always concurred in by com© of the members of the Board. Ma.ny of their recoimmendatians were oaxxied out. He had received assistance from other members thaai Mra Wells in making arrangements for the Orphanage. To Mr Bishop: The Board paid 7s 6d per week for a boarded-out child, th© Governan-ent paying 7s. The expenditure on each, child in the Orphanage for four years up to March 81, SLB9O, was 12s 7sd per week. There were then on an. av-erage seventy-four children in the Orphanage. He was preparing a detailed statement of expenditure at the Orphanage for the past eighteen months. When the Board took charge of the Orphanage it received no instructions, and had to work out its own system. He did not think that there ehould be a dietary scale at the Orphanage. In a large institution it was n-eoesaaryr but the number of children was email, and the matron, being a foster-mother to them, should know best how to feed theon. Though views as to feeding children were so divers©, it was best for the matron to make hier own arrangements where the ages of her charges varied from four to fifteen years. The surroundings of the Waltham Orphanage were all that could be desired. Clothing for the children wao procured by the matron, who had a free hand. He had given her definite instructions to take no risk in cases of illness, but to call the doctor when there wasi anything, the matter. He was of opinion that up to a certain point tli© presence of women on the Board had be&n^ advantageous to the children. At times certain children had been boardedoufc. It was decided that the maximum number in the Orphanage should bo twelve, and the Board had affirmed the desirableness of boarding out children. Quite young children were not sent out, ago<*and 'constitution, being considered in the selection of those to be boarded out. It was stated that Dr Clayton- refused to attend the girl Burbury at Mrs Peachey's house. The doctor had instructions to pay visits only on the instruction of the secretary. Mr Bishop eaid that it would seem to be perhaps a serious position that a member of the Board could not have the power to call in the doctor if the secretary was nbit available. Mr Friedlander 6aid that the Board had a minute on the matter. Mr Bishop said that the Board apparently gave the secretary greater power than the members had. The witness said that the Board was a large one, and if every member could call in a doctor to any case he liked, the expenses would be a serious matter, In important cases the secretary had fco consult with the chairman. Regarding the position of the^ Board witness said that the annual election was a mistake. Members had only begun to learn the work of the Board when they^ perhaps, had to leave. He had no objection to the popular franchise for the election of tn-o Board. To Mr Lane: Since he had been on the Board Mrs Carpenter had had power to get all she wanted for the children. To Mr Gassidy ; He Hired at Ashburton. but Was connected by telephone with the Board's office. The secretary was not the chairman when the chairman was away. Dr Geoffrey S. Clayton stated that he ha<s been medical officer to the Charitable Aid Board for ten years. He attended Percy Whittle on August 28, ana found him suffering from pneumonia. The case urgently required hospital treatment. Witness could not torm an idea as to how long the ohild had been suffering before he eayr him. Pneumonia might come on rapidly, eerjially with so delicate a child, and would be very W^ *° r an unskilled observer to detect the onset of the disease. The child mjght well have gone to school on August 86. Witness viait^ ed the Orphanage frequently, and foitya. the children always well and happy. Mrs Carpenter w# quite capable of attending to the ordinary ailments of x>hildx*en» He had not examined the food at the Orphanage, but bread and, dripping was excellent food, the quality, Of course, depending on the dripping. Be used to call at the Orphanage, in Lyttelton frequently, and found the children always havpy there. As putdoor inspector lira Carpenter jhad a very difiioult position, ana h©had never heard a word against her. He had attended a little girl named Dempsey Wid found her in a comfortable cot m Mrs Carpenter's room. If the child had been her own Mrs Carpenter could not have Looked at tor it more carefully. To Mr CWslay; He bad heajd from Mrs Carpenter that Percy Whittle was delicate. It vrouW be well with such, a boy io study h_ <ap»e*ite aa nnich as possible. Dry bread would probably not have hurt him three- days before Jus illness. Dry bread would do him no harm. Butter was not necessary. The boy was clean w>en witness caw him. Witness refused to go to Mrs Peachey's, because Mrs Peaoh^y had no right to send r for him. He had stated that he would not go without an order from the Board, but the secretary could give an order. He could not go to a oase without the direct authority of the Board, and could not ordeT a pennyworth of anything without the secretary's order. Once he had reported a oase, and had been instructed to attend it, he could order anything he wished. The disposal of medicine and comforts was entirely in his hands. He went to the Orphanage only -when he was sent for, and always had Mrs Carpenter in attendance. Children In good health would not be injured by change of diet for punishment. Percy Whittle was a boy who should not receive much punishment. A delicate child fed entirely on dry bread would suffer. He believed that it was not right to alter food for punishment. To Mr Lane: The instructions from the Board did not apply. to the institutions. He visited them without orders from the secretary, and ordered anything he wished. To Mr Bishop: He believed in, institution treatment, but not boarding-out.

Ho thought that a matron would manage better than a ma6ter and matron in an orphanage taking children from two years to fifteen. He would have a fixed dietary scale, to be varied in specific cages, at the matron's discretion. Sh© should be a woman who had had children of her own, and she should be of unblemished character. She could not give religious instruction, in view of the public ! opinion on the matter in the colony. I An institution should be visitec! by a | doctor regularly, and the matron should bo able to call in the doctor at any time. He had been able to see a good deal of all the institutions he visited. He thought that there should., be official visitors for each institution, just as there were for the gaol. Regular inspection was a necessity. Dr Clayton said that he desired to make an explanation. He had sometimes visited cases at the wish of members of the Board. In the case of the girl Burbury he had not been told that the child at Mrs Peachey's house was from the Orphanage, nor that Mr Scott was a member of the Board. He had heard of troubles in connection with the Orphanage, and he thought that the business was a trap set by Mrs [ Peachey. He imagined that she wanted to get him to her house to isee a child with the object of making some effort to damage Mm Carpenter. The case was not represented as urgent. At 1 p.m. the Commission adjourned until 2.30 p.m. Mrs Clarke stated that she lived next door to the Orphanage, and used to see tits children playing in the yard. They seemed happy, well-clothed and well cared for. The children were particularly well trained and much, better cared for than many children she knew in private families. She was once in the Orphanage, and found everything clean and the children well and happy. She never heard sounds of punishment or crying. Mrs ' Margaret Neville, nurse, stated that ehe once stayed for, a fortnight at the Lyttelton . Orphanage when Mrs Carpenter was ill. She had the same food as the children, and found it very good. There was nothing to complain of, the children being well looked after. To Mr Cassidy: She remembered the queer dir esses worn by the Andrews cliilclrßii. She did not think there was anything extraordinary about them. She had dinner with the children once only. On other oocasions she bad her' meals alone. Mies -M' Arthur had her meala with the children-. Mrs alary Fitzgerald' stated' that- she bad 1 Jived at I>ampier's Bay, Lyfcteflitooi;, for seven years. Sh© was a Roraa-n Catholic. The two Andrews gids oft^n wieoit to tea at her hoiise. Th«y seemed we-ll oasred for amd bright. The dresses mentlonedi were not 'grotesque or such, as to cause ridicule. She never heard' aaiyfching said about them. The j children bad every opportunity to j ep&ak to h«r quite freely, but -never \ complained. ' Percy Whittle used to visit' her Hiouise, 'and always seemed 1 a j bright little chap. He was always J coin-fetably dressed. So far as sh© knew the Andiraws children were well ] oared) for, and no distinction was made on account of their religion. To Mr Cassidy : Mrs Carpenter always knew when the children visited her, and they knew that they camo . with the matron's consent. Witness spoke to Mrs Carpenter twice only. She did not care about the style of the children's bo-nnete, but she had never heard complaints about them. Mrs Susan Lewingto-n said that she had taught some o'/ the Orphanage children in Sunday school at Lyttelton, and had had them in her house. They were well clothed and seemed happy. They had all nice manners and were well behaved whenever she saw them. They showed signs of being well fed and cared for. They never did anything that she could have complained of. They took an interest in th© Sunday school and learnt their lessons well. They would talk freely to her, but never complained. (Left sitting.)