Catholic Boarded-out Children

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 28, 13 July 1905, Page 19

Catholic Boarded-out Children

In the days of old, long before artillery was dreamed of, the old Roman armies did some notable work in breaching city walls with nothing -more formidable than the iron-shod nose of a weapon (a tree or mast) that was known to the armor-clad warriors as a battering ram. The process took time, but it was a case in which it was 'dogged as did it.' In the world of to-day there are abuses that are, perhaps, best battered down by the steady tip-tap of repeateid expostulation and exposure. But there exists in North Canterbury at the present time an abuse of so grave a nature that it demands an urgent remedy, if the sky were to fall.

We refer to a system of boarding-out by which the faith of Catholic children, that are the wards of the State, is endangered or destroyed. The Christohurch CaJthollc clergy and the St. Vincent de Paul Society have been 'battering away steadily at "the abuse to which we refer. Their efforts have, thus far, met with a, promising measure of success. For a time, for instance, all information was refused them regarding the whereabouts ol the Catholic children that passed from the courts through the Government Receiving Home in Christchurch. It was at last supplied through the intervenitionl of the Education Deperlment, and the miss-* ing children were traced^ and removed to a Catholic atmosphere and Catholic surroundings.

So far good. But a grievous wrong is still being perpetrated uipon the hapless Catholic ckiVdren that are under the control of the Charitable Aid Board. Wr are Informed by those who claim to Know, that a majority of the Catholic children boarded out by the Board are being brought up in Protestant homes, that some of these are not even baptised, and ythat this grave public scandal is crowned by the refusal of the Board's officials to furnish our clergy or charitable organisations with information which would enable them to attend to the spiritual interests of those neglected waifs and strays. We are aware that a difficulty was experienced by the Board in placing the boarded-out children, whether Catholic or non-Catholic, in suitable homes. But in the case of the little ones of our faith the boardingout difficulty was met by an offer from our institutions that would have settled the matter in a manner satisfactory alike to the ratepayers and to the material and spiritual well-being of the children. The authorities of St. Mary's Orphanage (Stoke), the Sacred Heart Orphanage (Mount Magjdala), and the Sisters of Nazareth (Chris-tJcbJurcjh)/, have all signified their wiUimgpvess to reoqj,v»e rhe chiWren at the same rate that is now paid by the Boa.rd, with such unsatisfactory results, to private individuals— ' or e\en less, if necessary.' This arangement was intimated to the Board by the Very Rev. the Vicar-General in a letter 'dated June 20— long before the failure of the boarding-out system was debated by the Board.

The Vicar-General wrote requesting information on the following points :—

' (a) The name, age, and present home of each Catholic child boarded-out by the Board ; (b) as our various Catholic institutions are prepared to shelter, board, clothe, and educate all Catholic children under the care

of the Boara, at the same rate now being paid private individuals-or will accept even less, if necessary-will the Board place all such children junder our charge or state why the course above suggested should no'l be adopted ? -

The Vic^o-General's letter from which we make this extract was (as stated) written on June 20. A meeting of the Board was held on July 5. On the following day (July 6) the Board's secretary wrote stating that the letter • was held over until the Board met yesterday,' and that the information called for would not be forthcoming until the question * has been further discussed.' Curioiusly enough,' in the various newspaper reports of the proceedings of the Board on July 5, there appears no mention whatever of the Vicar-Gen^ eral's letter having been brought up for consideration. The omission may. of course, be possibly due to the reporters or subeditors. But the Catholics of North Canterbury are face to face with a grave public scandal in the matter of the treatment of the waifs and strays of our faith. And we trust that there— as was recently 'done by Act of Legislature in Massachusetts— steps ■Kill be pxomptly taken to effectually protect the faith of the Catholic children that are the wards of the State. We shall return to this subject at an early date.