ABSTRACT
The South Australian Register gives us the welcome information that a Bill to enable Local Courts to grant the custody of children to their mother in cases which they shall deem fit, passed its second reading in the Legislative Council on November 14th. The whole debate is interesting as showing the condition of public feeling with respect to the mother's rights in our Colonies. The Hon. R. A. Tadton, who supported the second reading of the Bill, appears to us perfectly justified when he said that for a Jong time English law had been one-sided with regard to women, but the Hon. Mr. Baker, with touching faith in masculine justice, was of opinion that if the father left by will the custody of the children to other persons beside his wife, it must certainly be because he knew she had been guilty of improper conduct which he did not desire to make known to the public. Eventually the Bill was passed through Committee. The Bill, as far as it goes, appears to be in the right direction.
