INSTITUTE FOR THE BLIND.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 78, 2 April 1927, Page 11

INSTITUTE FOR THE BLIND.

MB. ALOIV CHAAGES. EEPLY TQ THE TRFSTEES. We have received the foUovuts letttr from Mr. Mortoa AJdis:— -Will you aJlow me to reply to the counicr-attack oa ae by Uμ lna<tc«« of tie Jubilee laslitatc for tie Blind published in toot issue of yesterday. My objection to tie constitution of lie Institute is tiat u plac«s the blind under lie absolnte power of a. practically S*lf-xppointed &&d irrefponsible body of men. most of wboni are too busy to acquire any real knosrled|re of or interest in ibo lactitole. My ««raplaint aLjrainst the tm«tw* is tbit tbry appointed a< director a mxa wboa tbV people at tie Institute *ere praclicaJly unanimcus ia regarding ae cruuitabie for tie position, and liat tiry iavc sinee failed to exercise any adeqaat* supcrrifjoa or control over him. Nobody denies that Mr. Mackenzie fca.s done M»me go>od work *ince his appointjscEt. but that if no acurcr to lie chary*-*. Joo numerous to be detailed icre. whirb I brought against his administration in ray addre*». The occasion of the letter addrc»«<-d to me by lite trustee* in September. 19i.i, -sra* &$ follow*: Whea I was appointed secretary, Mr. Fowld*. the then chairman of* trustee*, in-stmrtt-d me that I was at the Institute as the representative of the travtees, anj that it was n:y duty to rejort U 'bom any tiling occ-yrria;; there that ] thought they ouphi to know, ar.d tie*< instructions were never canoell«-d. Mr Mackenzie's appointment, at h:s owr suggestion, was practicably made tab ject to review at lie end of two years When the end of that term approached and lie trustees showed no signs of *-rfr ing any action, 1 thought it my duty, a pursuance of the instruction* jur quoted, to address to them a tnemoran dum, in which 1 stated frankly mm fully tic reasons why. in common, believe, with & large majority of tii people at the Institute, 1 thousht tia Mr. Mackenzie's appointment should b terminated. Ia reply I received th letter in question, setting out a resoln lion of the trustees. That while recog nising tie secretary's deep interest i; tie Blind Institute and in tie velfar of its inmates, and also giving him fa! credit for his honesty of purpose, ti trustees feel that . .* . he has allowe his. personal feeling to get the bette of his judgment,*" following which wa what practically amounted to a ihrca of dismissal if I opposed Mr. Mackenxi any further. The trustees say tia after this there was do notjecab] change in my attitude. If they cot tidered my attitude BBtalisfactori would it sot have been fa; to me to tell me f-o? A< matter of iact, the letter abov quoted was the only crpretsio of disapproval I renejv«i from ti J trustees during the whole term of m ' employment at the Institute, and the more than once warmly commended ti manner in which 1 discharged zs duties. Further, after my uachangf and unsatisfactory att'.tade had pe sisted for six months, ia April. 192 they granted me, without any s-oljcita tion on xny part, an increase* in salai of £50 at year. I have heard it said i the Institute that one could belie anything of the trustee*, but I c hardly go so far as to believe tiat ti »as an indication of thrir desire to g ! rid oi me. When, a little later. I t< , dered my resignation, one would inf from what they say that they accept it promptly and joyfully and wi i thanks, but in point of fact they d I not accept it at all at that meeting; j vra« allowed to stand o\er, and tiou. j nothing definite was said I certaia . understood that I was at liberty ' -aithdraw it. and that they would' pj 1 for that I did. This is confirmed i-v ! letter ■written shortly afterwards Mr. Vaile. When the blind men of t Institute beard of my resi<3nati'->n th wrote to the trustees begging them ; try to retain my services, and Mr. Va , replied as follows: "I atn in receipt • your letter requesting me to retain t i services of Mr. Aid:*. In reply. I wot ; I like to explain that nobody wants i • to go, and I feel tiat be will be • great loss. I have already Fpoken . him more than once on the subject, I • he insists upon leaving; and if y • cannot do anything yourselves to reti I his services, I am afraid I canno My reason for resigning was that felt that m serious injustice Had be the people at the Institn I and I wished to f-et myself fre-p to ma : a public protest. a« tiere sffs^ . prospect of anyone doing *■<■>. ~