INSANE ALIENS.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 172, 23 July 1929, Page 5

INSANE ALIENS.

BURDEN. ON THE STATE. COST £180,000 TO DATE. LOOPHOLE IN IMMIGRATION ACT. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. An unnecessarily heavy burden is placed on the shoulders of the New Zealand taxpayer by reason of the fact that there is a large number of mentally defective foreigners permanently resident in institutions controlled by the Mental Hospitals Department. In addition to the heavy cost of maintaining these unfortunate aliens there is the factor of accommodation. The Minister of Health, the Hon. A. J. Stallworthy, stated to-day in an interview that it" was desirable that steps should be taken to prevent persons of this type from entering the Dominion. There'are over 200 mentally defective persons of non-British origin permanently in institutions and many of them have been there for a considerable number, of years. The average stay is 13 years. To date these foreigners have cost the country over £180,000, the annual cost of their upkeep being nearly £15,000. Mr. Stallworthy said it seemed improbable that anything could be done in respect of these unfortunate people already in New Zealand, but any increase in their numbers could be checked effectively by an amendment of the .Immigration Restriction Act in the direction of provision for the deportaU" of foreigners becoming insane within riv" years of their arrival in the country. The Minister explained that the existing law left a loophole for the entry of mental defectives, in that idiots are allowed to enter the country if accompanied by their parents. Since a men: tally feeble person cannot go about the world alone, this provision nullifies a preceding clause in the Immigration Restriction Act, which states that an idiot or insane person shall not lie allowed to land. Another point is that an immiarant sufferincr from delusional insanity lias a very good chance of passing the port medical officer without detection, since only a brief time is devoted to the examination of each person during the doctor's general inspection. Thus it is probable that persons likely to be committed to mental institutions at some later date may come in and eventually add to the burden of the taxpayers. Mr. Stallworthy says he is much concerned about the position, and it is likely that the Government will bring down an amending bill to tighten up the restrictions.