CRIPPLED CHILDREN

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21807, 12 June 1936, Page 17

CRIPPLED CHILDREN

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS. Sir, —The president of the Canterbury and Westland branch of the New Zealand Crippled Children Society has taken Mr Stevens to task for not making himself familiar with the subject I of crippled children. He also suggests that he may become a member of his society for an annual subscription of ss. If his society cannot produce results, we will approach the Nuffield Trust. With the amount of money which the trust has on hand, it should be able to attend to every crippled child in New Zealand for some years to come. The chairman asserts that children’s needs are ascertained. I am not disputing this point (“The Press” this morning also indicates it); but as I filled in an application form more than six months ago, I fail to see that it does any good to ascertain their needs if those needs are not attended to within a reasonable time. The chairman quotes two cases from the West Coast, which have received atten'ion, while Mr Stevens quotes two in Christchurch which still need it. I am sorry no money has been received in Christchurch by the society from the Nuffield Trust. It was generally understood by the public that this money was to be used for the purpose of purchasing artificial limbs, etc., but apparentlv this is not so; otherwise the two cases previously mentioned would have been attended to. We hear little about the trust or its activities, and unless someone takes up the cudgels on behalf of these cripples, and makes it public, it appears that the matter will rest in ascertaining their needs. In conclusion may I state that I personally handed to Mr Jamieson (the secretary of the local society last year) the names and addresses of 30 or more crippled children, which I, as secretary of the Dickens Fellowship at the time, was able to supply. Now, is it pertinent again to askAvhat has been done for crippled children in Christchurch?—Yours, etc., , S. D. WILSON. June 5, 1936. [“Commenting on Mr Wilson’s letter, let me say I did not take Mr Stevens to task,” said Dr. J. Leslie Will, president of the Canterbury and Westland branch of the New Zealand Crippled Children Society. “I asked for his aid and co-operation in a very difficult problem. The same applies to this correspondent. It is not difficult to criticise any society’s work in a destructive way; but when unselfish persons give their time to a useful work and do their best to help and assist a section of the community which definitely requires help, destructive criticism Is apt to hurt. The objects of the society have been more than fully explained in the press of this city and the first year's work was laid down as one of registration of crippled children and of studying the problems that they presented. As the work advanced conditions were found which required urgent assistance and this assistance has been readily given.

So we hope to progress and build our work on a firm foundation of accurate knowledge. If your correspondent has the time and the inclination (he seems to have both), for Heaven’s «aic«» let him come and assist as a member of the society.”]