PAKATOA.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 498, 4 May 1909, Page 2

PAKATOA.

THE INBBIUATES' ISLE. "An. interesting account iofi the' life OS 1 i'akatoa Island inebriates' Homo (conducted - by tho Salvation Army) was. given to. the V "Otago Daily Times" by an ; ex-rosident of tho■'institution a few, days ago.y Ho stated ;• that tbo only, fault to bo found was that 'the officers in ■ charge erred, on tlio ; sido of kiiidncss'- in not insisting upon', all the pa- '• tients .working, ,'i'horo wero many of tho • men on tho:island who rovellcd in tlio lifo, and/ gladly performed tho work allotted to . ;them, and grew healthier in mind and body 1 every day. liut thero woro others who,' as men, belonged' to an altogether different stamp.; Instead of sharing tlio .work of the small commonwealth, they lay in bed as : Into as possible, immediately breakfast was over they disappeared away round tho beach, and pleasantly, passed tho time, iu. reading or some similar. occupation, and wero only seen at meal times. -Thoy wore, if not criminals,. men of arrant laziness, with' a clironic aversion to work. Tho food provided was wholesome and good, and in abundance, but tho-men referred to wero apparently 'novor-"satisfied.- 'i'hoy . • wero constantly ''growling" and; fiudmg- fault with tho faro put beforo them—fare, bb it said, they had no part in producing. Each man, on leaving the island, at tbo conclusion of his term, was : given tho .sum of £1. Out. of this ho had to pay boat fare (Ss.),* and he therefore landed in Auckland with 15s. at least' in liis pocket. Tlio men naturally, kopj together in :the city, and .certain of them, perhaps bswuso of a wish to return to tho easy lifo an tho island, or, maybe, because of an, excessive and unquenchcd, thirst, immediately spent their 15s. in liquor, in nearly every caso the example .set,by ono man in _tliiß respect, was followed by his companions, whatever their inclinations'might be. Tho speaker was emphatically .of opinion that tho patients should bo divided into two omoro classes, and given tho kind of treat mont their temperament required.. , '