THE CARE OF THE BLIND

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 34, 3 November 1928, Page 30

THE CARE OF THE BLIND

ST. DUNSTAN’S ANNUAL REPORT The thirtieth annual report of St. Dunstan’s states that the family of the institution numbers 1905 officers, N.C.O.’s and men blinded iu the war, and 4UUO wives and children. These families are settled in their own homes in almost every part of the British Empire, in numbers more or less proportionate to the European (population of the United Kingdom, Domiuious, and Colonies. •'With few exceptions,” continues the report, “the blinded men lead happy and useful lives. Occupation promotes happiness, and most of the St. Duustan’s men are occupied. They pursue, with the aid of St. Dunstan’s, professions and handicrafts, hobbies, sports and pastimes, which they have learnt, with increasing interest, ’thoroughness and success. Thereby they add in some cases materially, in most cases to a useful extent, to the pension which was granted them by the State, and this, coupled with the generous assistance of St. Dunstan’s, enables them to maintain a reasonable standard of life for themselves and their “Men have been broken and blinded in other, wars and in other countries, but never before has such care and attention. so much kindness and generosity been shown to the victims of any campaign. In the whole thirteen years of St. Dunstan's history there have been hut two or three exceptional recalcitrant cases of men who have offended against the honourable tradition of St. Dunstan’s bv asking alms in the street, and they have done this for but a few days. “In the year under review St. Dunstan's spent £5479 os. Gd. more than it received. Our net income, including income from investments, was £166.403 13s. 2d., and our expenditure £171,552 13s. Bd. The adverse balance is due not so much to n falling <?ff of income but to an increase in exnenditure of an unexpected kind. St. Dunstan’s principal exnenditure falls under two headings : Pensions, allowances, grants, etc., in cases of need, and the provision of expert supervision for and the subsidisation of the blinded craftsmen’s trades. “In. the first of these divisions there was a slight increase in expenditure due to an unusually large amount of illness. In th" second group there was a considerable increase, which was as embarrassing ns it was unexnected. Paradoxically, the increase is direct evidence of the success of St. Dunstan’s methods.

for it is wholly and exclusively direct subsidy on increased trade. In fact, it means that the blinded craftsmen have increased their turnover, their use of raw material, and the volume of finished articles which St. Dunstan's has to help them to sell by no less a sum than £14,000. Nothing could be better for the men than that they should thus add to their productivity and earning power, for greater activity and more money in the home mean greater happiness and a higher standard of living. St. Dunstan’s will make strenuous efforts to maintain unimpaired its services .in connection with the men’s productive work, but in the face of Indian competition in the mat industry and foreign competition in the basketmaking and joinery industries the problem is one extremely difficult of solution.”