AID FOR THE BLIND

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 167, 11 April 1932, Page 11

AID FOR THE BLIND

Auckland Institute's Funds CONCERN AT ECONOMIES An appeal to the public to patronise the industries of the blind was made by Sir George Fowlds in presenting the annual report of the Jubilee Institute for the Blind to a meeting of subscribers in Auckland last week. Sir George said there were 134 afflicted people in the roll of the institute, while constant touch was maintained with 600 blind people iu various parts of tbe Dominion. The trustees felt that the Government should meet the cost of educating blind children, since it accepted responsibility for tbe school for the deaf and dumb at Sumner. The report stated that a loss ot £3323 had been made on the working of the institute for the year ended in March last year. Tills deficit bad been reduced to £658 by the subsequent payment of £2665 representing tbe Government £1 for £1 subsidy on subscriptions and donations. Tbe Government s acception of the National Expenditure Commission’s recommendation that £2500 be saved on this subsidy, would be a serious matter, and the loss for the year just ended would depend on the extent of the Government subsidy. The subsidy had exceeded £lOOO a year up to 1926, when the directors bad agreed to a reduction. Since then the average had been just over £l6OO u year. It was suggested that if the Government would agree to n regular grant of £l5OO a year, the institute board would be prepared to carry out all the functions of the institute to the full without further call ou the State. Hie report showed that sales of goods last year totalled £9861, an increase of £4OO on the previous year, but a decrease of £lBOO ou tlic figure for 1929-30.