MENTAL CASES

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 151, 30 June 1925, Page 9

MENTAL CASES

POSITION OF RETURNED ;. ;...■-■..--men■•■■■;•."■ ■■•; : :

COLONEL M'DONALD'S CHARGES

AGAIN

"VIEWS OF THE R.S.A,

More was heard at. the annualmeeting of the Wellington Returned Soldiers' Association last evening of the serious charges made by Colonel T. W. M'Donald at the, meeting last year against the Mental Hospitals Department in regard to the alleged wrongful detention of returned soldiers.

The president (Colonel G.T. Hall) said: that at the last annual meeting Colonel M'Donald' made specific charges, against the Mental Hospitals Department,-' and he personally believed that'there was agreat deal behind those'.'-charges..^ The matter had been referred to the Execu- . tive. Council for. consideration, and "they/ had now received' the opinion : of --the committee. The president then;read; a. letter from th'e-New- Zealand- Association,'---; which had passed- the following-' resblu- V tion:—- ■<■' ■"-..-". •<■'-;- -.•-■ ■■■-"'•■' .'•!•••'

" (1) That this council, having considered the report of the executive standing committee on the charges made ,by * Colonel T. W. M'Donald against , the Government at a meeting-o! the Wellington 8.5.A., held, on 4th,June, 1924,\" in connection with the commitment of returned soldiers to mental hospitals, finds as follows;—' ... "*. """..'_'"„*.; - (a) That from 1916 to-1919 "certain soldiers were illegally detained in men- ' tal hospitals for varying "periods"' in.' contravention of the provisions of the Mental DefecSives Act, 1911. Finding : That'til.? charge is proved (b) That when representations were made to the Government on the abovtt 1-S subject during the period aforesaid'" Ministers of the Crown misrepresented! the position to the E.S.A. andAo-Par- „ liament. : That.-coricin- state"- . , ments made by Ministers'' 'as * above were substantially incorrect.' ■ -- (c) That when a -Commission was - set up by the Government to-inquire into the complaint of a certain soldier " that he had been illegally'detained as" aforesaid, the Commissioner exonerated the officials who were responsible forthe wrong done to the man, and stigmatised the complainant as-suffering* from a form of mental disorder/ Find-' ing: That this council does not find, any reason-to impugn the '.bbnaf. fides „' of the Commissioner who investigated'^ this complaint, but is satisfied that" the whole of the facts were' not placed", ' before the Commissioner. " * " (2) The council therefore directs ' headquarters to approach th© proper authorities_ immediately so that appro- . priate action-may be taken. That the' officials concerned took their oringinal " action, although illegal, believing suck action to be in the best interests'of the soldiers concerned." ■ .- - • Colonel Hall said that in almost every case the charges had been sustained, and if Colonel M'Donald never did any more for the returned soldiers of New "Zealand," ' he had done his duty on this occasion. They could not let the matter-rest." The Government, in his opinion, riiould reopen the whole question, and let the ' Eublic know the position. There should * c no hiding behind hedges. "CHARGES NOT PROVED" Mr. W. Pascoe moved the following motion:— ' • - "

That this meeting of the Wellington R.S.A. is, of opinion that tho charges made in connection with soldier mental patients hare- not been proved, and that the evidence convincingly proves that the. treatment meted out to our comrades was in their best interests and that the New Zealand headquarters be -notified'accord-. ingly.

The r:motion...•was," seconded,'■■'pro 'formal by ;Mr;-8..-Bgley. ;.••■.;■■■.";".■•■•'■". - i;:;> -: "; '..-Mr. Pascoe was proceeding_-to deal with the motion, when:: Mr. Perry, rose to -a:point of 'order. -'/Mr.-Perry .said v Colonel - M'Donald's charges had: beenTreferred to the Dominion CouhGil, .which/; had referred : the .matter ?to'/the executive -^ standing committee. .:Tha6 committee had every . facility for -inquire ing into ,the matter, and had access to airnecessary documents >to enable it to arrive, at ..its .conclusions. - Those Conclusions .had beenVarrived at,:■ and his point of■: order was' that- it. was-' absolutely of 'no us©" discussing the; matter. aVthat meeting.;. If .'Mr. Pascoe's motion were carried, it.woutd nbj. affect tho position in any way.';■-■'.' v;: '..:_.■':. ',-■. ■ ■'■■..,

; Mr.Pascoe declared that at the meeting of the New Zealand Council at Dun-, edin no. opportunity 'was given for a statement in reply to the report of the standing sub-committee. The fact. was that .the charges were- originally' made by the-Dunedin;Association as'fir,"back as 1920, and Colonel M'Dpnald did not come into the matter until 1 the beeinninff of 1921. . •.-,-■■■•■ •;. . :.V;- ;- 6- ; . &

Colonel M'Donald: -'- Oh, yes; h© did."

Mr. Pascoo: "I have the facts befora 'me.. The matter was allowed, to lapse for three years before these so-callel serious charges were brought up again.'* Colonel M'Donald: " Nonsense." COUNCIL NOT UNANIMOUS .

Mr. Pascoe said that members would no doubt be interested to know that ' the council was by no means unanimous on the point. s The voting was. 13 to 12. It was also interesting to npts that the Dunedin Association, which had. originally made the charges, had voted against the resolution. Mr. Pascoe them proceeded to sketch the history at soino length.

'; Mr. M. Badger moved as an/amend-.'■: merit that the Tetter, from the New. Zea- ' land Association' should be received, and, s ;: I that ~ the incoming executive should ba '}.'. \ empowered to'take atiy; action, it" might | deem-necessary, to assist the National . Executive. •_; . .';: ■'.' -■-■'. ; "A .MUTILATED DOCUMENT" ■Colonel M'Donald said that !he had: ' listened with' the greatest possible . interest to what had been .saidy especially, by Mr. Pascoe. It had been-shown that . all, the allegations made by . him had- •" been proved. In regard to the Com- ; mission which: had been.sefc np. to in^ '■-.-.: quire into ono of. the cases, he mada the definite statement^ that an important Government ;docujiient . had-' be?rt, Jmutilated. He defied contradiction o£ that. la many cases-men had been' taken from the bosom, of their :family\,^ and .dumped into a mental hospital along "- with criminals and mental defectives.- - In some cases the 1 families did not know! the .whereabouts of a fman' • for Ceight: months or more. , - .-'■ . ..- v.\ •;.■

Finally, it was decided to merely re-- .r ceivo the letter from the New Zealand. Association, tho Understanding bein»" that by adopting that attitude they. were doing all that was necessary ire view of tho position which had been; taken up bv_ tho Now Zealand body