BLIND INSTITUTE

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 38, 15 February 1933, Page 15

BLIND INSTITUTE

QUESTION OF CONTROL

REPRESENTATION OF

PATIENTS

Tho request that a representative of tho inmates of : the Blind Institute Should be appointed to the board: of trustees.of the institute provoked considerable discussion in the /House of Representatives'yesterday. The debate arose when the Public Petitions Committee reported, recommending that the petition of Morton Aldis, of Auckland, asking for such representation, should receive favourable consideration. The only member to oppose'-the recommendation was' Mr. H. Holland (Government, Ohi-istc'hurch-North). . 7 " •• . After expressing his appreciation of the work-which the:trustees were doing, Mr.: A. Harris (Government, Waitcmata)7aaid. that there should be pergonal touch.betweeh the inmates and the trustees. In 1929 a 'similar petition was dealt7w_th,:.arid'the Committee recommended that' it should • receive favourable consideration. In 1930, reporting on a further similar petition, the Committee stated that it had no recommendation .to make, as the Government had"decided to give7effect to the prayer of the' petitioner.:; -Again, in 1931, the Committee reported .that an appointment had been made or was about to bo made. However,' nothing had been done t and he suggested that it would bo in the interests of the inmates if they were directly represented on the board. He appealed to the Government to carry out. the promise which had been given, and pointed out that there were a number of vacancies on the board at the present time. Mr. Harris was supported by Mr. F. W. Schramm (Labour, Auckland East), who said that tho: management of the institution was all that could be desired, but he felt that direct representation of the inmates on tho board of trustees would lead to greater happiness on the part of the inmates. Captain H. M. Rushworth (Country Party, Bay of Islands) said that it had been suggested that in the past the interests of the inmates themselves had not been kept" in'the very forefront. He urged the Government to allow the blind people to nominate a representative on the board. "ANIMOSITY AND DISSENSION." No man had done so much for the blind people of New Zealand as Mr. Clutha Mackenzie, said Mr. H. Holland (Government, Christchurch North), and the petitioner had done all that he could to stir up animosity and' dissension between the blind people and the board. The speaker wa_. chairman of tho Canterbury Advisory Committee, and recalled tha± Mr. Aldis had resigned after writing a letter which was the subject of a Supreme Court action. Mr. Justice Reed had described Mr. Aldis as a disturbing influence in'the institution. It would be unfair to the 700 or 800 blind people who were; not in the institution if the 100 or 150 people who were in it were allowed a representative on the board. Mr. W. E. Parry (Labour, Auckland Central) pointed out,that Mr. Harris had given the greatest praise to the administration. The. speaker supported the request, and recalled that when the Banks Indemnity Bill was beforo the House, Mr.. Holland had spoken one way and voted another. Mr. Parry added that the United Government had promised to comply with tho petition, but that promise had not been carried out. The member for Christchurch North had implored the Government to leave things as they were, but he hoped thait the Governmeut'would give consideration t6" the report of a Committee which" had -thoroughly investigated- the matter. He again recalled a' promise that had been made.' The Minister of Health (the Hon. J. A. Young): There" i. no record of 6u.h a promise. Mr. Parry: I am not going to say that the Prime Minister promised, but either the ex-Minister of Health or—— Mr. A. J. Stallworthy (Independent, Eden): The ex-Minister of Education did. ■ : "If the ex-Minister of Education promised that this -would be done and if he can cbnfifm^that^promise, I believe that the Prime Minister will stand to it," said Mr'TParryV '"" Mr. J. A. Lee (Labour, Grey Lynn) recalled' that during the -last Reform Administration a similar promise was made. ,'-.,. - . IN SEARCH OF "BUMBLEDOM." After describing his yisit. to the Auckland institution, and his-search for evidence of ''Bumbledom," the' Rev. C. Carr (Labour, Timaru) said' that on the board of the Hampstead Hospital, London, there was a representative of the blind, who was not necessarily a patient. It. had been, stated that the present board held office in perpetuity, and no provision had been made for their retirement with a view to re-elec-tion. Referring to a pamphlet which had been published dealing with the institution, Mr.. Carr said that charges had been made concerning corporal punishment inflicted by the director on young people! The director was a man of-great physical strength, who was unable to see the effects of his "own punishment. Without further discussion, the Committee 's report was adopted.