THE FEEBLE-MINDED

Evening Star, Issue 19923, 20 July 1928, Page 11

THE FEEBLE-MINDED

THE BURDEN OF THE FIT

MINISTER’S REMARKABLE FACTS

(From Ook Parliamentary I’l fortes.j

WELLINGTON, July 19. To demonstrate the necessity for the provisions in the Mental Defectives Bill controlling the marriage ot this class, the Minister of Health (Mr Young) quoted the history of several families with feeble-minded parents One such family had to be taken undei State care From birth, and its members were either in special schools or mental hospitals. The cost to the State had been £16,000, towards which the father bad contributed £6. “Sea what a terrilic economic burden is imposed on the fit people ol the dominion for the upkeep pf unfits, because feeble-minded ,indi viduals are producing this,crop ol deficient humanity,” commented Mi Young before quoting further examples. There was tire case of a father, now in a home for the aged and feeble, and a mother apparently weak, mentally and morally. They had six chil dren, whose progeny totalled twenty, all of whom had been committed to the care of the State. Twelve were illegitimates, six definitely tubercular. Their cost to the State was £IO,OOO of which £482 had been recovered from various men. ft would cost another £3,000 to maintain these children till twenty-one, and then there was the probability that vho offspring of these children would in turn be a responsibility on the State. A degenerate father, addicted to drink, and a mpther mentally deficient were the parents ol six children—all feeble-minded, and all maintained in special schools, and ulti mately going to mental hospitals They would cost the community £10.90' There was another case wnere a whole family of seven, the children of mental deficients, were committed to the State’s care, and had cost £8,500, with a future liability of £5,000; but only £156 had been recovered from tho father. In a further case four children wore in State institutions, and would involve a cost of £5,150 till they reached twenty-one. _ This, said the Minister, was the kind of evidence justifying the placing of some restriction on the marriage of mental defectives. The 1921 committee was unanimously in favour of sterilisation of tho unfits, its proposals going much further than tho Bill. NOT A PARTY PLAYTHING. The Minister said it was a question whether public opinion was ready .or this legislation. If strong public opinion was not ready for it ho would accept any amendment,';. The Bill would not be bandied about as a political party measure, nor treated as tho plaything of party politics. (“ Hear, hear,” from the Labour benches). Mr Young said tho introduction of this legislation marked a. direct step forward in humanitarianism. It offered New Zealand an unrivalled opportunity to load tho van of social progress. Tho Minister said ho would ask that the Health Committee take evidence on the Bill. Tho suggestion was made by Mr Holland (.Leader of tho Opposition) that the debate bo adjourned, because it was desirable that the discussion should be of a high standard Therefore speakers should have an opportunity to prepare, after having hoard the Minister’s opening. His solo object was to help the measure, which they would not regard as a party matter. With its fundamental principles they were in accord. Mr Forbes, on behalf of the National Party, stated that ho was in accord with tho Leader of the Opposition on the matter. The Prime Minister accepted tho suggestion, and tho House adjourned at 11.15 p.m TERMS OF THE BILL. Prior to the above summary of facts the Minister had explained the terms o! the Bill ' Ho said its object was to bring*the Mental Hospital Department into lino with moaerii thought. Tiie Bill abolished the office of Inspec-toi-general of Mental Hospitals, the new title be;tig director-general of mental hospitals. (Tie term “ mentally defective person ” was extended to mean one who suffered from mental deficiency associated with or manifested by anti-social conduct, and who required supei vision tor his own protection or in the public interest. An alternative procedure tor the admission of patients to aientn 1 hospitals provided that a request might bo made to the superintendent of a mental hospital for the admission of a person. Tho superintendent might act on this request provided it was supported by the certificates ot two doctors and that a period of seven days after the making ol tho request had not elapsed. This procedure was, howe'*er, subject to review by a magistrate. The Minister stressed the importance of mental patients being subjected to treatment, on the first signs oi tho malady since, when taken in hand in the early stages, a cure was often possible. A board was to be set up to supervise montally-dcieclivo persons, and would consist oi the director-gene-ral oi mental hospitals, who was to be chairman, Hr dirccior-gcueral oi

tea It!., file airseUii o» eCiUCaiioll, t tic eouirodc'r-gv.iorai m prisons a medical officer from the j.ienui Hospitals Department, trained uid experienced in psychiatry, and two other members, at least one of whom would' be a woman, the other was to bo appointed on the recommendation ol the social service organisation, one ot wliose principal objects was the amelioration of th conditions affecting mentally-delec-tive persons. Members ot the board othei than those who held positions by virtue of their office would remain members for three years. The board was to compile a register ol raentallydefcctive persons wlio may bo classed as idiots, imbeciles, Feeble-minded, epileptics, or socially defective, and vas charged with the duty of seeing that such persons had propel supervision. Inquiries were to be made from time to time with reference to the mental state and circumstances of all persons whose names were submitted to the board for investigation The Bill prohibited the marriage of persons registered as mental defective, and it would be an offence on the part oftho parent or guardian not to notify tho registrar of marriages or the officiating minister that the name of either or both of tho parties appeared on _ tho register. Any persons who committed an offence in respect to this section would bo liable to a fine of £IOO. The Bill provided for penalties in respect to sexual relations with mental ly-clofec-tive persons, and parents and guardians would be liable to penalties if such offences occurred through their negligence