BLIND INSTITUTE

Evening Star, Issue 21073, 9 April 1932, Page 18

BLIND INSTITUTE

YEAR OF GOOD WORK DIFFICULTIES OF FINANCE The serious effect that the discontinuance of Government assistance would have on the operations of the Jubilee Institute for the Blind was emphasised by Sir George Fowlds in submitting the chairman’s report at the annual meeting of to the institute, held at Auckland this week. Sir George said the loss on the working of the institute for the year ended March, 1931, was £3,323, which had been reduced to £658 following the subsequent payment by the Government of £2,665, representing a £ for £ subsidy on subscriptions and donations. The loss for the present year would depend upon what sum the Government paid by way of subsidy. The National Expenditure Commission had recommended that the Education Department vote should be relieved to the extent of £2,500 by the discontinuance of Government assistance to the institute. If this were put into effect it would be a most serious matter. The trustees felt that the Government should at least meet the cost of educating blind* children in the same manner as it bore the cost of the school for the deaf and dumb at Sumner. The board fully recognised the Government’s difficulties, and was glad to cooperate in every possible way. It had suggested that if the Government ,agreed to a regular grant of £1,500 a year the board would be prepared to carry out to the full all the functions of the institute without calling further upon the State. The trustees had agreed to a reduction in 1926, at which time the subsidy had exceeded £4,000 a year. Since then it had averaged just over £1,600. The work the institute was now doing had increased a very great deai, the actual number on the roll having risen in the last ten years from 76 to 134. Sir George said that the_ trying year had been rendered Jess difficult owing to tho splendid help received from all parts of the dominion. The trustees had met the decreased income as far ns possible by a reduction in expenditure. Sales of goods had increased during the year bv about £4OO to £9,864, but were nevertheless £I,BOO below the figure for 1930. A special effort had been made throughout New Zealand to market the articles from the workshops, and the thanks of the board were due to the niany voluntary helpers in this respect. The fair in December at the institute had been most successful, realising £1,344. The position for the coming year was not so hopeful, and lie appealed to the public to buy everything it possibly could from the institute. The active work of the institute in all its departments had proceeded efficientl,v, both at tho institute and through its extensive field organisation. Constant touch had been maintained with over 600 blind people in every part of the dominion, and much financial and other assistance extended. The director, Mr Clutha Mackenzie, had represented New Zealand at the World Conference on Work for the Blind, held in New York in April, 1931, and had brought back a number of useful ideas for introduction into the New Zealand organisation. The institute had been able to co-operate with the Labour Department in the dual purpose of providing work for the unemployed and of carrymg out valuable development, particularly in a property at Mount Roskill, given by Mr G, Winstone, sen., effecting improvements on blind men’s farms and in renovating the institute grounds. An announcement that the board of trustees of the institute was anxious to proceed with the erection of a home for elderly blind people who could no longer work was made by Sir George Fowlds, who said that the hoard had had a plan in view for several years. There was in sight over £2,600, but the estimated final cost would be certainly not less than £IO,OOO. It was a good time to build, as building was now considered cheaper than in the past, and also, it would be a substantial contribution towards providing employment during the winter. The • hoard” earnestly hoped that money j would he forthcoming to enable it to proceed with the project. It would

complete the organisation for meeting the various types of cases which came under the board’s charge—primary, education for the children, training in trades, permanent employment for adults in the workshops, and field organisation to assist and finance that old pupils and many active blind people throughout the dominion. It waa not right that they should have to turn' away blind men and women who. had worked their hardest for many years.