FOR BLIND SOLDIERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 April 1934, Page 8

FOR BLIND SOLDIERS

N.Z. INSTITUTE’S WORK. At the recent annual meeting of subscribers to the New Zealand Institute for the Blind, the Director, Mr Clutha Mackenzie, stated that the Institute was doing all in its power foi’ the men who lost their sight during the war or who had become blind since as the direct result of war service. It would be sad news to many people to learn that a number of returned men had become blind in recent years from causes directly attributable to war service, and others, too, must become blind in due course. The special monies contributed to the Institute for blinded soldier work were now exhausted. The principal sum, £744, had been received as a generous bequest from the late Mrs M. Marshall, while Anzac Day collections, St. Dunstan’s payments, and other sums had brought the total to £9lB.

The provision of training course or permanent employment for eleven blinded soldiers had cost £lOlB. Special grants, for typewriters, clothing, rates, travelling expenses, widows’ allowances and hospital fees had absorbed £354, while general service in free Braille Library membership, Christmas gifts, news circulars, business advice, and the organisation of social outings, had cost £ll2, making £1484 in all. Thus expenditure Imd exceeded special contributions bg £566, which deficiency had been met from the ordinary general funds of the Institute.

Mr Mackenzie staled that, at the present time nine blinded soldiers were employed at the Institute or

were associated with its work while two more were expected shortly for training. In the fifteen years which had elapsed since the war, eight of the blinded men had died from war wounds mainly in the last four years. The present number of totally or almost. totally blind in the Dominion is twenty-six. The Institute was also rendering the foregoing services to a steadilygrowing group of men who served their country during the war, but who had had the ill-luck to lose their sight since their return, from causes not attributable to war service. He felt certain it was the country’s wish that these men should be helped in every possible way, to enable them to be as self-supporting as they could be and still to enjoy some of the good things, of life. Assistance to them was, of course, a charge against the funds for the civilian blind and not to the blinded soldiers’ fund.