ASSISTING THE BLIND.

Grey River Argus, 16 May 1922, Page 6

ASSISTING THE BLIND.

i A~rEAL BY CLUTHA MACKENZIE ' A SATISFACTORY RESPONSE. | A general appeal is at present | being made throughout New Zea- 1 land by Mr Clutha Mackenzie, M.P. for Auckland East, on behalf of the blind people of the Dominion. An endeavour is being made to accumulate the sum of £45,000 from the people of this country for this worthy object, of which Greymouth’s quota is £2so—or approximately 1/- per head of the population. Mr Mackenzie is at present visiting Greymouth in furtherance of the objects of the Sir Arthur Pearson Memorial Fund. Mr Clutha Mackenzie addressed a meeting of business people in the I Borough Council Chambers yesterday afternoon ami made a.u appeal .o them on behad of the Sir .Arthur Pearson ll’uud, the object ol which ts to assist all those afflicted through loss of slight. The. meeting accorded the speaker a very sympathetic hearing atnd passed the following resolution: ‘■That collectors Ire sent out to collect funds towards Creyniouth's q.,mw to the fund ami that the town be divided into blocks and thoroughly canvassed. At 7.30 p.m., Mr Mackenzie appealed to a meeting of the B< turned Sol- • liers for nssist:incr towards helping the blind ciVJia.n population, ol New Zealand. Mr MeKanc presided :.’iid introduced the speaker, explaining tb:i*l. he was not out to assist returned soldiers alone, but to ass>t all those in New Zealand who were aillicted by loss of sight. Hitherto the blind had not k*en, looked after as they should have been, and he (Mr MeKa.ne), hoped the siddiers would render Air rdackenzie any assistance ho may ask for to further advance tin* good work he was doing. Mr Mackenzie thanked the soldiers tor the welcome. In doing the work, he iolt he was returning to the civil popula uio'ii, somcthnig of wlmjt they did for the soldiers during tin- v. ar. Sir Arthur Ih'arson had assisted them greatly in this work, and he had soheted the help of the people ot other parts of the Empire. He asked the soldiers to (•o-cpeiate with him in the work. The fund he was woking lot’ was to be a memorial to Sir Arthur Pearson. It had been suggested that a levy of Is per head should I>e Imposed on th-.' returned solchcix and this suggestion was to bo considered a*t the cgiilcrenci* m June. Ill’s was the main point which concerned the returm-d siddie’s but lie wonk! en- ' linghten them in any other point they I wished. The local people hail a returned I soldier member and he (the speaker) would be pleased to assist him in cvery way possible in t!iis work. lie bad great respect lor liis comrades v. ith whom lie was associated during the war, and right through the whole piece he was never let down by one of them. There was a i< turned soldier rtcenlly iost his sight in a- blasting accident. Owing to the tact that the accident occurred in civilian cmpl» ymeiit, he d el not receikel com[X'li.satioii. There were certain funds for blind soldiers but apparently there i was no money lor a case like the one 1 mentioned. The fact that the accident occurred during Vl vil’:an employment should not debar him from partaking of some of the funds. In reply to Mr llyan, Mr Mackenzie said the blinded soldiers vc<e I being liberally treated at the present •time ami it was the general opinion that a.u increase in pension was nut necessary. It was inougnv mcn-e *<a- . visabie to allot funds to those whose 1 suffering from various iut-rnal vumplaints. Air 11. Trotdand moved a hearty 1 vote of thanks to Mr Mackenzie tor the good work ho is doing foi die bl'Bid soldiers throughout New Zealland. He also thanked him on behalf . of the l‘. A I The vol ■ was c.-rrieu, • Mr Mackenzie thnnked the meeting ! for the vote and said any assi.stimce they rendered would bi* heartily oppreciatid by tin- authorities concerned. PUBLIC MEETING. I I | Mr Mackenzie addressed a. public meeting in the Town Hall larst evening, where there was a: ianry targe attendance. i The Mayor (Mr J. I). Lynch) presided and in introdm rug .Mr MackenI zie said the object of his visit to the Coast was to assist the Sir Ar- ■ thur Pearson Alemorkd Fund. Mr Mackenzie had lost his sight during ! the fight at Gallipoli, and instead of I looking at the black sick' oi tb.'ngs. had taken up the work on behalf of his fellow sufferers. Through mi.s fortune there often came to great deal of good and as a result ot" Mr M.ackciizie s misfortune the blind people oi New Zealand as well as in other ts of the world, had benefited to a gi'cit extent. The quota expec.ed Greymouth towards the assistance of i the blind peojilc amiuuntea to C2SC ior about Is per head or the popukn I tion. He welcomed Mr Mackmizit' ic the Coast a.nd wished him success in his campaign. I Mr T .E. Y. Seddon, M.P., s. id I that at the Anzac Day celebrations I sonic of the speakers had tric'd to convey to thp minds of the people some . of the sufferings of the blind people ’ a’nd those who took part in the war. The people could realise more* vividly now that they had seen Mr Macken-

zie who had had the misfortune to lose his sight in the war. When lie had first met Mr Mackenzie he was astounded to sec? how cheerfully lie was bearing his affliction and he felt ashamed of the wav the. hoys bad grumbled at the* trivial inconveniences in the trenches. The cheerful spirit had p redo in mated with Air Mackenzie right through his affliction. The speaker outlined several incidents of Air Mackenzie’s war service and told how he had been an example to others who were similarly a.fflicted. The work that Mr Mackenzie was undertaking was a creditable one ami if lie. aecompushed his object lit' would have established a, great am.me for himself throughout New Zealamd. He Imped Greymouth would render him every possible assistance in the splendid work which he- wa-s doing. Air McKenzie, was received with applause, and in his opening remarks thanked the mec'ting for the warmT.i of their welcome to the Coast. It was unfortunate that on this, his first, visit, he should he asking for money. Speaking of the blind people* the* speaker said many people* had a very bad opinion of blind people and regarded them as human derelicts, and in some cases as semi-idiots. He quoted a number of amusing incidents of the proverbial “old lady” who always received a wrong impression of the* patients of St. Dunstan’s Hospital for the Blind in England. Years ago blind people were* compelled io look after themselves and in most cases would gain a living by begging in the street or selling matches etc. ’Those insti- | tutes which had been established were* ‘ of a cold unsympathetic nature', and I when the* training was finished the patients were simply turned out with no prospects of immediate employment. In 3912 Sir Autliur Pearson, who lost his sight owing to over pressure of work, i took up the work on behalf of the blind people. When he (Sir Arthur) • became allTicled his first intent was ' suicide, hut he soon realisc'd that by pa- ! ticiu'c* and perseverance lie could not 1 been taught to look on the lighter side of things. He- then outlined the daily routine of the patients in St. Dunstan’s only accomplish a great deal lor himself but could help his fcllowmen who | were similarly a.fl’lict*ed. He therefore • set to work and organised a. campaign | to help them and in a short space of I lime he had changed the whole world for the blind people. Then the outbreak of war occupied and Sir Arthur ! Pearson instituted St. Dunstan s’s Hospital, which was well known lor its i 1 reatnienf of blind soldiers; 2;.),000 I passed through the. institution during ; tin* war of" whom 23 were New Zealanders. The speaker continued that his own feelings during the first few i week of his affliction wen* ones of the utmost depression, but by the in- ‘ fluenve of Sir Arthur Pearson lie had I and described the various duties and pastinyes which were allotted to them. Alanv of them were now in good bilI lets earning £5 to £lO per week. Gen- ' oral and poultry farming were the two •lines of occupation which was gone I in for extensively. ’The gratitude of ; the New Zealand soldiers was extended j to Sir Arthur Pearson for the work I lie instituted and for th.* great good that had been accomplished as a result. ■ The speaker said he also wanted to express the gratitude of the soldiers | to the people of the Dominion for the I assistance they had given thur Pearson institution during the ! war. He pointed out however, that I there was no country in the world in which so little had been done for the • blind, as in New Zealand. No matter I how he is trained th.* blind man is | always at a certain disavantage when compared with his sighted competitoran.l the need of modern training for { tb*e blind people of New Zealand v as i very acute. The only institute in New I Zealand was in Auckland where very in--1 adequate education was being provid- | ed for the patients, and no encouragement was given them after they were I trained. The institution was of the pre- ! Pearson type and was in need of some system to modernise its methods and to | reorganise it throughout. j To remedy the conditions at present existing in New Zealand, the speaker (•(Hitinned. an effort was being made to ■ raise funds and solicit the support of I the people, of the Dominion. t’omI mittees were to be set n[> in every possible district and the Comr.iittee would look after the interests of the locality. | To lose one ’s sight at the v a r in Di. | midst of battle was bud enough, but to lose it in one's <-wn home and many cases gradual’y. was infinitely worse, and nothing short of a tragedy. It. was essential to 11)0 welfare of those j people that something should be done Ho relieve their despondency and relieve, their relatives of a burden. The obI ject of the organisation for which he ■was working was to introduce up-)‘» date methods of training for the blind, on lines similar to those employed in England, and when the training is finished Io advertise the men throughout various districts and endeavour to place them in suitable positions. Many of the men became expert in the art oi massage treatment on account of the very sensitive touch - they acquired after the loss of sight. In Japan mastreatment was made a monopoly ' |(/ ,.’ thc Mimi. All classes of (he community were catered lor. 14e Lnt p 1 ! soiially schoolmasters clergymen,-editors I journalists, accountauts and many others in different branches of" life woo wen* thoroughly efficient as a result of training in a blind institution. The old blind people were not being forgotten, continued Mr ‘McKenzie, foi provision was i.icmg made for the establishment of a separate home in "hick old people could spend the remainder of their days happily instead of having to survive a miserable existence without any occupation to fill theft

leisure hours. For the women the work being taught was chiefly housework and shorthand ami typing work. Outlining some of his own personal experiences Mr McKenzie slated that blind people, after a time, acquired a scuse which may be described as a sense of: obstacle, and by the service oi this sense he could detect the presence of a lamp post in the siree; wneu within a distance of three or four feet. By this means many obstacles were accorded. Air Al(*l\(*nzie concluded by stating that, the object of the fund was briefly to so train the blind that they may be enabled to fill a useful [dace in the community and take part in the usual everyday pleasures that the norma! sighted person enjoyed. TTk* blind did not want charity or pity but wished for the. opportunity to go out and live an ordinary life. By instituting the fund they wore honouring the memory of Sir Arthur Pearson and enabling the good work he started to be carried on after him. He recognised that the people had been severely taxi'd for various objects recently but he wished to established a fund hero before the patience of the people gave out. At the conclusion of the address a resolution similar to that carried at the afternoon meeting was carried.. Air AX’. Ali'ldrum in proposing a vote of thanks to the speaker said he- had commanded the regiment with which Air AlcKenzie had served. He served as a trooper and it was only his bad luck that prevented him from rising to an exceedingly high ptace. He was never “on the mat’’ before his commander and was always cheerful and happy. On the day on which Air AlcKenzie received the wound which incapacited him from further service in the- war, one of the hottest fights in the Gallipoli campaign took place. The place he held in the hearts of New Zealand people at the present day was one worthy of the type of a young Now Zealander. The work in which he was engaged was a most worthy one, and he felt certain that the response would be a creditable one. The speaker wished him the greatest success in his object. He moved a hearty vote of thanks for according th-em the opportunity of assisting in the good work. Mr A. AlcKane seconded the resolution and referred to the little journal which was edited by Mr AlcKenzie, and circulated amongst the troops at. tire front. The appeal he had put forward | would, he felt sure strike the hearts of the people of New Zealand. The, resolution put by the Alayor was enrried with acclamation. Mr AlcKenie, feelingly replied and said lie fell deeply moved by the wormth of the welcome •extended to him. He was very'pleased to meet Colonel Meldum again alter the- service they hud seen together. Mr F. H. Denton is Secretary to the fumi and Mr Lassan, Alanager of the Bank of New Zealand, Treasurer. During the evening vocal items ware provided bv Miss Alathieson and Al.essrs T. Clark and Smith. Aliss D. Brebuei played piano ac( oiiipanients. Mr Mackenzie proceeds to Westport this morning and will deliver addresses there on similar lines to tbo One reported.