THE BLIND.

Grey River Argus, 7 June 1922, Page 8

THE BLIND.

SIDE TRACKING PENSION MOVEMENT. Lately Mr C. McKenzie M.P., wiis here ou a collecting campaign for the blind. This movement is actually sidetracking the movement to provide pen sions for the blind. Some 1- mouths ago a number of blind people canavassed for signatures to a petition ::sking the Government to pass legislation providing for pensions for the blind. Roughly 20,000 signatures were secured. When it was presented to Parliament Mr W. Perry, M.P., took occasion to call upon the Government to accede to the request. His appeal was unavailing, the Government pleading that it ad no money. Mr Massey must have been thinking of the war he sees looming up half a century hence! One organiser of the petition was Miss M. Bunton, who, before the agitation started, was, an inmate of the Jubilee Home for the Blind in Auckland. Although she received permissioin to participate in this activity she was refused re-ad-mission to the homo on the completion of her work, and up till now she is still outside. In other words, the powers that be have victimised her. She is blind and is being kept by her copartner, Mr Bloomfield, the gentleman (also blind) who induced her to undertake responsibilities in the pensions movement, and who-no discredit to him—is forced to grind a barrel organ on the streets of Wellington to provide for his wife and family. A fow weeks ago Mr Bloomfield received a curt intimation from the Government that the petition had been refused. For the moment, this ends the matter. Three years of Mr Bloomfield's work and a goodly sum of his money spent on organising the petition have been as much as thrown into a bottomless pit. Attention is drawn to this matter bv the '“Maoriland Worker," which says what follows is to be read in the light of what has been done to Mr Bloomfield and Miss Bunton. A movement has lately been started with the Governor as Patron, Mr Massey as President, and Mr Clutha Mackenzie ns chairman, ostensibly to commemorate the late Sir A. Pearson. Mr McKenzie set out lately to release tins movement's aim, which is £lOO,OOO, the estimated revenue from which is £5,500 a year. The bulk of this £5,500 is to be spent as follows: — (1) Supervision, salary and expenses £1,150. (2) To set up ten blind people in homes mid businesses, £2,500. (3) Two students to England, £6OO. (4) Typewriters, tools, etc., for the use of the above, £250. (5) Maintenance of mentally deficient blind in separate home, £BOO. The "Worker” emphasises the big slice to go to the supervisor, saying that out of £5,300 to be spent yearly, no less than £1,500 goes in salary and expenses to a supervisor—about 22 per cent. The heavy supervisory expenses about all those charity concerns tend to encourage suspicions to their bona .'des. The next thing to which attention must be drawn is the inadequacy of the -roposals. There are 600 blind in New . ealand and Mr McKenzie says 25 more people go blind in Now Zealand every vear. Yet, apart from the mentally deficient blind, assistance from the Pearson Memorial Fund is only to be given to 12 persons annually, that is, to less than half of those who every year require provision. About £BOO allotted to the mentally deficient information is needed. Is it the intention of the organisers to pay this into the funds of the Jubilee Home, where several of the mentally deficient blind arc now quartered .’ The danger of the Pearson Memorial Movement is that when it accumulates its £lOO,OOO the people will have received the impression that everything necessary for the relief of the blind has been accomplished. And this is where the politician will come in. To all future agitation for pensions for the blind he will reply that the Pearson Memorial has made it totally unnecessary. The Pearson Memorial —a private charity device —will be used as a means of shuffling out of a public responsibility. Labour stands for pensions for the blind from the public funds. If the widow of a soldier or of a man who died during the influenza epidemic is entitled to a pension—and most decidedly she is—surely unhappy and helpless folk who are deprived of the precious gift of sight are also entitled to a pension.