MORAL IMBECILES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 11 July 1924, Page 5

MORAL IMBECILES.

INQUIRIES BY COMMISSION. CM ill ST C EUR C R INSTANCES. , (by TELEGRARH —PRES? ASSOCIATION.) CHRISTCHURCH, July 10. The commission of inquiry -into mental defectives and sexual offenders continued its sittings hero to-day. Evidence was given ny Dr. Crosbie, Sunnyside Mental Hospital, that there should he greater provision for dealing with moral imbeciles. The colony system had much to recommend it, as it allowed classification. There should be a separate, institution rr.r epileptics, as there was a bad atmosphere for them in a general hospital. Segregation seemed to be the only method of treatment of sexual perverts. Moral, imbeciles and women should be segregated and possibly sterilised. It would be ridiculous to try to segregate 10,000 people, but something might be done in boarding out, registration and keeping them under Government supervision. Dr. Loviugo said he did not think the time was ripe for drastic legislation such as was proposed in the scheme for complete segregation or operations.

Miss Edwards, manageress of the Christchurch Receiving Home, instanced ;.wo eases of the cost to the State of 'Maintaining feeble-minded families. In the first, in which there were eleven children, the cost was about £’lo,ooo and the father had contributed £6. In the second the father, mother and six daughters and 21 grand-children had cost up to the present £9358 10s against contributions of £482 18s.