BLINDED SOLDIERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21968, 27 November 1934, Page 10

BLINDED SOLDIERS

EMPIRE CONFERENCE USEFUL SERVICE RENDERED DESIRE TO HELP CIVILIANS After attending an Empire blinded soldiers' conference in Melbourne and visiting civilian organisations for the blind in Melbourne and Sydney, Mr. Clutha Mackenzie, director of the New Zealand Institute for the Blind, returned to Auckland by the Monowai yesterday. "The blinded soldiers' conference was a great success," said Mr. Mackenzie. "The main subjects discussed were Government provision for blinded soldiers in the different parts of the Empire, and the training and employment of blinded soldiers to enable them to play their part in the community. "Warm appreciation was expressed by the conference of the manner in which Governments as a whole had treated the blinded soldiers. The only direction in which it was felt that the position could be improved was that there should be more liberal provision for the widows and orphaned children of blinded soldiers. The general view was expressed that blinded soldiers had been generously treated and that, having had the benefit of training and employment and having had a wide experience of blindness, they should do all in their power to assist the civilian blind, who are much less fortunate than themselves.

"The conference noted with pleasure the splendid manner in which blinded soldiers throughout the world are playing useful parts as normal citizens and are doing a great deal of social service work," said Mr. Mackenzie. He added that New Zealand had also been represented at the conference by Mr. R. E. Selby, honorary secretary of the New Zealand Commercial Travellers' Blinded Soldiers' Fund, an organisation which had dors magnificent service for New Zealand blinded soldiers ever since they returned from the war.

"Speaking br6adly, the work for the civilian blind in Australia is not of the same standard as that in New Zealand," said Mr. Mackenzie. "The principal disadvantage under which the work labours there is that in each State it is divided among several organisations, which are not always on the most friendly terms. However, efforts are being made to unify the work in Australia under one control.*"'