DEFECTIVE CHILDREN

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7448, 24 May 1911, Page 1

DEFECTIVE CHILDREN

QUESTION OF MAINTENANCE LIABILITY OF CHARITABLE AID BOARDS. A letter was received at yesterday's meeting .of the charitable aid committee from tho Secretary of Education, drawing attention to sections 11 and 13 of the Education Amendment Act, 19X0, which enacts that parents of deaf, blind, feeble-minded and epileptic children shall provide them with education and training to the satisfaction of tho Minister of Education. If a parent is unable to provide such instruction the child may bo ordered to a special school and tho parent has to contribute 10s a towards its raaintcnouce and education. If the parent is unable to provide tho full coat of the maintenance, the deficiency, up to 8s per week, is payable to the Government by the Hospital and. Charitable Aid Board of _ the district wherein the child was resident prior to being admitted to the school. The existing special schools to which the Act applies aro:—The Jubilee Institute for the Blind, Auckland; the School for the Deaf, Sumner; and tne special cchool fori boys of feobie mind, Otekaiki, Oamaru. The question of providing ior feeble-minded girls and epileptics is at S resent under the consideration of the. overnment, the letter stated. TWO SURPRISES. "Two surprises are sprung upon us/* said tho Rev. W. A. Evans. ''First of all we are expected to make grants to all -private homes; and, secondly, this is thrown upon us/' Ho suggested, that the 1 committee should go ;to tbe Government and say that the committee conld not make the payment this year. The chairman, Mr J. W. McEwan, said he took it- that when Parliament passed the amendment of the law under discussion, making it mandatory for hospital and charitable aid boards to make up these shortages, the department ought to make the board acquainted with what was expected of it early in the year and not as late as was the case at present. The board was in the position of having .its estimates framed, and practically its finances were -settled tho year. But if it was mandatory on its part, to make up the shortages, it would have to be done* So far no account had. been made, to them. He. thought the committee ‘should-make an effort to ascertain tho “extent of its liability in the matter., -Mr McLaren moved in this direction, and the motion was carried. Xfc was also decided that tho Question .should be thV subject of,a remit to the annual conference of charitable aid boards.