PROBLEM OF THE FEEBLEMINDED.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17067, 27 July 1917, Page 2

PROBLEM OF THE FEEBLEMINDED.

WHAT IS BEING DONE.

(Feom Ode Owk Cobbespondent.) WELLINGTON, July 26. In replying to a question on the subject the Hon. J. A. Hanan (Minister of Education) said that, as the result of recent investigations, it had '' been iound that there were at least 600 feeble-minded young people under 21 years of age in the dominion. Ihe question of the feeble-minded was receiving attentive consideration. It was becoming moro and more generally . recognised that from its ranks the criminal element in the population was extensively recruited. It was also well known that illegitimate Dirths were numerous among feeble-minded, women, that inebriate habits were common among such people, and that generally the subnormal individual was a serious menace to society. In the protection of itself society mnst segregate and care for such unfortunate people for life. Feeble-minded children might be divided into two classes— those who were capable of receiving training and instruction, and oustodial cases who were of a low grade of intelligence and could not be trained to any extent The Education Department could be concerned only with the cases whose education was possible, while the oustodial cases should be taken oharge Vaf by the mental hospitals. Unless the question was dealt with at the present juncture there seemed no doubt that in the near future the problem would become quite beyond control. Under the agency of the Education Department, about 150 cases had already been selected and admitted to the special school for boys at Otekaike or to the special school for girls at Richmond. The remaining cases were being examined and classified as quickly as possible with the present limited staff. The number of inmates in the institutions referred to was being steadily increased. When a full classification had been made there would be a need for extending tho present facilities, particularly for girls, since not only were they in greater need of protection than the boys, but because the results of neglecting to. provide for them were more serious., Too much should not be expected in the way of improvement by means of the training given in the special schools. The most that could bo expected was that ttieir health and happiness might be improved under the special conditions tho schools offered, and that whatever intelligence they might have might be maintained, and in some cases somewhat developed. In addition to this, the ohildren might be trained in such occupations as carpentry, dairy work, domestic wonk, boot mending, mat and basket-making, and similar forms of manual work, and become useful in to themselves, assisting others in the institutions, reducing the amount of attendance required to bo provided, and profitably using any powers of body and mind they might possess. He regretted that there was no special school for cripples, epileptio, and oiker abnormal children. It was impossible, as a general rule, to yield to many pathetic applications for the admission of such children to the schools for_ the feeble-minded, where an undue variety of types would tend to disorganise the special work for whirih these schools had _ been established. The provision of special institutions of a custodial character in connection with the mental hospital system, whereby tiho most distressing cases of feeblemindedness might be transferred from ordinary homes, and the dangers so far reduced of the propagation of this form of feeble-mindedness by hereditary means, would be appropriately the snecial concern of the Minister of Public Health, with whom he Mr Hanan) would be glad to discuss tho matter.