THE INEBRIATES' HOME

Otago Witness, Issue 2623, 22 June 1904, Page 15

THE INEBRIATES' HOME

yiSIT TO THE OBOKONUI ESTATE.

INVESTIGATION OF CHARGES AGAINST THE HOME.

On Friday, 10th, the Hon. A. Pitt, the -A cting-Micister in chr.rgo of charitable institutions, visited the Inebriates' Homo at Waitati, spending a full day in inspecting the estate and the quarters of the patients. Tho honourable gentleman was accompanied by Dr Gault (superintendent of the Home), Dr Truby King (medical superintendent of Seacliff Asylum), and a representative of the Daily Times. The Homes — on© for men and tins other for women — and the estate at one time formed tho Orokonui College residence and grounds, and comprise some 900 acres, a considerable portion of which is covered with native bush, together with some selfsown patches of red, blue, and silver gum trees. The upper portion of the estate comprises a. considera-blo area ol open tussock land, capable of carrying a fair number of stock onc9 the place is' properly fenced, ilvteh of the land might be cultivated. A portion of it has already carried fair crops of oats, and there are several patches now yielding first-clflss vegetables. A wator race, a "mile in- length, runs from a fine creek at the head of tho estate to the rear of the buildinps. and is capable of affording a supply of about 200,C00gal of excellent water daily. This supply will be delivered by means of pipes which are now on the ground. In the meantimo, the small temporary pipes deliver ample for bathing and household purposes. When the estate was purchased about three years ago by Dr Iving, on behalf of the Government, for tho purpose of an inebriates' home, the grounds and the building now used as the men's home had fallen sadly into neglect, but with characteristic energy Dr King, v;ho was then acting as superintendent of tho Home, sent a detachment of the saner and more capable patients from Seaciiff Asylum to improve matters, and so well did they carry out tho plans set for \hem that in a remarkably short tim>e the place wa3 almost in perfect order again. The road Xeading to tho estate from the main road was improved. Some steep grades were cut away, and a convenient quarry was opened on the roadside to supply metal, not only to the portion improved by the workers, but also to a long stretch of road which they made up the gully and through tho ■heart of the estate. This extension took a route diff crjent from that projected by the original holders, its new course being along a siding which lies nicely to the siin. Another important improvement was tho subsoil draining cf nrtfch of the laud, especially in the immediate neighbourhood of thehouses. A stable that stood at the rear of the men's Koine was removed. Both Homes were completely refitted as regards drainage, closet accommodation, baths, lavatories, and ventilation, and' othe-r structural alterations were made, such as the subdivision of dormitories into cubicles, the. provision of additional windows, and the carrying of a balcony round the front to serve as a fire escape and promenade. To give better light at the bead of the- stairs cne room waa turned into a. passage-way, leading to the balcony. Floors were supplied with felt and linoleum, other improvements wore made, and altogether lh& place was transformed into an abode that was comfortable and suitable in every way for its purpose. An addition was made to the Viomeu s home at a cost of about £400; the total cost of the additions, alterations, and repairs being 5800. Garden plots were- laid out, and it was -Dr King* intention to undertake other improvements, Taut his plans were cut short on the withdrawal of the men from tho various works to which they had b&en set. Some of the male patients it s^ems, objected to the .presence of the Asylum patients about the grounds, and it- was therefore decided to withdraw them, and so remove ail cause for complaint on that scon 3 . That happened about a year ago, and from that date to the present the improvement of the grounds has not proceeded at the former pace. When Dr King retired from the position of superintendent of the Horn©, Dr Gault, who was appointed in his place, continued the work to some extent, adding to the orchard which had been previously planted, extending the vegetable garden, etc. ; but as little labour was provided for carrying on the woi'k, or even for keeping the already improved grounds in order, things have gone back considerably since the retirement of the Asylum workers. A large part of the improvement made at the Home recently has been done by the gardener. ' In brief, this gives the position of the Home and its surroundings as they appeared at the tim© of Mr Laurenson' s visit •iast month. The complaints that that gentleman made are well known, and the endorsements that his statements have received are also matters of quite recent date, wherefore there is no need to repeat them, liere. It was with tho object of ascertaining how far the various complaints could he substantiated, and generally to inspect 111 5 condition of the Honic anil the grounds, that our reporter sought for, and obtained without demur, the permission, of the Minister to accompany him on his visit.

The first portion of the estate visited was that at the rear of the men's home, where the septic tank is located. As stated by the Hon. Mr Pitt, in his reply to the inmates, no offensiveness was found about the tank, and not the least smell was noticeable, while the effluent was quito clear. The "supplies," of which Mr Laurenson spoke, were then inspected. • The statement made by the member for Lyttelton was that "he had seen bedsteatls, baths, brass eastings, and other fittings lying .rusting in the yards." One bath only i 3 in sight, and it is under cover, and is suffering no daniago pending its removal to Seacliff Asylum. The brass castings consist of some taps and bolts, which are in the best condition. The thrown-away bedstead is an old iron bedstead of a discarded type, •which came originally from the Dunedin Asylum, and was merely used temporarily as a makeshift by one of the Soacliff patients. There are iron pipes lying near a shed, but over a year ago they were thoroughly tam-d, ontej'l© and ir>, by boirg toilfrd in a tar bath by U.« Sc-ocliff vvork..>is, and, though they have lain ever since in the open, they are none the worse of it, and they would have been used before today if the schemes contemplated at that time had been carried out. Taking the four items of which Mr Laurenson made particular mention— the castings, the bath, \he water pipes, and the bedstead^— the

first three are quite intact and in perfect order, and tb.o last-named is discarded and practically valueless. The outbuilding, in which a consumptive was lodged for a time, was not used until some degree of comfort had been provided for the patient, s and the man, it is said, expressed his entire satisfaction with the accommodation. The water race is not attended to as it ought to bo, and weeds are growing in it, but the water is clean. Besides, it is filtered after it leaves the race. At several places, where leaks occurred in the race, spade marks pointed to design on the part of some maliciously-disposed person rather than to breaks caused by tho water. The garden around the women's home is in the best of order, due mainly to tho efforts of the gardener. One plot, nicely laid out with flowers and shrubs, is attended solely by one of the female patients. The stable-, to which reference has been made by a complainant, is situate nearly 100 yards from the hou&ei, but its drainage is provided for, being carried across a roadway into a gully. There is no ofFensiveness about the place. The women's home is scrupulously clean, the female patients doing the work required of them without complaint. The matron

(Miss Thomson) hesitates not to lead the way in any task, no matter what it may be, and tho inmates follow her good example. They work on a system with benefit to themselves and to the institution.

A visit to the men's quarters showed that, taken altogether, things are very comfortable. The patients have a large dining room, a fine smoking room, and a spacious billiard room. The bedrooms, large and small, are airy and comfortable. Some of the Ventilators were stuffed up with cloths, because, the men allege, there i 3 a down draught from them. As far as their contention on that point goes, tho authorities are all against such draughts being produced by the ventilators in use at the home. Precisely the same type of ventilator is in use at the home for women, and none of these were closed. Tho fire escapes are easy of access from any room, 'and are substantial and easier of, descent than those of any hotel in the city. The closets are built out in a balcony, and the method of ventilation ensures any offensiveness being carried away from the building. The question of work about the institution presents two aspects — what work is there to be done, and what number of men are capable of doing the work? In answer to the first question it is apparent that there are many branches of work that might bo underak&n to improve the estate. There is additional gardening work that might be put in hand. It would result in greater economy of management and in improving the appearance of the grounds. Much might be done in the way of planting forest trees. Cutting firewood and clearing away gorse would also be beneficial tasks. All kinds of fai-m work might be undertaken, and, in addition, five miles of fencing are required. The Minister, in meeting the patients, put the position plainly when he said that work is an essential part of the treatment. It is necessary that the inmates should work to get out of their liabits of Eslf -indulgent idleness. How many men are capable of doing the work? Some of the work is arduous, and . though tho inmates would' be expected to work only from 9 a.m. to noon and from 2 p.m. to 4.30 p.m., the majority are physically incapable of doing a hard day's work. Seventeen men attended the interview with tho Minister, and out of that number there are four who might bo pufc to the hardest work. There are eight, or perhaps nine, ivho could do light work, and there are four or five who are past work, even of the lightest character. Under these circumstances it is certain that even under a compulsory system of work comparatiffly little improvement could be effected on the estate, and until something is done to keep tho place in order things must go back and fall very far short of the orderliness they had assumed when the asylum sta*f discontinued operations last year. It is only right to state that at present four of the men do work of- a useful kind. Three or four others do amateur carpentry, woodwork, or picturepainting, or engage in come other light occupation; and tho majority indulge in wa'ks m fine weather, but the exercise is not such as the management would prescribe to strengthen them physically and benefit their general bodily and mental health. Such matters as management and discipline do not come within the scope of this article —in fact, that phase of the question has already been dealt with in a preliminary way in these columns.