BLIND INSTITUTE

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1075, 12 September 1930, Page 8

BLIND INSTITUTE

NO RECOMMENDATION ON ALDIS PETITION REPRESENTATION ON BOARD THE SUN’S Parliamentary Reporter WELLINGTON, Thursday. No recommendation was made by the A to L Public Petitions Committee in the House of Representatives today upon, the petition of Morton Aldis, of Auckland, who sought an amendment to the constitution of the Jubilee Institute for the Blind, so that there might be a representative of the blind on the board of trustees. The committee gave as its reason for making no recommendation that the Government intended providing for represenation on the board. "When the report was received, Mr. A. Harris (Reform —Waitematai said that petitioner was sincere In his desire that the blind should have some representation. Last year his petition on the same subject had been recommended for favourable consideration, and, had petitioner known that it was intended to make one of the Governor-General’s nominees on the board a representative of the blind, he might not have presented it this year. However, petitioner desired more than one direct representative of the inmates of the institute on the board of nine. “ONE NOT SUFFICIENT” Mr. W. E. Parry (Labour —Auckland Central) also recommended the Government to take action in respect of the petition, and congratulated petitioner upon his success in gaining at least one representative of the blind on the board. One was not {sufficient, however, and Mr. Parry was glad U» see that the Government had opened the door to the appointment of more represents t i v c-s* Disapproval of tho recommendation of the committee was voiced b>’ Mr. H. Holland (Reform —Christchurch North), who claimed special interest in tho question, as he had been for some years chairman of the library committee for the blind in Christchurch. He did not believe that there should be a blind representative on the board, and there should be no more representatives of the inmates. Ever since Mr. Clutha Mackenzie had been appointed a member of the board and director of the institute. Aldis had had his knife into him, and had done everything possible to undermine his wortAt this stage Mr. Harris informed Mr. Holland that it was not desired to have a blind representative, but merely a direct representative of inmates. Mr. Holland said there must been a misunderstanding, and tinued that if the petition were act** upon in that respect it would have & very serious effect, and might th<: loss of several members of tni board. Representation of the blind i* Western Australia had worked disastrously. and even the blind were Support to the petition was given bv Mr. C. H. Chapman | Labour Wellington North), and the report vas» tabled.