MENTAL DEFECTIVES.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 June 1924, Page 7

MENTAL DEFECTIVES.

CHILDREN MADE USEFUL. SYSTEMS IN OTHER COUNTRIES. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, June 2. The establishment of special schools for the care and training of feeble-minded children, so that they may be prepared to perform useful work in the community, was advocated by witnesses before the defectives inquiry committee to-day. Mr. N. R. McKenzie, inspector of schools, Wellington, and late of British Columbia, said that from 1921 to 1923 he was in constant touch with the special classes for defectives on the other side of the Pacific. Idiots and imbeciles were not admitted to these classes, but were subjects for custodial institutions. Only the higher grade defectives were admitted. The money spent on these was a profitable investment. Owing to lack of foresight and self-restraint every feeble-minded person was a potential criminal, vicious person or pauper, and was thus a menace to the community. Suitable education might make them useful members of the industrial world, for they could do some kinds of work quite as well as normal persons, if properly supervised. In fact, they often developed manual skill of a high order.

GOOD MONEY EARNED. In 1921, 21 pupils left the Vancouver classes, and only one was a failure at work. The girls went into shops, where they received salaries ranging from 30s to £2 10s per week. The boys mostly learnt trades and farm work. Several, who were working at piece-work, were earning more than the usual wage. One girl earned £4 10s a week. In the United States between 2 and 3 per cent, of the population were defective mentally. Defectives increased twice as rapidly as the general population, and their children were usually defective. Mr. McKenzie suggested the segregation of the subjects in industrial colonies. The real danger began when primary schooling ended. He made a strong plea for the establishment of classes all over the country for the training of the feeble-minded children who could be educated. In regard to the really feeble in mind, authorities were completely opposed to the idea that they could be restored to normality.

DRASTIC SUGGESTION. Miss W. A. Valentine, specialist in the Stratford revision of the Binet-Simon intelligence tests, which she had been applying in New Zealand schools, detailed the results of her observations in the cases of 300 children since last October. One hundred had proved to be not feebleminded, but mentally inefficient or subnormal, a hundred others were so mentally defective that they could be classed as feeble-minded. Forty of this latter hundred would never be self-supporting. The remaining 60, with proper training, could b® made self-supporting. Seven per cent, of the children in Wellington schools were working two years behind the class they should be in for their age. Dr. Elizabeth Gunn said that parents who were unwilling to have remedial defects attended to should be compelled to do so. The State should take control. She recommended fihe establishment of special schools and segregation colonies for both males and females, and for those who gave no mental test at all “a quick and happy exit” by medical means.