Summer School for Deaf Mutes.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5337, 15 August 1895, Page 2

Summer School for Deaf Mutes.

♦ Thoje who are interested in the edncation of the- deaf and dumb will find encouraging and suggestive matter in the annual report on the Sumner Institute, which wai laid on the table of the House of Representatives on Tuesday by the Minister of Education. This report shows thai; the cxoellent in* stitntion referred to is rising is popular estimation, as may be judged from the faot that the number of pupils In* creased from 89 to 45 during the paat year. Of this total 26 are boys and 19 girls, but with the addition of an adult lady who if attending for the purpose of learning lip* reading only, the total is increased to 46. The children come from the different districts of the colony in the following pro* portions :— Otago 10, Canterbury 14, Westland 3, Wellington 12, Hawke's Bay 1, Auckland 6. The net cost of the institution, last year was J83147 7a lOd, whioh exceeded that of 1893 by about £135. The grossexpenditure was £3252 12s Ed, the difference between that amount and the net cost being made up by parents' contribu* tions, which totalled £105 4s 7d. The items of expenditure are as follows — Salarieß of professional Btaff £107608 4d, domestic staff £475 13s lOd, rent £470, housekeeping £879 10s sd, travelling expenses £119 15s Id, school material (in* eluding meanß for technical instruction)'' £18 10a Id, repairs £98 8s lOd and sundries £114 18s lOd. We notice two items here that call for comment. One is the small proportion that the parents' contributions bear to the cost of the school. This shows that this particular form of instruction is practically free to the publio of the colony. The other item £470 for rent, is one that . ought not to recur again. There are Government buildings, such as the Lyttelton Orphanage, that might be made available for the purpose, and if that is not possible it would be a wise eoonomy to erect a new building on a suitable Bite. Mr Van Asoh, the director of the Sumner Institute, states in his report dated May 25 last that the school year of 1894 was characterised by having contributed " the finest and most even batch of new-oqmers since the opening of the school?' He dwells upon the importance of having deaf children sent early to the school and left at it fora sufficient number of years, and he urges the parents of afflicted children not to neglect taking advantage of the splendid provision made by the Government for the education of every deaf mute either wholly or partially from the Consolidated Fund. Further mention is made in the Director's report of the particular oase of the hearing boy referred to in the last report, who, though not an imbeoile, has great difficulty in learning to pronounce words, and make use of ordinary language. Any progress that he has made has been attained by purely technical treatment. He showß no aptitude to imitate the sounds he hears or to employ ordinary child language, but' simply learns by means of visible lip instruction. The elder boys are making good progress in the use of tools. Several of them last year made a new gate required for the school grounds without other assistance than that of a master making the measurements. Dr Frins, reporting as medical officer to the institution, draws attention to the fact that the school iB now full, and urgeß the Government to take into consideration the necessity for increasing the accommodation for the pupils and servants. This, added to the financial consideration which we have mentioned, ought to Bfioure prompt aotion on the part of the authorities. Dr Prins has a word 6f praise for the master and matron. They are, he says, "indefatigable in their efforts to amuse and make the pupils happy and comfortable, and seem, to have cordial assistance from the other offloials." This part of the report is, at any rate, highly Bati 8 factory.