FUND FOR THE BLIND.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16732, 13 May 1922, Page 7

FUND FOR THE BLIND.

TO TUB EDITOR. ® lr » It lias been the cause of muoh regret to me that a political discussion should, have turned upon the Pearson Memorial Fund, which has been initiated largely by the New Zealand blinded soldiers to provide proper training and guardianship of their blind civilian compatriots. The soldiers realise what thorough training and establishment have meartt for them, and now, in order to honour their old chief. Sir Arthur leaison, they wish to make the same facilities available for the neglected blindrof the Dominion. .The point under discussion is largely what the Government should have done in the post, or should do in the future. A pension should have been granted long ago, for a blind person, whether or not thoroughly trained in one or other of the available trades, is always at some disadvantage to the sighted competitor, and a pension can to a certain degree counterbalance this disability. But a pension is by no means everything to the blind. ~ If it had been there would have been no necessity f or Sir Arthur Pearson > s Kreafc work among the blinded soldiers, who have most liberal pensions. Thorough training and a general guardianship on the completion of training are the great keys to the happiness and the economic usefulness of the blind man or woman. The Government has very considerably assisted in the past the efforts which have been made in this direction, but naturallv the old organisation is of the re-Pearson tvpe—inadequate, out of date, and achieving a limited result. Neither the people of New Zealand nor the Government have knowti how to go about modern training and supervision of the blind ; they have been waiting a lead, and now that it has come both people and Government are backing it wholeheartedly. Tt is my own personal opinion that much better and speedie*results will be obtained by the Government adding its subsidy of 24 s to the £ to private contributions of the public, its administration to be carried out by joint representatives of Government and people, than by the Government taking over entirely the supervision and training of the blind, when the result would no doubt be coldly institutional and mediocre. The splendid contribution of the City Council of Christchurch will be a magnificent lead in other provinces and towns. From what I have seen, during my present lecturing tour, of many blind people, numbers of whom T had not previouslv heard, of, T must stress over and over again the necessity and the urgency of such a modern organisation as we propose, and on behalf of the hundreds of my fellow-countrymen and women who are spending their lives in unhappy unoccupied darkness. f appeal to ?nur readers to contribute most generously to the fund. T am, etc., Ci/otha N. Mackenzie.