THE SALVATION ARMY'S INEBRIATES' HOMES.

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 12856, 12 December 1912, Page 4

THE SALVATION ARMY'S INEBRIATES' HOMES.

GOMMXSSIiaNER EIOAUDS UNTER-

VIEWED

(Per Press Association.) ; AtJOKIiAND, Dec. 11. Should inebriates' homes iat ElQioroav and Plabatoa Islandsremiain uoidesr, the control of tihe iSalva/tion Army or .be* taken Oiver by the State?- ia la question, which was^elorired to by a "Star" reponter. tonday to lOomimissiioner Rich-ards,,-.-who is on a brief visit to Auckland and yesterday soenrt the dia.v art the aslandls. "There can h& (but. one opinion among people who know the inne* 'working of the institutions," (replied (Commissioner Richards, with deW conviction. "Iff the iState takes it over it will become at once a prison. Oan i* be loltfoervrtise? Can. the State man anfything of thiait kind, except" under eitriafc regulations?, Then if you take our sMe of the qnieetion, dffc (amounts to this—all miir discipline—and *we of clourße Juave1 diigciipiline—as•'lased on moral suasion; our islands axe inebriate hoanes, not oriminial homes, and t<ha.t we cLai'im is •a big faiotor in the treafaneat of ddpsomaniiacs, for our experience is that a, man who is sent there by a mlajgisifcna-te as a transgressor, no tmsi.titer hoiw sliglilfc the punitive intent aniay fbe, goestlxeire Avith «t oeiifcain feeling of a-eseaitimen^ and in a LaiTge nuimiber of cases nursies that sense of restraint, looking 'fomwam* not *o Jiis own", cure, ..but to .the tome when he shall >be released and free again. As for tihe complaints <we heard ot samfe monStlis ago, they «sa-me almoiat entarely from men of criminal instincts whchiave been comimitted thare, in some oases, we suspect, because they were too troublesome elsewhere. They constituted a grave menace to t!he success of our. effoa-ts on .legitimate piatienjts, and when .we put our aaigumewts before the Government, the ft>r,de of them was at onice appreciated, iandftihose men were removed. I believe fourteen ot those men ar© in prison .at fihfe present time. We shrauld regret handing it over very mudi, but if it is thought that th© Salvation Annrv .hias (run this institution anto Buch a. Icomdiltion thait IS rJT I'^^^ lon^ quired, and wJ xt Stais n oan 7 on *he. work batter thian. w6,..d0, iye ih&ve mo wis-h to stand .raj&e.yway, I onuat add, hmever that it is our opinion thia* % cannot foe run (better." ~■ * •