ANOTHER PUBLIC SCANDAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1455, 13 January 1887, Page 3

ANOTHER PUBLIC SCANDAL.

A fortnight or so ago it became our duty to call attention to the r!^graceful condition of the Ashburt6?n Old Men's Home, which we characterised as a public scandal, and we are glad to see that 'he matter has since been taken up by the correspondents of our Christchurch morning contemporaries, who have corroborated the facts stated m the article referred to, and have joined us m insisting upon the necessity for a remedy for so disgraceful a state of affairs. We trust that the matter will receive the attention of the members for the district and also of the Government, and that provision will be made at the forthcoming session of the General Assembly for the erection of a new building. The case of the Ashburton Home is, however, we see, not the only one to be provided for, a? while our case is bad enough, Auckland presents even a worse one m that of the condition of its Lunatic Asylum. From a report of the quarterly visit of the Official Visitors of that institution, which is published m the Ne7c> Zealand Herald, we find that the Asylum now contains the immense number of 359 lunatics, accommodated m two separate buildings situated a mile apart from each other. Everything was found clean, and the institution appeared to be very quiet and orderly, and the Visitors give great credit to the medical superintendent'(Dr Cremonini) and staff. But here commendation begins and ends, for — to quote from the New^ Zealand Herald's report— "The Visitors expressed themselves very strongly about the inadequate provision for the female patients m the Asylum, and they feel sure that, if the people of Auckland only realised the misery which the parsimony of the Government entails on some of the women, they would bind themselves under a spell to wring from the Government immediate and ample accommodation. Some of the poor, distracted women are obliged to sleep m solitary dark holes or cells, infested with rats, and ventilated only by the knocking of one brick out of the wall. If the rats were not surfeited with the refuse about the place, they would be positively dangerous to the women. It is most certain that if men shut cows or horses m such places they would be sentenced to imprisonment, without the option of a fine, for cruelty to animals, but as the sufferers m this instance are only madwomen, the Government seems callous. It is quite true a new wing is commenced, but it will be a year before it is ready; and m the meantime the present arrangement is a disgrace to our manhood, our civilization, and our religion. At any cost, a temporary structure should be run up, and properly furnished for th"c poor women. Dr Cremonini is not m the least to blame for this matter, because he simply cannot do impossibilities. Throughout the whole Asylum the women are worse provided for than the men ; their dinner-tables are of the very meanest and roughest description ; one of their large dining-rooms is like a coarse barn ; the laundry, where they do all the washing for 359 inmates, is so inadequate that the foul bed linen has to be washed m the same place and at the same time as the table linen. The Visitors say they are sure such a state of things could not have continued if the Auckland people had really known the state of affairs. To give another instance they mention that m the women's bedroom or dormitory, instead of having suitable chamber utensils, they have only three iron buckets for about twelve patients. The women's padded room is j said to be one of the most miserable I apologies for a padded room ever invented, while for about 200 males there is no padded room at all, and no exercise yard by which the convalescent patients can enjoy quiet relaxation away from noisy ones. These and other matters will form the substance of a report to the Colonial Secretary, and we must say that we think it will be the duty of our members of Parliament to see that proper attention is paid to the report." We entirely concur with the Herald, m that opinion, and we go further and say that such a condition of things as occurs m connection with the Ashburton Old Men's Home and the Auckland Lunatic Asylum is not a matter which calls for the interference of the local members only, but which demands redress at the hands of every member of the Legis- \ lature.