MENTAL DEFECTIVES.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 222, 19 September 1928, Page 9

MENTAL DEFECTIVES.

SYStEM OF REGISTRATION. IMPORTANT CHANGES. . EXPERT INQUIRY NEEDED. . (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Tuesday. Tie jlental Defectives Bill has emerged from the Public Health Committee with a number of important changes. The committee took evidence extensively, witnesses including Mr. T. B. Strong (Director of Education), Professor Shelley (Canterbury College), T. A. Hunter (professor of philosophy and psychology at Victoria College), Mr. T. Beck (superintendenf of the Child Welfare Department), Mr. F. L. Combs (who, as senior Vice-president of the Xew Zea land Teachers' Institute, was delegated by the executive to express its views), Mr. B. L. Dallard (Controller-General of Prisons and chief probation officer), Mr. Wm. H. Gould (professor of education, Victoria University College), Sir Donald McGavin (a member of the Prisons' Board and member of the Mental Defectives Committee of 1927), Dr. Ada Pater-

son (director of the School of Hygiene division), Dr. fl. D. Hayes (medical superintendent of Porirua Mental Hospital), Dr. T. G. Gray (Inspector-General of Mental Hospitals). The extension of the term "mentally defective person" in the original bill has been amended to read, "class of persons socially defective—that is persons who suffer mental deficiency, with anti-social conduct, and who, by reason of euch mental deficiency and conduct, require supervision for their pwn protection, or in the public interest." The constitution of the special board t<s have supervision over mental defectives thus defined remains -substantially the same, except that the committee has deleted specific representation of social service organisations. Special Clinics Proposed. I An additional object of the board set out in a new clause empowers it to make provision for the establishment of such psychological clinics as may be necessary, each under the immediate direction of a qualified psychiatrist. A clause has been deleted which directed compilation of. a register of mental defectives, but there remains an obligation the director of education to. inform the chairman of the board) regarding .children , suffering from niental"*developnient, deficiency,

ur epilepsy. The degree of retardation to be officially ijoted is three years. li> relation to the mental development of the normal child the chairman of the board is required to have investigation of each case by an psychological clinic, and may also require investigation similarly of any other person in respect of whom representations from any reputable so'urce may have been received that such person is mentally defective. it nvYVY be the duty oi the psyc~t making investigation to report whether the person concerned is mentally defective, it' so, whether classification is as an idiot, imbecile, feeble minded, epileptic, or socially defective. On receipt oi this report the 'board shall decide whether to .enter the same on the register of mental defectives, and, in making tins decision, a new provision stipulates that the majority must include three members who are medical practitioners. The power of appeal is amended to enable registration to be suspended in case of appeal to the Supreme Court until the decision had been confirmed by a judge in chambers. \ The committee has not altered the clause which prohibits marriage between persons registered as mental defectives, but it has made a slight technical addition to the sterilisation clause, also adding a provision that any decision of the board to enforce this clause cannot be acted upon unless three medical members favour the decision

When the report was presented, the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Holland), admitting that he did not know ths contents of the report, stated that unless the committee had made some radical alterations in some sections of the bill it would be wiser to allow the measure to stand over till next session. Some proposals of the bill were so drastic that they could not be dealt with in adequate fashion within the few short weeks of (the Hie oi the present Parliament. Mr. Girling (chairman of the committee), in replying, stated that it would be best for members to peruke the report before speaking , . The bill wae set down for committal next sitting day. I