NOT APPROVED

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3098, 31 May 1917, Page 6

NOT APPROVED

PATRIOTIC SOCIETY'S

SCHEME FOR PURCHASE OF "NAINAI" ESTATE MINISTER SAYS IT IS UNNECESSARY. The Minister of Public Health (the Hon. G. W. Russell) does not approve of the scheme of the Wellington Patriotic Society to purchase the property of the late Mr. John Duthie, now owned by Mr. AV. H. George, for the purpose of establishing near Wellington a home for soldiers returning irom the war suffering from mental afflictions caused by their war service. He made a statement on the subject to a DOMINION reporter yesterday. "My attention, has been called to a. proposal brought before the AVellington' Patriotic Society for the purchase of a property at the Hutt for tho mental treatment of soldiers," said Mr. Russell. "In the course of the newspaper report of the meeting it is 6aid that the schemo has the endorsement of medical men and of medical officers of the Public Health Department. The responsible officers of the Health Department inform me that they have made no communication to the above effect. Neither do 1. think it is desirable nor necessary that another establishment should be set up for tho treatment of soldiers affected mentally as the result of service in the war. At the institutions under the control of the Government now there are in all 23 men so afflicted—ll are at the Karitane Home at Puketeraki, near Dunedin, six being members of the Force and five discharged men, eiglit are at Seacliff, two soldiers and six discharged men, and four at Avondale, one soldier and three discharged men. It will therefore be seen, and I make the remark with great thankfulness, that the total number of men in institutions of tho sort is comparatively small. The problem of how to deal with men suffering from neurasthenia, shell shock, and other forms of mental trouble has been closely grappled with bv the Government ever since the return of the first men from the front. Two institutions are now available for men entirely outside of the mental hospitals. They are the Karitane Home at Puketeraki, and the AVolfe Home, contiguous to the mental hospital at Avondale. The men in these homes .are given the utmost liberty. At Karitane thev enjoy fishing, boating, walking, and 'other forms of exercise and recreation, and they are under the care of specially selected men who have had long experience, and the patients have practically none of the restraints of an or-, dinar'y mental hospital. The same applies to the Wolfe Home. It lias | been the desire of the Department right through to prevent in every possible way soldiers being placed in mental hospitals proper, and every care is beinj taken of them in the endeavour to restore thein to full mental health at tho earliest possible moment. I am pleased to say that the scheme has succeeded admirably.

"With the institutions already in existence, it seems to me quite unnecessary that another should established in 'AVellington. There arc very manyother uses to which the money of patriotic people can be devoted to help our soldiers. As the circumstances develop, specialisation in different directions may become necessary for the purpose of classifying patients, but up till tie present the number of case 3 that have occurred requiring institutional treatment is so small that tho necessity for specialisation has not yet presented itself as it will when the bulk of the men return to New Zealand.

"[ cannot see my way as at present advised to agree to tho establishment of a mental institution at the Hutt, and would suggest to the promoters of the idea that some other object, more necessary and of more'benefit, should bo found fon this property if it is determined to buy it.

''While on this subject I should like to say that_ 1 think a large portion of the expenditure which has been and is being devoted to tho establishment of soldiers' clubs might with great advantage be spent in more practical directions. While we all desire to see every comfort given to our soldiers, I think that the expenditure of funds in a way ■which tends to isolate these moil from other portions of the community is. not desirable. "What we all wish to see is that the men should as speedily as possible after their return become absorbed into the general population, and this is not likely to be done ■while there are special soldiers' clubs. As regards soldiers' hostels, while the war is on there can be no two opinions. The desirability of these institutions is evident, and probably after the war is over these institutions may profitably be used for the housing of soldiers under strict classification."