THE ASYLUM ENQUIRY.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3047, 1 April 1881, Page 3

THE ASYLUM ENQUIRY.

SEVENTEENTH DAY'S PROCEEDINGS. THE CONCLUDING ADDEES3ES. The Eoyal Commissioners (Messrs E. Shaw, E.M., and W. W. Taylor and Jonas Woodward, J.P.s) appointed to enquire into the charges against the administration of affairs at the Mount View Lunatic Asylum held their final sitting at the R.M. Court on Tuesday afternoon. The proceedings commenced by the Commission calling upon Mr Edwards to address them on hehalf of the defence. In the course of his remarks, Mr Edwards said, in the first place, he proposed to deal with those matters which, he submitted, had been incidentally imported into this enquiry. These were the charges with reference to the Touchers eigned by Mr Whitelaw and Miss Brigden for Miss Kettle. Whether there had been a complete account arrived at between Mr Whitelaw and his mother ■was not a matter into which the Commission should go ; the enquiry should be as to whether the account given by Mr Whitelaw was to be preferred before that given by Mrs Kettle. He contended that the account given by Mr Whitelaw was entirely correct. Mr Whitelaw's testimony regarding this subject was supported by Miss Brigden, whose trustworthiness had not been impeached throughout the enquiry. It was quite clear, moreover, that the fact of Mr Whitelaw having signed the vouchers was neither a legal nor moral offence, strictly speaking. Indeed, the whole of the charges brought against Mr Whitelaw were flimsy in the extreme. The conduct of the complainant throughout thie enquiry abundantly proved that he (the complainant) entertained a very strong animus against Mr Whitelaw j and in matters relating to alleged incivility, Mr Whitelaw's word was quite as much to be relied upon as that of the complainant. Mr White — Mr Compton's foreman—had also vented his epite against Mr Whitelaw in the present proceedings. No person in charge of an institution of this kind could avoid giving offence to some person or other and performing acts which savoured of harshness. Regarding the charges preferred by Mr Blackmore, Mr Edwards repeated what he said of that gentleman when ho last addressed the Commission. He stated that Mr Blackmore had since written—most improperly—a letter to the Evening Post about the remarks, and—more improperly still —this letter had been published. In conclusion, Mr Edwards touched upon various parts of the evidence adduced in support of the complainant's case, and compared those particular parts with the testimony tendered for the defence, endeavoring to show that the comparison resulted in favor of the persons against whom the charges had been made. Mr J. H. Shaw, the complainant, next addressed the Commission. In the first place, he directed their attention to the charges made by himself, which, he said, were very specific in their character. The charge regarding his brother — a paying patient —who was represented to bo most unwilling to work, and at the same time had been employed in menial drudgery, appeared to have been practically admitted. So also was the charge that Mr Whitelaw had been in the habit of visiting the female side of the Asylum unaccompanied by the matron or female attendant. As to the charges regarding M'lntosh, that witness's story had been corroborated on all essential points by persons who had no motives whatever for telling lies. The shower-bath occurrence was even corroborated by one of the witnesses for the defence —ex-warder Carroll. Something had been said about Mr Whitelaw's inexperience of lunatic asylums. That excuse did not help the matter a bit—rather the reverse in fact, for this was a reason why such an appointment ought never to have been made. For the defence, the fact that some of the persons who now made charges of cruelty did not then make complaint at the time they were subjected to that cruelty, had been dwelt upon at some length. It was not to be wondered at that those persons did not complain at the time. However much might be their mental aberration for the moment, their instinct would remain sufficiently powerful to prevent them from doing so until the proper time arrived. Now, a great number of peo2sle had been brought there to say they had visited the Asylum and seen nothing to condemn. This reminded him of the story about the prisoner who was charged with appropriating a pair of boots. A number of witnesses swore positively as to the theft, and the prisoner then produced about three times as many witnesses to swear that he was one of the hpnestest men they had ever known. In summing up, the learned Judge said— " Gentlemen of the jury, this is a very simple case. It is the case of a very honest man who has stolen a pair of boots.'' (Laughter.) This was the sort of evidence which had been given by Mr Hayes and Mr Jack Maginnifcy, for example. (A laugh.) It had no weight whatever. Respecting the patient named Anderson, he (the complainant) was of opinion that that unfortunate man had been hammered into idiotcy, and the wonder was he was still alive. He (the complainant) contended that the charges made during the present enquiry had been more than amply proved. Most serious—terrible—things had come to ligpit. Numerous witnesses had been called to meet those charges, but their evidence, which might otherwise have been of value in raising a presumption in the defendant's favor, was of no value whatever when compared with the evidence on tho other side.

Implicated officials had met some of the charges by a flat denial, and had thus placed the Commission in this dilemma— they asked the Commission to believe that the parsons deposing to these chai'ges were telling deliberate untruths. This was swearing " too good" ; they had done the thing far too well, and must accept the consequences, from which there was no escape. The whole enquiry, he concluded, was of a nature that surprised even himself. It had branched oiifc to be not only of local, but also of colonial, importance. He hopod its effect might bo a good one ; that ib would teach people who accepted self-government that there existed a vigilant, active, and unsleeping public opinion,which could not safely pass over any matter of public concern ; and that it was not a matter of indifference to any individual, be he rich or poor, small or great, in this or in any other part of our colonial community, whether a public institution was well or badly managed. If no other good resulted than this, he should consider that in bringing the subject forward he had rendered very good service. Our young nation had been too much engaged—far too exclusively engaged —in the sole pursuit of wealth—moneygrubbing. But there was no escaping from organic laws. Social laws were organic laws. Evei-y part of the social system corelated with every other part; every individual in the social system had relation to every other individual, and if we broke an organic law we should be punished. He thanked the Commissioners for the great patience they had displayed towards him throughout this most tedious and unpleasant investigation.—Post.