MENTAL DEFECTIVES' BILL

Hokitika Guardian, 21 September 1928, Page 4

MENTAL DEFECTIVES' BILL

EXPERT INQUIRY PROVISION. •WELLINGTON, Sept. 18. The Mental Defectives Bill has emerged from the Public Health l Committee . with a number of important changes. The committee took evidence extensively, the witnesses including Mr T. B, Strong (Director of Education), Professor Shelley (Canterbury College), Professor T. A. Hunter (Professor of Philosophy and Psychology, Victoria College), Mr Beck (Superintendent of the Child Welfare Department), Mr T. L. Coinhs (who ns senior vice-presi-dent of’ the New Zealand Teachers’ Institute was delegated by the executive to express its views), Mr B. L. Dallard (Controller-General of Prisons and Chief Probation Officer), Professor W. TI. Gould (Professor of Education, Victoria University College), Sir Donald M’Garvin (a member of the Prisons Board and a member of the Mental Defectives Committee of 1927), Dr Ada Paterson (Director of the School Hygiene Division), Dr H. D. Hayes (Medical Superintendent of the Porirua Mental Hospital), and Dr T. P. Gray (lnsppctor-Gener.nl of Mental Hospitals). The definition of the term “mentally defective person ” in tlio 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 such mental deficiency and conduct, require supervision for their own protection or in the public interest.” -‘ i" '-

The constitution of tlio special board to 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.

An additional object of the hoard sc‘. out in a hew 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 phychiatrist.

Tlio clause has been deleted which directed compilation, of a register ol mental defectives, hut there remains an obligation oil the DirectoV of Educa lion to inform the chairman of the hoard regarding children suffering Irom retarded mental development, deficiency or epilepsy. The degree of retardation to he officially noted is three years m relation to the mental development of a normal child. The chairman of the hoard is required to have an investigation of each case by a .psychological clinic, and may also require an investigation similarly of any other person in respect of whom representations from . any reputable source have been received flint such person is mentally defective. It will be the duty of the psychiatrist making the investigation -to report whether th - person concerned is mentally defective ; if so, whether classifiable as idiot, imbecile, feeble-minded, epileptic or socially defective. On receipt of the re port the hoard shall decide whether to enter the name on the register of mental defectives, and, in making this decision, a new provision stipulates that: the maojrity must include three members who lire medical practitioners. The power of appeal is amended to enable registration to ho suspended in case of appeal to the Supreme Court until the decision has been confirmed by a Judge in Chambers.

The committee' has not altered the clause which prohibits marriage between persons registered ns mental defectives, hut it has inadq a- slight technical addition to the. sterilisation clause, also adding a provision that any decision of the hoard to enforce this clause cannot ho acted upon unless three medical members favour the de-

When the report was presented to tho House, tho Leader of tho Opposition, Air Jl. E. Holland, admitting time he did not know the contents of the report, stated that,, unless the committee had made some radical alterations in some sections of the Bill, it would ho wiser to allow the measure to stand over till next session. Some proposals of tho Bill were so drastic that they could not he dealt with in adequate fashion within the 'few short weeks of tho life of the present Parliament. Air Girling, chairman of the committee, in replying, stated that it would he best for members to peruse the report before speaking. The Bill was set down for committal next- silting day.