Not Dragged Away From Their Parents

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 463, 19 September 1928, Page 1

Not Dragged Away From Their Parents

RETARDATE CHILDREN DEFECTIVES BILL EXPLAINED “There is no proposition to drag children away from unwilling parents. Everybody recognises that where it is to the advantage of mentally-deficient children to stay with their parents, they should be left there/’ An outline of the provisions of the Mental Defectives Bill was given by Dr. Ada G. Paterson, director of school hygiene, in an address to the Auckland Education Board this morning. She said that practically all of the witnesses who had had experience of the social problem had given evidence in favour of the Bill before the Parliamentary committee. Only some of the academicians were against it. The constant care which mentally defective children ‘demanded was described by the doctor. Three mothers in tears had come to see her and asked, “is there no place we can send them?” In some instances a mother would not be able to get more than two or three hours away from the child for 12 or 13 years. There was some idea that mentallydeficient children had a peaceful and happy time in the country, but they were being victimised as a result of the unfair terms in which they were being sent out into the world. Some were finding their way into the prisons. It was for the benefit of the children themselves that provision for the finding out of why children were retardate, was suggested. Everyone knew that ing out of why children were retardate at school and there was no suggestion that because a child was retardate he was mentally deficient. But it was right that the educational authorities should find out why a child should be retarded for three years. “The greatest percentage of retardates is found where children have work to do out of school,” said Dr. Paterson. “Or where the mother is engaged in out-of-door work. The influence of the mother is extremely powerful, and in share-milking families the mentality of the children often suffers.”