THE WHAU EXILES.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 474, 24 May 1890, Page 5

THE WHAU EXILES.

LETTER FROM DR. MacGREGOR. “ THE TRUEST HUMANITY.” FURTHER DISCUSSION ADJOURNED. Auckland, May 20. The question of what to do with the six old men fiom the Whau Lunatic Asylum waR again brought before the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board at the meeting yesterday afternoon, by the following letter from the Inspector of Asylums, Dr. MacGregor : Sir, —I have the honour once more to lay before your Board my view of the difficulty that has arisen over the admission of chronic and harmless lunatics into the Costley Home, for I cannot conceive that you would have been so obdurate had you been aware of or realised all the surroundings of the case. It will bo fresh in your memory that the late Judge Gillies declared in connection with the case of R. G. Fenwick, in August last, that it was illegal to detain in the Asylum any lunatic ‘who may be liberated without danger to himself and the public,’ and he

did this after a special visit paid to the Asylum in company with the Official Visitor, Mr F. G. Ewington. Ho also sent for me and personally informed me that the officers of the Department were liable for allowing such cases to remain in the Asylum. Section 173 of the Lunatic Act, 1882, lays down the law on this point in these words : “Whenever the medical officerof an asylum shall be of opinion that any lunatic in such asylum has become of sound mind or is in such a condition that he may be liberated without danger or injury to himself and the public, and that there is no necessity for his further confinement or detention he shall sign a certificate to that effect, and transmit that with a consent to the R.M. for his consideration as to whether the lunatic shall be discharged.” It will be observed that the terms of this section are not optional but imperative—- “ The medical officer shall sign it.” In the first part this section has not been strictly complied with, owing to the fact that no suitable place for the care of such persons had been provided, and because there is often a lingering hope that some may recover—at any rate to some extent. It is not my province to say whether these persons should be provided for by General Government or by the local bodies, but it seems clear that if a person is harmless, and cannot legally be detained in an asylum, and is destitute, he ought to be cared for by the Charitable Aid Board, especially when a suitable refuge is available.

The Asylum at Auckland is so crowded that great injury and suffering must result to the inmates during the next winter, unless either these chronic cases are removed or the buildings are greatly enlarged. Having exhausted every effort in trying to make suitable provision, and seeing no hope of success until after Parliament should have voted the money, I had to consul' r hoio most quickly to obtain relief. To continue things as they are would in my opinion be very wrong, for it would p vent persons suffering from acute and probably curable mania from receiving the necessary attention and treatment. I therefore decided to bring my difficulty pointedly before your Board as soon as I Baw that the Costley Home had been opened. I hoped that the urgency of the case might be held to excuse any apparent disrespect in not waiting for the conclusion of what I foresaw must bo a very tedious correspondence, and I believe that the Board would sea that it was far better that the decision should be given on an actual case presented to the Board for the purpose. Believing that there was plenty of accommodation in the Home, and that it was a suitable place for their reception, I wrote to you wishing your aid, and also wrote to Dr. Hassell and the Inspector of Police, asking him to see to these people until such time as they Bhould be admitted. I can see nothing wrong in such a course, and can only wonder at the storm that has arisen over it. On the contrary, my action was the truest humanity, both in the interest of those who were discharged and of those remaining in the Asylum. The Charitable Aid Board have taken offence at what they call my high-handed and heartless conduct, but I hope they will come to see that in the circumstances my sin was a venial one. I had no misgiving whatever that the six poor old men would, in the city of Auckland, be allowed to suffer any hardship, after public attention had, by the very act of bringing them to the office, been forcibly called to their situation. I deplore the decision of the Board, and meanwhile would respectfully point out that the problem is one of extreme urgency and difficulty, and await your final decision.—(Signed) D. MacGregor. Mr Bollard moved that the matter be deferred until next meeting. This was seconded by Mr Udy. Mr Mays moved as an amendment that the old men be admitted to the Refuge in the meantime.

Mr Udy : You mean for all timo? Mr Mays said it was simply a matter of time. They would have to take these old men sooner or later in some form. The Chairman : We’ll turn the colony upside down first. Mr Mays: “All I want is to get these old mon housed, and get rid of the disgrace at present existing.” The Chairman said that the disgrace did not rest upon the Board. Neither Dr, MacGregor nor his chief, Mr Hislop, would be in office for ever. He considered that was a violation of a great principle, and upon that ground he would fight the question.

Mr Mays said he could nob see any high principle involved in this matter. He thought they were violating their trust from Costley. (Cries of “Oh ! oh ! that’s hard.”) Well, he meant it. Here were six men, poor, old, and destitute, and surely it was for the relief of such that uostley left his money. Ho had no hesitation in saying that there were cases quite as bad as those at present in the Lower Refuge, with the exception of the Maori. Had these men been turned out of the Refuge one at a time they would have found their way to the Board in the ordinary course of events, and would have been admitted. He had seen these old men, and considered that they were mentally incapable, and that there would be no difficulty in keeping them in the Refuge. He did not think the colony would compel the General Government to do the work of the local bodies, though, of course, there was no knowing what Parliament in its wisdom might do." Certainly, he did not think it would make the Government build’a home for imbeciles. He considered that the Board had taken up a poor position before the public. . Mr Bollard said it was the principle involved that they were fighting.

Mr Mays said that he could not see any principle in keeping these men out of Coatley’s Home. As the amendment was not seconded, the motion was adopted, and further consideration adjourned.