"A CLUMSY CONSPIRACY."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 21 May 1907, Page 3

"A CLUMSY CONSPIRACY."

:;!E OLD PEOPLE'S HOME AFFAIR. I MR FARRAR'S CHARACTER VINDICATED. The Inspector-General of Hospitals, Dr T. 11. A. Valintine, conducted an enquiry into tjie allegation made that Mr A. E. Farrar, custodian of the Old People's- Home, malticau-d one of the inmates, an invalid named Turner. This allegation, H will be remembered, formed the subject of court proceedings the other day when Turner sued the custodian for ,tSO daimij;.*, Dr Valuable presented a report yesterday io (he meeting of til- Hospital and Charitable Aid Board. Ife also appended a full report of the evidence taken, pint as one of the old men made a remark to Dr Valintine that might easily be construed into an inference that two locil residents outside the ilome| and others had had a hand in prosecuting Mr Farrar, it has been thought advisable by the. Board that the evidence should not be published. The Inspec-tor-General reported in the following terms:—

Wellington May 10 1007. •Sir r in further reference to the < .nplamts made against the custodian «t (he m Men's Home, 1 h en!W itl. „„ " "lit a lew remarks together with copies ot the evidence collected. I visited t|„. Home on .Uav (ith. o„ the lueii being assembled 1 asked each "inn m turn if he had anv comijlaim to «.■*« about the. management Tu" Home, feoven inmates stated that they had complaits to make, one i,.„ la t*e • bout his personal treatment, five ■"''out the treatment of helnless inmates, and two complaints were lodged about the hardness of the food , I then proceeded to examine each complainant privately, and also some I other inmates of the institution. The signed complains or statements, of the <V">vo are attached hereto. I also visited the female inmates. 11 ey had no complaints to make. On the conclusion of my enquiry I had the men re-assembled, and asked if anv men would like to leave the Hone Z one inmate signified that Such was his made to the contrary. In the presence of'the chairman secrotary, and custodian, I then addressed plaint " e conce ™'«S «ie com-

Hie alleged assault on Turner was T PP °T V havfi been "nimittfld in August ast. No complaint, ho vcve, ™ ; made to the chairman or S until February, though one or the o he • are constantly visiting the Home in tact no complaint was mad,, until the custodian was absent on sick leave On consideration of the statements made by the inmates, the housemaid, and those continued in the Press cuttings of the recent assault case I hive come to the conclusion that the whole affair was a deliberate and clumsy conspiracy on the part of certain interested person, against the present custod an. Had there been one tittle of reliable evidence in support of the charges I would have considered it necessary to take further proceedings. ] have onlv then, to state that the inquiry folly shows that the good opinion in whir, -Mr 1-arrar has been held by you,- Board medical staff, ami by my predecessor i tnorotighly justified, and 1 am sure we all regret that such charges hay,, been laid against a zealous, capable and humane servant of the institution I quite endorse the action of vour Board m dismissing the late assistant custodian.

I have the honor to be, sir, Your obedient servant T. H. A. VALINTINE, ' Inspector-General. When the secretary had read the report the chairman ejaculated: "It's a pity that those behind the hedge had not been brought out." Br Valintine said he desired to sav again that he was most emphatically of the opinion that there had been a deliberate and clumsy conspiracy on the part of some interested persons outside the institution.

The chairman expressed his pleasure at the terms of the report. He remembered well that when Mr i.'.„. rai . took over the Home, the '■bulls," or the incorrigible, who had been domiciled at ic Henui.were brought in and placed under discipline. And they were soon made amenable to the laws of -the institution. They knew, too. that, prior to Mr hirrar's appointment the men sullering from certain complaint, had been "allowed to lie in their dirt, conlined to their own rooms." the ' estodian being upheld in his view that it was no more his duty to attend to such case* than it was the secretary's duty to sweep the verandah. Mr Farrar, however, bad given- these invalid in-' mates every care. He had felt all along that tiie charge against the custodian was a trumped-up one. Mr Farrar was an excellent .servant, kind, sympathetic and humane, and always studying the Hoard's interests. Before he took charge it had been necessary to engage labor to cut the grass from'the door of the ll'f>me, Now there were lawns and /borders ami plantations, and the Home was self-supporting in the way of vegetables. Dr Valintine said he knew that Mr Farrar had always been most favorably commented upon by his predecessor. Or Macgregor, and Miss Grace Neill. Air Brown remarked that the report fully bore out the Hoard's opinion of Mr Farra'r, and he added liis own opinion that it would be hard indeed to replace him.

Mr McDonald said he was glad that Dr Valintine had arrived at the same conclusion as the Board hail done, that this was a conspiracy, lie had an idea who were at the bottom of the thing, but of course, was not able to . name them.

The chairman said that one' of the inmates was recently in the hospital, and lie was often heard telling patients and visitors that when Mr Farrnr returned from his furlough, he would be working on the Western Park. That same man had everything to thank Mr T'arrar for.

Br Valintine saiil it wis quite clear that Turner's was not a fii case for an Old People's Home. II" was too ill for -uch a place, yet not fit for a hospital. The affair emphasised (he ueccssilv for the establishment of a borne for incurables, lie had circularised various Hoards, and they were unanimously in favor of providing such a home. He suggested Palinerston North as a site for a home to take the adult incurables from the East and West Coast districts of the North Tsland. from New Plymouth and Napier southwards. He had enlisted the sympathy of the chairman of the AVellington Hospital Board, Patea, Taranaki and Wangauni were agreeable. so he thought there was every chance of something being done in the neir fulure. Tie instanced a glaring ens,, to show the necessity for action. Mr Tisch asked if there weiv any possibility. ~f . -.i; .. T.n-iier j n t 0 a ',| incurables' hoi lid the Board would be willi: . , for him. Dr Valintine pru.nised to do his be-t in the matter.

Oil tilt motion uf lit Burgess, sec > ended li.v ilr Brown, tin- iio.u-d allinncd the necessity for the establishment of a central hospital for iiiciiriiblus.

Ilr Brown moved a hourly vu t,. u f thanks to the inspector-General for till! promptness lie had displayed in conducting fhe enquiry into the Old Peoples Home affair. It wight he part of his duty, but still it was evident that he had taken great pains, and' had personally attended the meeting to present his report. Ilr Tiseh seconded and the motion was carried, Da Yiilintine said he was not entitled

to thanks, for the enquiry w.is hut his duty. lie had to see llilit justice was

done to those people who were unfortunate enough to he compelled to Seek ihe protection of the ''[ionic; and he had also to see that ju-tice was done, to the man who had proved himself such an aide an immune official. On the motion of Itossv-i Drown and Burgess, the Board pa-scd a resolution congratulating Ilr i'anai" on the remit'of the recent enquiries, and voted to towards payment of his expenses, on the ground Hint in suing Ilr Farrar there had been an attack on the Board's management as a whole. The prosecution was not aimed at him alone, and he should not have to bear all the-ex-pense. The mover said he wis sure there had heen underhand work going on, otherwise the niemhers and officia's would have heard of the complaint on their very frequent visits to the Homo. If the vote could not be made, he was

willing to put his hand into his pocket and help n that way. The chairman and Messrs McDonald and Parker al>o spoke in eulogistic terms of the management.