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not exceeding such rate of payment as may be sanctioned by the Local Government Board for pauper children sent to such school,' anything contained in the 25 & 26 Vict., c. 43, notwithstanding.

'The Local Government Board sanctions six shillings as the weekly sum to be paid for each child under the above provision.'*

(3) The Guardians may, by 31 & 32 Vict. (1868), c. 122, s. 42, 'with the approval of the Local Government Board, send any poor deaf and dumb or blind child to any school fitted for the reception of such child, though such school shall not have been certified under 25 & 26 Vict., c. 43.'

(4) By 30 & 31 Vict., c. 106, s. 21 (1867), 'the Guardians may provide for the reception, maintenance, and instruction of any adult pauper, being blind or deaf and dumb, in any hospital or institution established for the reception of persons suffering under such infirmities, and may pay the charges incurred in the conveyance of such pauper to and from the same, as well as those incurred in his maintenance, support, and instruction therein.'

(5) By 42 & 43 Vict., c. 54, s. 10 (1879) (see p. lxxxi.), the Guardians may 'subscribe towards any asylum or institution for blind persons, or for deaf and dumb persons,' if the Local Government Board be satisfied that the paupers under the Guardians have, or could have, assistance therein in case of necessity.

In reply to the Royal Commission on the Blind, the Local Government Board state that 'in their opinion it is competent to the Guardians to send to a suitable school a deaf and dumb or blind child whose parent, though poor, may not be a pauper in receipt of relief. The approval of this Board is, however, necessary to the sending of the child unless the school has been certified under 25 & 26 Vict, c. 43 (see s. 43 of the 31 & 32 Vict., c. 122). Moreover it appears to the Board that, having regard to s. 56 of the 4 & 5 Will. IV., c. 76, relief given to or on account of a deaf and dumb or blind child is not relief to the father of such child. The Board may add that the power given to the Guardians in this matter should, of course, only be exercised when the parent is unable to pay for the child's maintenance, education, &c., in the school.'

The question so often asked-whether the Guardians can assist a blind or deaf and dumb child, whose parent is not a pauper-is thus finally and absolutely answered.

XLVII. THE BLIND, DEAF AND DUMB: THE PROVISION MADE BY THE SCHOOL BOARD.

There is, generally speaking, such insufficient means for educating and training these children, that every opportunity should be taken for turning to account the permissive powers of the Guardians

* Glen's Archbold, p. 291.

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and the machinery of the School Board. In this way, by degrees, a distribution of work between these bodies and the charities may effected.

'There shall be provided for every school district a sufficient amount of accommodation in public elementary schools (1) available for all the children resident in such district for whose elementary education efficient and suitable provision is not otherwise made; and where there is an insufficient amount of such accommodation, in this Act referred to as "public school accommodation" the deficiency shall be supplied in manner provided by this Act.' This is the 5th clause of the Education Act of 1870, on the supply of schools; and it is held that though not specially referred to, the blind, deaf, and dumb-indeed all children for whose elementary education there is insufficient, inefficient, or unsuitable provisionare included. Hence many School Boards have taken care to provide for these children.

The School Board for London has established 18 principal centres for the instruction of blind and partially blind children. At these centres 132 children at present attend. A list of the School Board schools at which blind children are taught will be found in the Register. The child attends a school near its. residence for ordinary work, and goes to one of the centres for special instruction. The only fee is that of the school where the child is registered. It ranges from 1d. to 6d. There is a superintendent and five teachers. There are eight Gardner Scholarships for blind children attending public elementary schools in the district of the Board.

For the instruction of the deaf and dumb there are now five centres. The addresses of these will be found in the Register. The fees charged are 2d. a week. About 286 children are on the books. There is a superintendent, 8 pupil teachers, 4 ex-pupil teachers, and 24 assistant instructors. The teaching is on the oral system. So far as it can be arranged no teacher has more than ten children under instruction. The arrangements for the attendance of children is similar to those for the blind. The superintendents of visitors send to the central office of the Board lists of the names and addresses of deaf children. They are then, if found suitable, sent to the nearest centre of instruction.

An almoner, on hearing of a blind or a deaf and dumb child who does not go to school, should communicate with the superintendent of the School Board visitors in the division, or with the clerk of the School Board, Victoria Embankment, E.C.

XLVIII. THE METROPOLITAN ASYLUMS BOARD.

As the charge of idiots and imbeciles and harmless lunatics is in London entrusted to the Metropolitan Asylums Board, who have

also powers in regard to the supply of accommodation for the sick -the subject to which we pass next-it is convenient to state here the constitution of that Board. The Metropolitan Asylums Board was established under the Metropolitan Poor Act, 1867. The Local Government Board were empowered to combine into districts 'unions or parishes, or unions and parishes' in the Metropolis for the provision of asylums for the reception and relief of the sick, insane or infirm, or other class or classes of the poor chargeable in unions or parishes in the Metropolis.' Accordingly in May of that year the Board formed the Metropolis into one asylum district, under a board of management of 45 elective and nominated managers. The former are elected by the Guardians; the latter, 15 in number, appointed by the Local Government Board. Elected members must be rated to the poor-rate within the asylum district upon a net annual value of not less than £40. They serve for three years. The Board has under its supervision the training ship 'Exmouth' (see p. lxviii.); four asylums-two for harmless lunatics, the asylums at Leavesden and Caterham, and two for imbeciles, the Darenth Adult Asylum and the Darenth Idiot School; six district hospitals, two hospital ships, and three ambulance stations, with three wharves and a river ambulance service. It has also had at Gore Farm a convalescent hospital for smallpox patients (see p. cxiii.).

XLIX.-LUNATICS. *

The almoner may in the course of his work have occasion to deal with cases of lunatic persons above the pauper class, for which he may desire to find accommodation. Or he may have to make arrangements for cases of pauper lunatics, and cases of lunatics wandering at large.

(1) Non-pauper Lunatics.-The Commissioners in Lunacy (19 Whitehall Place) are a central board of supervision in regard to the care and maintenance of lunatics. There are, besides the provision made for harmless lunatics by the Metropolitan Asylums Board, to be referred to below, licensed houses, unlicensed houses, registered hospitals, and county and borough asylums. A lunatic is defined as any person found by inquisition idiot, lunatic, or of unsound mind, incapable of managing himself and his affairs.'† If lunacy is alleged, the Lord Chancellor and Lords Justices entrusted with this jurisdiction, or the Masters in Lunacy, acting under the Lord Chancellor's directions, can hold 'inquisition,' and on the verdict of a jury, or in certain circumstances on the certificate of

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*See on the whole subject The Lunacy Acts, with an introductory commentary by Danby P. Fry, second edition, Knight & Co., 1877.

† 16 & 17 Vict., c. 70. By the Lunacy Acts Amendment Act passed in the recent session (1889), power is given to the Court to appoint a committee of the estate of a person who is found capable of managing himself, but incapable of managing his affairs.

State institutions for lunatics.

Lunatics at

large.

the Masters in Lunacy, or on the report of the Commissioners in Lunacy, arrange for the care of the lunatic and the management of his property.* If the property does not exceed £1,000 in value, or an income of not more than £50 a year, the Lord Chancellor may, if satisfied (on the report of one of the Masters in Lunacy, or by the report of the Commissioners in Lunacy, or by affidavit or otherwise) that the person is of unsound mind and incapable of managing his affairs, after due notice to the alleged lunatic, make an order for rendering the property or the income available for carrying on his trade or business. †

By the recent Act (1889), except in cases of urgency, a person, not a pauper, is not to be confined as a lunatic without an order of a County Court judge, stipendiary magistrate, or special justice, to be obtained upon petition presented if possible by the husband or wife or by a relative of the lunatic, and accompanied by two medical certificates. In urgent cases a patient may be confined upon an order by the husband or wife or by a relation of the lunatic accompanied by one medical certificate; but, if this be done, a petition for an order must be presented to a court (as above) within seven days, and the urgency order remains valid only for seven days, or so long as the petition is pending.

A lunatic may be placed with relations or in an unlicensed house, i.e. one in which only one patient is boarded. He may also be placed in a licensed house or a registered hospital. Licensed houses are private licensed asylums. Registered hospitals (such as Bethlehem Hospital, Lambeth Road, and St. Luke's, Old Street) are charitable, or partly charitable institutions, and registered. To county and borough asylums (such as Hanwell), non-pauper lunatics may also be sent if there is room; and in that case the patient must submit to the rules laid down for pauper patients.

Persons, not paupers, may now (1889) be received in county and borough asylums upon special terms, and local authorities are authorised to provide accommodation for lunatics not being paupers, either by enlarging existing asylums or by establishing new asylums.

A person conscious of a want of power of self-control, or of addiction to intemperate habits, or of a liability to an attack or recurrence of mental malady, may become a voluntary boarder in registered hospitals. §

(2) Lunatics found wandering at large.—In these cases or those of pauper lunatics, the almoner should at once communicate with a relieving officer, or the medical officer of the Guardians, or in case of emergency with a policeman.

*See Fry, p. 20.

+ See Fry, p. 27.

See Fry, pp. 29 and 37. See also Lunacy Acts Amendment Act, 1889, ss. 63, 64, 65. § See Fry, p. 40.

Relieving officers and constables are bound to take before the justice in whose jurisdiction he is found, any person who s or who is deemed to be a lunatic, and who is wandering at large, or not under · proper care, or cruelly treated or neglected by any person having the care of him,* and are, moreover, bound to remove him to the workhouse, where he may be kept for not more than three days, if satisfied that it is necessary for the public safety or the welfare of the lunatic that he be placed under care until he can be brought before the magistrate.† Any person may notify to a relieving officer, constable, or to the justice, that a lunatic is wandering at large, or not under proper care. A relieving officer or constable who shall have knowledge of any such lunatic, must give information to the justice within three days. If the case is that of a lunatic wandering at large, the justice may, on medical certificate, and after examination. either in court or at the lunatic's house, order that he be sent to an asylum, or if there is no room in the asylum, to a hospital or licensed house. If the case is that of a lunatic not properly cared for, two justices must give the order for detention. The justice may, if satisfied that it is expedient for the welfare of the lunatic, or for the public safety, that he be forthwith placed under care, make an order for his reception in the workhouse for a period not exceeding 14 days; or may suspend the execution of the order for 14 days, and in the meanwhile give directions for his proper care and control; or the medical officer can, on medical certificate, for medical reasons, postpone the order for removal for the same time. On the order of the justice, the medical officer is paid, and the cost of removal is met by the Guardians of the Union in which the lunatic is found, or when his settlement has been ascertained by the Union to which the lunatic is chargeable subject to these expenses being reimbursed from the estate of the lunatic, if it be sufficient. Medical officers of the Union, like constables and relieving officers, must, within three days, give notice to a justice of any person who is, or is deemed to be, a lunatic wandering at large, or not under proper care. The removal, on the justice's order, must be made by the constable or relieving officer, as the case may be.

A relative or friend may retain a lunatic who is found wandering at large, if the justice before whom he is brought, or the visitors of the asylum in which he is or is intended to be placed, are satisfied that he will be properly taken care of.

A lunatic who is found wandering at large, and is sent to an asylum, hospital, or house, is treated as a pauper. But the expenses to which the Union is put on his account may be reimbursed to the

*16 & 17 Vict., c. 97, s. 68 (Lunatic Asylum Act, 1853). See Fry, p. 80. Lunacy Acts Amendment Act, 1885 (48 & 49 Vict., c. 52), s. 2.

Lunacy Acts Amendment Act, 1885, s. 3.

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