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CHILDREN'S BONE
There is obviously an urgent need
in Perth for a home for mentally
sick children and the Government
is deserving of praise for having'
decided to provide such an institu-I
tion. Once.having made up its
mind to do this it was confronted,
no doubt, with serious difficulties
and it must be counted to its credit
that it was not deterred in its
intention. Because of the housing
shortage and the demands for
additional school and hospital
accommodation it was doubtless
reluctant to give a high building
priority for the erection of a special
institution and when, as an alterna
tive, it came to finding suitable
premises already in existence, it is
bound to have found its choice
severely restricted. If these were
the facts, no one should be seriously
upset by its purchase of a two-storey
house in Peppermint Grove for use
as a home for the chldren, but,
npvezticles it is nost unlikely that
ners ian- frin o the vircinity.
ulady thoese of 1mm with
yopui , will wlcome the
h?ly ncessity should 'cause a
Gosm ntb establish such an
institution i a thindly populated
area, ibespective of its location, and
it is to be hoped that the Goven
regards its arrangements as
purely temporary pending the return
of mre nonnal times. It might
well be asked for-and should give-
an undertaking that once the worst
of the arrears of housing are over
come the costruction of ropery
designed and appropriatey-ocated
institutions of this character will
have a very high priority. This
house, and its grounds of two acres,
and, particularly, this situation,
seem dearly unsuitable for the use
to which it is intended to gmt them
thngh- they may be the best
immediately available. There will
be accommodation for only 15
children and if it were decided to
make room for others there would
be even less playing space. ,The
Government's action in this case
emphasises the need for the careful
selection pf sites for buildings
required for expanding social ser
vices and other Government func
tions, which, if not necessarily new
m themselves, are in need of new
and better accommodation. Un
fortunately for the metropolitan area
the cause of town planning bas
always lacked sufficient crusaders in
responsible positions, and. on pre
seat Indications, thnep i no mao
refo in .sight.
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