HOUSING THE POOR. AN IMPORTANT REPORT. BENEVOLENT TRUSTEES MAKE

A CHANCE FOR THE CHARITABLE. For some weeks past a snb-commit-teo of the Board of Benevolent Trustees has had under consideration the question of providing adequate accommodation, at reasonable -rents, for the- very poor of the city. This special committee this afternoon brought its' report beforo the general meeting of the trustees. Following is the full text of the report : — NECESSITY OF REFORM. <! The committee oT members of tho Wellington Benevolent Institution appointed to report on the question of housing the poor, desires to state- that the matter has been tho cause of exhaustive enquiry and deliberation on its part. The result has impressed up-jn members the necessity of a reform in the condition of things as now existing. Your committee visited the houses of a number of recipients of charitable aid, and it is presumed that these homes aro a fair reflex of the remaindor. The occupants ran the whole gamut of poverty, from decently -garbed penury to the utmost squalor. Ten houses were visited out of a total of seventy, which was a fair proportion of tho total occupied by charitable-aid recipients. Of those visited, two houses were in a most filthy condition, due to an utter disregard of the common decencies of living; three other houses left much to bo desired in housekeeping, being untidy and ill-ventilated to n, degree. The .sleeping-room of one house, occupied by four people, was so small as to leave only Dare room by which to enter the bed. The exterior of another house-, the tenant of which was away, was most unsanitary, and the outhouse was in such a condition as to suggest that if tho same state obtained in tho interior the house was scarcely fit to live in. "In two instances included in the foregoing, thero was evidence of the neglect of very young children; threa little creatures being discovered, as late as tho hour of noon, almost naked, and certainly vory grubby. One house occuoics.a position under a cliff, the shelf of 'space hehind receiving the drainage. The place is unsuitcd as a- 'habitation. Tho remainder of tho houses called for no particular comment of an adverse nature, the places being clean and tidy; indeed, a few arc- models of cleanliness, although with it thero is evidence of a, struggle to keep things together, with, often, the handicap of impaired health.Ono poor woman' was in bed when the committee called. She. had been ill .for several days, and her needs were ministered to by a very little girl, the eldest of several children, all very yonng ; and yet the house was a rocdel of cleanliness. TWO DIVERGENT CLASSES. "It will be seen from this description of prevailing conditions that there are two widely divergent classes in receipt of charitable aid which present, a pro--blem not yet solved; and yet which must be faced in order that, if a sohition is not to be found, at least mitigating circumstances, may bo introduced, and an improvement effected or attempted. One class, it Feems, simply revels in untidiness and filth, and such people would convert a model house very rapid- ! ly into the most unsavoury conditions, the only course to adopt with this class of people is to oblige them to submit lo discipline, if they are to receive help. To that end, it seems advisable to. secure a house consisting of a number ox small suites of living rooms, fitted wita bathroom, lavatories, " and other necessary conveniences. ' Th'i house might be called the Disciplinary Home, and to it should" the shiftless and untidy individuals referred to be committed for reformation. It should be under the supervision of an inspector, whose duty it v/ould be to see that tho rooms were kept clean, and that there was no accumulation of rubbish, which the charitably disposed often misguidedly give to this class of people-. Should the inspector find tho rooms deteriorating through neglect, it should be his duty to order the occupant to vacate tho rooms whilst cleansing operations were undertaken. Then the people could return, and the operation, if necessary, would be repeated on another lapse, until the disturber of these domestic conditions would become such a nuisance as to force the neglectful housekeeper to recoghise the ' virtue ' of cleanliness and reform the manner of -living. . - . • "When,- in turn, they became amenable to this discipline, they 'could then elect to go back to places of residence of their own choosing and be entitled to help, if required; the condition being that they should keep their house clean or go back to the Disciplinary Home. It may be mentioned that in another m.stitution under the control of the board the system of enforced bathing and cleanliness as a condition of remaining in the institution is working with the most satisfactory results.A SUGGESTION. "The other class, who live decently, should, it seems to the committee, be better provided for than is possible under existing conditions of living. House rent in the poorest quarters of Wellington is a heavy charge upon the poor, and the state of things to them is becoming worse, as they are gradually, but surely, being pushed out of their district by invasion of the builder, who is. providing better houses, »t higher rents, for another section of the community unable to pay the high rents required in the more 'important streets. The difficulty of meeting the requirements of these poor and deserving people in housing,, the committee thinks, could bo met by authority being given to the Benevolent Institution to purchase outright a poor quarter of the city, and there to build a number of cheap but decent houses for the deserving poor. Your committee is persuaded to believe that the experiment would be justified by results, and that it would not represent any appreciably greater burden of expense than is now imposed on the institution. The present liabilities of tho trustees are equal to about £600 a year, which is paid on account of rent. This amount is interest on a considerable sum of money. It is evident that, with the congestion of the population of Wellington, there can be no diminution of this liability ; indeed, it is not unlikely that the fund will require to be augmented, for rents are rising and the number of the poor is increasing. There is, in this direction, an opportunity offered to tho well-to-do to come to the help of the Benevolent ■Institution and provide a portion of the money to carry out a great philanthropic work.' The "committee, in submitting the results of its investigation* sn<J Us conclusions, desires to acknowledge the help given in this direction by the members of the staff." The report was formally reeeivod and discussion of details was reserved till next meeting.'

It is 139 years ajro to-day since Captain Cook sailed from England on his first voyage of discovery to these seas. The receipts of tiw Wellington Ho«pital Trustees for the fortnight ended yesterday were £2436 12s 9d (including a balance of £716 13s Id brought forward), and the -expenditure was £1685 6i Bd, leaving a credit of £851 6i id.

LABOUR. POSITION IN NEW ZEALAND.