LADIES' BENEVOLENT SOCIETY.

Auckland Star, Volume IX, Issue 2489, 16 March 1878, Page 2

LADIES' BENEVOLENT SOCIETY.

Tiie twenty-first annual meeting of tnis Society was held last night in tbe Rooms of the Young Men's Christian Association. Judge Gillies presided. The Bishop, together with several clergymen and ministers of various denominations, was present. Tbe proceedings wereopened by einging the 100 th Psa _n, after- which the Rev. MnWiliiams offered uo a bhort prayer. The Chairman, in a long and interesting speech, referred to tho good work done by the Society, and said that he believed assistance afforded by such Societies as this is more acceptable to tho objects of it. and more efficacious than any money which Government might give to bo administered under Government supervision. Where Government money ia expended charity is oxcluded, thrust out as it were, and the least deserving sets up the same claim as the truly necessitous. Mr J. B. Russell read the annual report as follows:—At the monthly meeting in December tho treasurer reported to the committeo that the state of the funds was such as to render retrenchment indispensible ; after some deliberation, it was resolved that some reduction should be made in the grants to individuals, that no new applications should bo entertained, and that the state of the society's funds should be made known in the daily papers. The proprietors of the "Herald" and Evening Star kindly came to their aid, and within a period of six weeks the sum of nearly sixty pounds was transmitted to the treasurer. Two kind friends, who, on several previous occasions, have sent handsome donations, forwarded respectively £15 and £10. This augmentation of the funds would at any time have been very valuable, but in the then existing juncture was of the highest importance to the maintenance of the society's operations. The total number of cases relieved during the year was 117 ; of these 55 were widows, 16 wore women deserted by the husbands, -and 36 were women assisted dunng their confinement, 4 women were assisted by grants to join their husbands in the other colonies, and 3 women have been assisted in the purchase of sewing machines and a mangle. In the Home there are at present 11 old women ; of these one is totally blind, and several are very infirm ; two of them have each lost a leg. Two have died during the year, one after a long and painful illness, and one (who had been an inmate for many jears) suddenly in a fit. The committee would draw the attention of their friends and subscribers to the fact that dining the 21 years of this society's operations, it has disbursed £6607 5s 7-id, and the cases that have been the recipients of its bounty number nearly 3000. The expenses connected with the administration of this sum amount to £83 0s 103, or a fraction more that £1 per annum. The committee would take this opportunity of thanking those gentlemen connected with the Famine Relief Fund fbr their handsome award of £100, les3 £10 paid to the treasurer of the Onehunga Benevolent Society.

The following is an abstract of tlie Treasurer's statement :—Balance in hand, March 1577, £4 14s 5d ; collection at public meeting, 1877, £3 18s 9d ; ordinary donations and .subscriptions, £365 33 6d; "Breach of Promise." per Star, £2 10a ; received from returned Indian Famine Fund, £100, less £10 paid to the Onehunga Benevolent Society ; received from " Heraid" office, £7 10s. and on behalf of tho inmates of the' Home, £19: total, £492 16s Bd. Expended: Advertising, £3 3s ; for relief of uoor and necessitous, £36717s 5Jd. Balance in bank, £110 9s ; in Treasurer's hands, £11 9s 9Jd: total balance, £121 I6s 9Jd. The report expressed with deep regret the loss sustained by the death of the late Mrs Gorrie, and also by the rleuartnre of iMrS Hnssarrl who. until ill-

health Prevented her wa| a very active and Bft«£_3& S fh°fmo'ti^ dwa^_ rcSried UM. S.^acffarlane then nmved a resolution to the effect, "That this meeting P^es itself to support the Ladies' Benevolent Soci etj. Colonel Haultain seconded, and the Key. Williams --supported the resolution, v,hicn was carried unanimously. , f.HowMr Thomas Buddie moved, T^^mittee lag ladies be the office-bearers >^]_ffA}^. fo? tho ensuing year: President Mrs lf nf-: treasurer, Mrs Gillies ; secretary, Mrs: AMW»i, committee - Mesdanies Aickcn Bato. Bree, Beveridge, Boylan, Gillies. Kirk Mf^™?# Mason. PhUson, Purchas. Jones J. B. Russell, ..o .prison Powe 1, Warner, and \v Uliamson. The Rev. D? Bruce seconded the motion, v.-hich _rt-Sh£ several ladies and gentlemen greatly enlivened the nieetm,- with vocal and instrumental music Miss - autie £££_____. A *-F?FS? d XS,". 28 tl c Hermit ''Mr Swallow contributed largely to c success of this portion of the evening sinterSS__(sß^Ss&s* he played, and was much applauded.