CHARITABLE AID.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 79, 2 April 1895, Page 2

CHARITABLE AID.

WHAT IT COSTS LOCAL BODIES,

DEVONPORT COMPLAINS.

BOROUGH COUNCIL DISCUSSION,

The question of Charitable. Aid was discussed somewhat warmly ab the meeting of tbe Dovonport Borough Council last evening. A letbeY was road from bhe Treasury Department informing the Council that the sum cf £140 12s 6d, amount of subsidy due them,.had been retained by the Government iv parb payment of the auin recoverable from bhe borough in respecb of contributions due to the Auckland Hospital and Charitable Aid Board. The Mayor (Mr E. W. Alison) explained thab bbis lefb the sum of £15 8s Id duo by tho borough to the Board. Up to the present time there had been no stoppages, bub the Board had written to the Government asking that in future all payments should be made direct, instead of from the various bodies. His opinion waa that an earnest proteeb should be sent to tho Government on the subject of hospibal and charibable aid. He considered thab there should be some protest raised againsb the very heavy tax . which waa imposed on the borough in tho form of' contributions to the Hospibal and Charitable Aid Board. This conbribution absorbed so much of the borough rates that there was only a small proportion left for borough purposes. Next.year 25 per cenb. of all the rates received by the borough would have to bo paid, away to the Charitable Aid ' Board. He thought the time bad come when bho ratepayers ehould fully realise bhe extent to which they were baxed for charibable purposes. He thought a special rate might be advisable, so that all ratepayers would know the manner in which thoy were taxed for this purpose. Cr. M. Niccol said that thf? city paid their contributions in four quarterly i-isbalmenbe, and therefore must have been as far behind in their payments as obher local bodies, bub there had boen no stoppage of thoir subsidy. This was explained by the fact thab there'were four city members on the Board, while Devonport had really no member of ita own, as ib shared a member with Birkenhoed and Rodney county. They would be bebber looked afber if bhey had a Devonporb man on bho Board. The lasb time thab bhe Board had broated bbc Council in bhis manner, bhey made a mosb abject apology, and he looked on the repetition of this acb as grossly dia- i courteous.

The Mayor said thab at a former meeting of the Council the Board's accounb had been passed and a cheque made out and signed. He read a list of contributions issued by bhe Board for the ensuing year, in which the amounb set down againsb bhe Devonporb Borough was £252 12a fld, being the nexb highesb contribubion bo Auckland City, with the exception of the Waitemata County. He considered thab bhis was a very serious question, aa the whole rates of bhe borough were less bhan £1,000. The presenb eysbem of affordiug relief had a tendency to pauperise the country. Cr. M. Niccolthen moved .—''That bhe abfconfaion of bhe Government be directed bo tho facb bhab the amounb levied on local bodies by the Hospibal and Charibable Aid Board is rapidly increasing, a»d has now become an intolerable burden upon our rates ; thab in the opinion of this Council this is attributable nob to any unavoidable necessity, bub resulbs from inefiicienb and extravagant managemenb by an irresponsible body, and calls urgently for legislabive reform giving direcb control over and responsibility for expenditure upon hospital and charibable aid to local bodies elecbed by and answer.able bo bhe people." In speaking to tbe motion, Cr. Niccol said that there was.,no doubt .that the present system had the oflbcb of breeding now in bhe Charibable Aid Board a seb of peoplo who were becoming quite callous to the extenb of 'too burdens which thoy were placing on bhe rabepayers. The presenb system had bhe tendency to bring up a vast number of people who looked on assistance as a matter of right. They nob only had no ehamo in applying for relief, bub bhey considered bhey had a righb to charitable aid. Whole families wore receiving aid, while parents were endeavouring in many instances to shirk their responsibilities by foisting their children on to the country. He believed thab if bhe local bodies were to administer relief themselves, the resulb would be bhab only deserving cases would bo assisbed. Deserving peoplo who roally needed assistance would shrink boforo going to the Charitable Aid Board and presenting themselves before this seb of " Bumbles," for fear of boing insulted, bub hardened ones didn'b mind it ab all. He did not know thab bhere were any cases of persons receiving charibable aid in Devonport at presenb. He considered thab the wholo systom mado improvidence easy. If the local bodies had the matter in band themselves, it would be better handled. j Cr. Dubton seconded tho motion, which was carried unanimously. Newton. Ab tho ordinary meeting of the Newton Borough Council held lasb nighb a communication was received from the Secretary of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board stating thab the Newton Borough Council's allocation for charibable aid bhis year amounted to £143 lis 9d.—ln answer bo a question the Town Clerk eaid the allocation last year was £115. After some few remarks on bho alarming growth of expendibure for charitable aid, bhe communication was received. Parnell. Ab the Parnell Borough Council meeting lasb evening a circular was received from bhe Auckland Hospibal and Charibable Aid Board giving bhe amounbs of contribution from bhe various local bodies for the year ending 31sb March, 1896. The Parnell amount was shown as £229 2s 4d, determined ab bhe rate of 4-25bh of a penny on £343,673, the rateable value of property in the borough. The Mayer said thab meanb an increase of £45 on lasb year's contribution. He was on tho Committee thab weub into bbc matter, aud bhere was nob bhe slightest doubb bhab bhe demand was becoming very much heavier. They were going ahead by leaps and bounds in the direction of charitable aid. He bhoughb he was safe, however, in saying that this additional increase had been fonnd bo be an imperative necessity, and that, bb ib was, bhe Charibable Aid Board would have very little margin at the end of tbe nexb twelve months. The Board had made great efforb to keep bhe assessment as low as possible, bub bhey could not see their way to make ends meeb without making bhese additions. As far as he was aware they were all deserving cases, and he knew that expenses were kepb down aa low as possible, and in some cases fees were recovered from poor people who could ill afford them. -