HELP FOR THE AGED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 151, 27 June 1936, Page 14

HELP FOR THE AGED.

LADIES' BENEVOLENT. The existence of many cases of distress among elderly women, some of them broken in health, who were not quite old enough to be eligible for pensions, and among old age pensioners whose pensions were not sufficient for all their wants, such as special invalid foods, was stressed in the annual report of the ladies' committee of the Auckland Ladies' Benevolent Society, presented to the fifty-second annual meeting of the society yesterday. "We have been asked why these people do not go into the infirmary," stated the report. "Our answer is this, that to nearly all of them life in an institution would mean misery. The greatest need in every woman's life is a home, and even if it be only one or two miserable rooms where she can keep her own little treasures and have privacy and freedom, she is happier there than she would be in an institution where routine and discipline must be observed."

Apart from the question of their happiness it was a sound economic policy to help old people to keep their own homes, for each inmate of the infirmary cost the country an average of 35/ a week to maintain. While they lived on the old age pension of 17/0 a week, supplemented by the society to the extent of 5/ or 7/6 a week, the ratepayer was saved the difference.

The "shortage, of small houses at a reasonable rent was, the report stated, a serious feature in Auckland. People could not bring up their families properly in one or two rooms in tenement houses and the consequent destruction of home and family life was a grave thing. The report stated that the society had benefited during -the past year by legacies from three estates, amounting in all to, £360, and by a sum of £150 made available by the Minister of Internal Affairs. The sum of £812 had been expended in relief and many gifts of clothing had been distributed. Expenses had amounted to £36. A tribute was paid to the work of Mrs. C. H. Jones, who, owing to serious ill-health, had' resigned the presidency of the ladies* committee, which she had held since 1920. Mrs. Joiies was unanimously elected an honorary life member.

The following officers were elected:— President, Mr. J. F. Ewen; vice-presi-dents, Canon W. Fanconrt, Mr. C. V. Houghton, Mr. M. Copelaml, Mr. C. H. Jones, Rev. E. D. Patchett, Rabbi A. Astor; committee, Mr. D. Nathan, Sir George Wilson, Rev. G. B. Gerard. Rev. A. C. Nelson, Mr. E. H. Little, Mr. H. Gilfillan and Rev. P. Houghton; honorary treasurer, Mr. F. E. Mason; honorary secretary, Mr. R. L. Stewart; honorary solicitor, Mr. G. Kent; honorary auditor, Mr. J. F. Buddie; ladies' committee, Mesdames C. H. Jones, Tolhurst, Pritt, J. Cook, Gillam, F. R. Smale, Pcrcival, Pezaro, Pankhurst, N. A. Nathan, C. Nathan and Miss Thompson.