CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 7863, 14 May 1891, Page 3

CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

' The usual meeting of the Charitable Aid Board was held at 2p.m. yesterday. Present —Messrs R. Westenra (chairman), Martindale, Blackett, W. Thomson, McMillan, Dunlop, W. C. Walker, Parish, Allwright, Wood, Prudhoe, Dunlop, and the Mayor of Ashburton. The Chairman* said—lt seldom happens that members of any families of the numerous recipients of charitable aid recognise a liability in respect of assistance afforded to their deceased relations during lifetime. It is therefore pleasing to be able to record one instance in which a gentleman in England—cousin to a former inmate of the Old Men's Home, Ashburton—has honorably accepted the responsibility incurred by his poor kinsman, and defrayed the cost of his maintenance for several years at the Institution, by remitting a bank draft for £145. The Board is indebted to the good offices of a Christchurch benevolent gentleman for bringing all the facts of the caee under the notice of the deceased's cousin at Home, with such a satisfactory result. The Lady Visitors' reports on children boarded out will be found on the table. They are generally satisfactory, but attention is directed to the necessity for laying some rule as to the age at which payment should cease. The Secretary has prepared some statistics showing the number of recipients of relief at the beginning of the new financial year. A letter will be read from the Council of St. Saviour's Guild asking the Board to arrange for a conference on matters connected with the Female Refuge work. I must take the present opportunity of pointing out to the Board that applications for housing aged and infirm men are becoming more numerous every year. The Ashburton Home and the men's quarters at the Memorial Home are kept constantly full, and there are always several old men awaiting the first chance of a vacancy. Mr Friedlander's motion for the proposed alteration of the time of the Board's monthly meetings stands first on the order paper for consideration to-day. The Mayor of Ashbitrtoj* moved— " That the regular meetings of the Board be held in future on the fourth Wednesday in the month, and that the time of meeting be fixed at 10.30 a.m." Mr W. C. Walker seconded the motion. Considerable discussion ensued, and ultimately it was agreed that the Hospital Board meeting should be changed from 10.30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and that the meetings of the Charitable Aid Board be held at 10.30 a.m. on the fourth Wednesday in the month. It was resolved—" That the Board record its thankful acknowledgments of the good offices of Mr Alfred Cox, in communicating with the friends of a former inmate of the Old Men's Home, Ashburton, and its appreciation of the honorable conduct of the deceased's cousin in paying the cost of his maintenance for several years." In reply to a question from the Mayor of Ashburton, The Chairman said the amount would go to the general fund. Mr Wood thought that they ought to claim s übsidy on this amount as it was a voluntary contribution. Mr Allwuight thought they ought not to worry the Government for every shilling. The Board had got £145 more than they expected and should be satisfied. The Chairman thought they had no claim on the Government whatever. The matter then dropped. The report of the Lady Visitors was read. The local visitors reported that in one case, that of a boy of fourteen, he should be placed in the way of earning his own living. The Chairman thought the Board should consider the question of the age at which they should cease to have control of these boarded out children. Mr Walker moved—" That the report of the Lady Visitors be referred to the Charitable Aid Committee to report." Mr Parish seconded the motion, which was carried. The Secretary read a return showing the statistics of relief up to April, 1891. The total number of out-relief cases to March, 1890, was 464; March, 1891, 466. There was a grand total of, 1678 persons in receipt of aid from the' Board at the commencement of the new financial year. During April, 8 cases not relieved in March were added to the out-relief list, and 12 March recipients struck off, thus making the total for the month of April 462 casee (1473 persons). The Orphanage figures were unaltered ; Ashburton Home, 4 admissions, 1 discharge, 1 death; Memorial Home, 2 discharged; Female Refuge, 2 births, 2 women and their infants discharged; Armagh street, 9 admissions, 6 discharges, leaving 6 temporary inmates on April 30th. In receipt of out-relief on 31st March, 1891, 452 cases, comprising 1487 persons (men 117, women 347, children 1023), classified as under :—Widows (or widowers), with families, 142 cases; deserted wives and children, 55 cases ; families of disabled, worthless, imprisoned, or lunatic husbands, 63 cases; old age and infirmity, 141 cases; single women with illegitimate children, 15; destitute children boarded out, 56; total, 452. The following were recipients of institution relief on 31st March :—Lyttelton Orphanage, resident, 10 children; Lyttelton Orphanage, boarded out, 28 children ; Ashburton Home, inmates, 64 men; Memorial Home, inmates, 32 persons; Female Refuge, 6 women, 4 infants-; Armagh street Depot, casual inmates, 3 men ; Burnham and Nelson Industrial Schools, 54 children ; total, 191 persons. A letter was read from the St. Saviour's Guild (late Social Parity Society) asking for a Conference with regard to the Female Refuge. Mr Dunlop said that he thought the Board should impress on the Guild the fact that the sooner the Board got rid of the Refuge the better. It had now cost them £500 for the present year, and there were only three inmates. The Board would therefore see that the sooner they got rid of the institution the better for the ratepayers. He would move—" That the following gentlemen form a Committee to meet the Guild :—Messrs Wood, Weitenra, Prudhoe, Walker, Allwright, and the mover." Mr Allwright seconded the motion with pleasure, as he had felt ever since he came on to the Board that the institution was simply a tax on the ratepayers for no good at all. If the Guild, or any other Society, would take the Institution over it would be a good thing for the ratepayers. The motion was then put and agreed to. The Institutions Committee brought up a report, asking the Board to decide whether the present insurance for £4000 on the Orphanage should be continued w whether it should \>& reduced. . IMTr- Prtjohoe moved ** Tiia-t; -fcfcie Or[lillllllliP Oβ II lit MO . This -was seconded by Mr Pakish, and agreed to. On the question of the Old Men's Home at Ashburton,' The Chairman said that the number of old men was increasing, and it became necessary to devise some mpans of accommodation. Mr Parish suggested that the Orphanage might be utilised for some of the old men to be accommodated therein. Mr Prudhoe said that there was JJ7S to the credit of the building fund of the Ashburton Home, and he thought the Board should consider whether by an addition to this sum they could not build more accommodation to the Ashburton Home. Mr Axlwbight moved—" That the question of the advisableness of locating some of the old men at the Orphanage be referred to the Institutions Committee to report at next meeting." Mr Parish seconded the motion. Mr Wood suggested that the question of hoarding out the old men be also considered by the Committee. Mr Allvcright adopted the suggestion, and the motion was agreed to. The report of the Treasurer was read as under. He reported that the following sums have come to hand since the last meeting of the Board: — Orphanage account, .£3 18s; Ashburton Home account, maintenance, £145 ; Female I Refuge, maintenance, £6 3s; do, earnings March and April, £20 6s 4d; Memorial Home account, £2 16s. Contributions due last year —Selwyn County, balance, £494 Is lid; Akaroa County, balance, £145 12a IOd; Oxford Road Board, balance, £57 12s 8d- Contributions from local authorities for the new financial year— Lyttelton Borough, in full, .£lO9 18s 2d; Aehburton Borough, on account, £20 ; Amberley Town Board, in full, £10 18s 4d; Cust Road Board, in full, £32 15s 6d. There are still two amounts outstanding on

account of last year's contributions, viz., Ashburton County, balance, £331 11s 3d; Waipara Road Board, balance, £100. The following are the contributions required from the several local authorities for the current year:—Counties —Akaroa, £277 12s 8d ; Amuri, £224 4e 3d; Ashburton, £909 11s 7d; Ashley, vis. : Amberley Town Board, £10 18a 4d (paid) ; Ashley Road Board, £73 15s sd; Cust Road Board, £32 15s 6d (paid); Eyreton Road Board, £108 7s 10d ; Kowai Road Board, £137 28 2d ; Mandeville and Rangiora Road Board, £145 19s 7d ; Oxford Road Board, £94 13s 9d ; Waipara Road Board, £295 15s 3d ; West Eyreton Road Board, £43 4s 8d ; Cheviot county, £132 19s Id ; Kaikoura, £998s 9d; Selwyn county, £190719s 9d. Boroughs—Akaroa, £18 7s 7d; Ashburton, £7914s 10d (£2O paid); Christchurch, £918 Is 7d ; Kaiapoi, £33 12s 4d ; Lyttelton, £109 18s 7d (paid); Rangiora, £43 10s 7d ; St Albans, £154 10s 2d ; Sydenham, £201 6s 2d.

The report was adopted,

At the request of Mr Allwright, the correspondence regarding the Twigger bequest was read.

The opinion was strongly expressed by several members of the Board that if Mr White's health was so bad he should resign the trust.

Mr Allwbight moved — "That the Chairman be instructed to take steps at once to get the matter of the Twigger bequest settled, and that the solicitors to the Board be instructed to press the claim forthwith.

Mr Dcxlop seconded the motion, which was carried.

The Board then adjourned.