DISTRESS IN THE CITY.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20470, 13 February 1932, Page 7

DISTRESS IN THE CITY.

deputation to mayor. CO-ORDINATION <JF El'FOk'l'S SUGGESTED.

! "A - Mayor I should l.e deli-lued to l>ij i elie\ ed ui tho ot tjoiii/.interviewed by people in distress. buT; I am not prepared to say at this starve I that I will not see those who eome to mo w.itli their troubles. This would be >ni undemocratic attitude i'or a Mayor to take up." '3'liis statement was made ly the Mayor (Mr L>. G. Sullivan, M.P.i yostorday to a deputation from tho exooiitivu eouiniitteo of the CitiJ'olioJ' Association, winch waited oi; hiiti with a reque.st that there should bo closer co-ordination between liio Mayor's Distress Fund and the various organisations endeavouring in relieve distress in the City. Low Financial State. 'l'lie deputation, which consisted of Ci&hop Urodie, Mr George Harper t chairman ol the Association), Annie Fraei, and .Messrs F. \V. J. Delion, J. W. Craniptpn, J. W. Woodbury, and V. Freiieh, stated Lliat appeals were soniotimes issued by Llic Alayor, sott'etimos bv the Association, and sometimes by ether organisations, with tho result, the deputation thought,, that contusion was created in the minds of the public. The deputation suggested that in future all relief work should bo concentrated on the Citizens' Relief Association, the Mayor tcf contiiiue. to give it the financial support he had so getierously bestowed cu it in the pnst. The Mayor wrt.s also told that the Association was at present !n a low state financially, as si, result o! w-hich it had been able to supply relief this week to the extent oi' only £is. The deputation suggested that it would bo a great relief to the Mayor, if .the people who called on hiiu individually to ask for assistance wcra referred to the depots. Replying, the Mayor said he hoped, as a result of grants to the Mayor's Distress Fund from the Electricity Committee and the Finance Cofnmittee of the City Council, to make contributions to the Central I'eliof Depot of approximately £SO per week for tho next eight weeks, at the end of which period it was expected that the Pound Scheme! «oukl be in operation again. 'I lie matter eon Id not be settled, however. until an asstiranee wasi received from the Prime Minister (the night Hon. G. W. Forbes) that the action would be validated. Ibis procedure was necessary, as such grants had to come oiifc of unauthorised expenditure. \ the limit of which had been reached. ' Allocation of Fund. 'laking exception to the suggestion that there should ho elo.-cr eo-urtlina-tion between the efforts mentioned and that there had been some competition, between tho Mayor's Distress Fund and the work of the Citizens' Association, Mr Sullivan said that a good proportion of the money collected by him had been allocated to tlio depot, the balance being expended on boots, clothing, t«nd in some urgent cases on special relict' in the shape of food or coal. In nearly every ease when an appeal had been made for clothing the result of such an appeal had been sent C'.irect to the depot. In consequence there had not been competition but instead a good deal more eo-ordinntiou than some of tho members of the committee secliied to think. He added that some people appeared to think that the Mayor's Distress Fluid and tile Citizens' Relief Association wore unnecessary, aud that* the whole of the work of relief could be left to the Hospital Board. Mr Harper said that the Association had approached the Board on the matter, but had been requested to carry on. Evidently the Beard did not do anything in the way of providing boots, clothing, or firing; so that if bh<> Mayor's Fund and tic l Association ceased .in exist there would bo no organisation to. provide such necessities After being assured l.y the Mayor that he. would do all that was possible to bring about tho closest co-ordination between the Distress Fund and Ihe Association, the deputation thanked Mr Sullivan for his assistance and impressed on him that they did not desiro to regard their remarks as criticism.