AUCKLAND'S CHARITY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1230, 12 September 1911, Page 8

AUCKLAND'S CHARITY.

HOW THE DESTITUTE ARE HELPED. In a dingy little office in a still dingier street in Auckland—a street in which nil is seemingly banished but the hurry and bustle of business —there are periormed weekly acts of charity that help to gladden hearts prematurely aged and lighten the loads from already overweighted shoulders. The office is that of tho Charitable Aid Committee. Auckland as a city is vet young. Judged by the average ago of cities it has not existed long enough to allow of the contrasts of the older world breaking through and making fester spots on an otherwise bright surface; but in Auckland there exist cases, and far too many of them, where an unequal division of sorrow aTid hardship has been made. A woman with a husband earning au average of „C 3 ss. per week would in tho ordinary course of 'events be judged r.ot a subject for charity. But cireumstances alter cases, and at a recant meeting of tho Charitable Aid Committee an application was made from such a woman. In her case, however, the husband was in Sydney in constant work, and earning the above-named sum, but ho had ceased to contribute to the support of his wife, who was left with six young children on her hands, no friends to. get assistance from, and able to do but little work on a'ccount of a bag leg. It was certainly a lit subject for support, and assistance was forthcoming in tho form of rations for the woman and her offspring, and an allowance for rent for a* covering for their heads. But what of the husband? It is a natural question, but the committee are not able to do anything in this direction. . They cannot go to tho expons-o of having v him brought back to tho Dominion, while they have, not the power to take an order out against him in Australia. All they can do is to advise the deserted wife to write to him, get tho children also to write, and try by this means to soften a heart that has apparently lost all of tlie milk of human kindness. It is an isolated case in that it is not often that such .husbands are heard of once they leave. In tho particular case mentioned ihe husband forwarded tho sum of ,£2 to his wi,fe in three months, and with this amount was an accompanying letter with tho threat from tho husband that if ho was brought back he would cease work and make no effort to help his family. The trouble? Well, everything was haiipy in this family until tho husband acquired a taste for gambling and got into the habit of allowing all his pay-sheet to go in the wrong direction. A remedy for this state of affairs? Well, there is a remedy for this, and the boards in New Zealand arc endeavouring to make it practicable. They want reciprocity with charitable aid institutions in Australia, police assistance on tho other side, and concessions from shipping companies would also assist greatly. Of courso tho committee does not have its existence to supply relief to deserted women only. There are other eases in which relief is readily granted, cases in which the husband is laid aside by illness or accident, and all that is required is for tho applicant to apply to the relieving officer of the committee, come before the committee, and state hej case. Numerous cases are dealt with at every meeting of the board, and it is quite common at the fortnightly meetings to have from thirty to forty persons applying for temporary relief. The society, too, assists destitute persons to brini, cases (o tho Maintenance Court, when the aid of the magistrate is seldom sought in vain. Taken altogether, the Charitable Aid Committee in Auckland do more to relievo genuine distress thau is known to the average citizen.