CITY MISSION WORK

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 189, 8 May 1931, Page 10

CITY MISSION WORK

Many Pressing Calls for Assistance

HELP FOR POOR & NEEDY “The attendance at old people’s meals shows no signs of decrease; xn there is an increase,” said the Rev. l ieldt en Taylor, when reading his report at the annual meeting of the Wellington City Mission last evening. The average fed each day is 30 women and men. It would be hard to know what these old pensioners would do if the meals were stopped; their pension does not allow much for tood after payment of rent.” . Mr. Taylor described the opening of the soup kitchen last year, and mentioned that an average of 150 people a week had been fed, while in six months the total number of bowls of soup given. away was 3900. He thought another kitchen would have to be started this year, but that would not be until, the mission had shifted into its new building. Unemployment Problem. Dealing with unemployment, the missioner said that this had become a real factor in the life of the mission. Every dav the unemployed of both sexes come to us,” he said. “We placed 182 boys in work during the year, a number of men, and a few women. We shall have to place the employment of women on a better tooting, as up to the present we have not dealt with it seriously. At the present time we have over twenty boys on our books, and this is quite unusual tor this time of the year. It seems impossible to get a boy apprenticed. Employers will materially assist us if they will advise us when they need a man or woman, boy or girl. A large percentage of boys we have placed have made good. We will not palm off an unworthy individual on any employer.” Relieving the Poor. “Like everybody else, we have had our share in the universal depression, the missioner continued. “The calls have been more pressing and numerous than ever. Including the Christmas cheer fund, we have given away £l5OO this year, and we are more grateful than we can say for the donations which made this possible. . . We appreciate the confidence shown in us by the public. “Behind the cold figures of the balancesheet are many distressing stories of worry and anxiety among old and young. These stories are known to me personallv but are not for publication. Money is never given, but rent is paid, clothes and food are bought, train or boat fare paid, goods redeemed from pawn, medical prescriptions made up, event the fee paid to the maternity home. Day by day calls are made on us, and I greatly fear that the present year will be more difficult still. I commend this urgent fund to your continual sympathetic thought and action. . , “I hope all 1 have written will convince all those who read that we are really meeting a need, poorly though we may be meeting it. Daily life is one long toil. Unemployed boys have trebled our attendance at morning school. The list of daily callers does not diminish, and this year we have added to our work of filling up forms and giving references, the task of certifying that men seeking work at the labour bureau have dependants. Baptisms, marriages, and funerals take up much time. Domestic disputes are brought to me for settlement, and they are the hardest things of all. There has to be long and careful preparation tor sermons and lessons for confirmation classes, and scores of letters to be written. Do not think that I am complaining, but I want to greatly increase the circle of those who are interested in what we are trying to do.” The missiouer’s report dealt exhaustively with the activities of the various clubs and societies that are associated with the mission. 1 Mission’s New Building.

The treasurer, Mr. T. H. Helliwell, when speaking to his annual statement ot accounts, mentioned that the mission s new building would be completed shortly, and it was expected that it would be available for occupation about the end or’ the present month. The trustees were satisfied that, there was no mission in New Zealand that had a better building for carrying on a very great work than the one in Wellington. The following advisory committee was elected: —Messrs. Clarke, Wilson, W. Mitchell, Beckett, Nichol, Butler, Patterson, Cole, and Lawton.