EFFECTIVE WORK

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 83, 4 October 1929, Page 7

EFFECTIVE WORK

BOESTAL ASSOCIATION

SECOND ANNUAL REPORT

"The second year of work performed by the committee has proved to be as effective and as interesting as the first," stated the report, of the Women's Borstal Association, presented to the annual meeting yesterday afternoon. "As the work develops and experience comes certain ideas' are modified or increased, as the case may be. It is found increasingly difficult to provide -work for the inmates when they leave the institution, partly because of the. general unemployment • and parti?; : because some .of the girls are not as employable as those of earlier days. "The committee has not failed to place any girl who has come to it, and the work has been extended to a nuniberof those who ask for help, although' their time of probation has ended, but the difficulties have been very considerable. A number of kind helpers in. Auckland, Napier, Hastings, "Wellington, Chrifitehutch, Nelson, and Dunedin have been enrolled as associates to the committee, and just lately an efficient contact has been made in Greymonth. In each case the associates have been most helpful in their supervision of the girls under their charge and in their reports to the .committee." A gratifying feature was that's good proportion of the girls had made good reputations' for themselves as -welltrained industrial workers, the report continued. The committee had found the money provided by the Maearthy Trustees invaluable, and had endeavoured to augment the fund by means of entertainments for the purpose. ';The money disbursed had been for working materials for the girls, extra clothins before departure, fares in cases where the girls had extra expense other than; that paid by the Government, fares and small sums to former girls who 6ame in. distressed circumstances, assistance to one who was married and in unavoidable and undeserved distress, gifts a* Christmas to inmates, girls at Porirna and ex-inmates, provision •of infants' clothing ana materials, small weddinggifts, and lodgings. The committee hat also given two parties, one after Christmas and another at Easter.

/AX UEGENT NEED. . • : The question of lodging for girls either out of ,healtlr or out of work haa been, several times discussed by the committee, it being regarded as urgent that something should be done to prevent those in distress taking to the streets The . acting-chairwoman was given the .opportunity of discussing the matter with Her Excellency. Lady Ilice [Fergusson (patroness and president) and the suggestion was made that the | committee should try to get a room m friendly hostess, who would'house such pis when necessary, the remuneration, to be a matter of arrangement. This matter was now in process between the acting-chairwoman and a women's organisation, and it was hoped that some such accommodation would be forthcoming Another matter to which the committee had given much, thought was the further and better protection of subnormal socially. defective girls. They were often the-ones who had to-be provided for in maternity homes, and it was felt to be most lamentable from aUpoint, of v^ew. It was hoped that Tome Ot£ Ctl? I\^° ula 800n ed by the Mental Defectives Board.