SYSTEM OF RELIEF

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 47, 24 August 1932, Page 8

SYSTEM OF RELIEF

LITTLE OVERLAPPING

METHOD BUSINESSLIKE

THE MAYOR'S REPLY

On Saturday appeared an article contributed by "Coordinate" urging the grouping cf all organisations for the relief of distress under one head in order to prevent overlapping and waste. "Sympathy" and "Pair Deal" have written on the same subject;.

The first, article and these letters were referred to-day to the Mayor, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, who, in his reply, maintained that under, the present circumstances, with only limited funds, the system of voluntary administration and distribution by district committees, all working under the direction of a central committee, is the best means of administering the Mayor's Fund. Though there may be a little overlapping, Mr. Hislop says, the total is very small, for the check system employed is such that exploitation -is quickly, discovered and further'help is refused. -"Sympathy?? generally supports "Coordinate's" views and says that the Central Committee should be composed of business men of good standing. This executive should allocate the various kinds of relief to be dispensed by each society and only that special one accepted by them. The funds should be paid into one central account, leaving the various organisations to carry on their usual activities, as long as it tyas distinctly laid down that relief was to be dispensed only along the lines as agreed. The cost of administering relief by the multiplicity of organisations at present, says "Sympathy," must be a very serious drain, and any scheme for minimising this should be encouraged. "Fair Deal" alleges that much overlapping occurs and urges the adoption of a ■ card system to prevent this in future. All relief should be given in goods, not in cash. He asks what is the-' amount paid in salaries from the Mayor's Pund in the administration of the system.

SMALL FUND GREAT DEMAND. "To begin with," said Mr. Hislop, ** 'Coordinate' suggests that the recent grant from the Macarthy Trust to various charitable institutions, together with the sum from the Bank of New Zealand, approximately £4500, is for immediate distribution, whereas it can be taken for granted that it will be expended over a considerable period. It can be readily understood that the measure of the amount required for relief must be in proportion to the requirements, and it can be truthfully said that £4000 or £5000 will be far short of the needs of the thousands of families at present dependent upon relief works and in straitened circumstances, and it is because this is the case that so many of the different organisations are attempting by various methods to raise further sums of inonev. The position is that in the Wellington area, from Island Bay to Johnsonville inclusive, there are about 4000 families living on relief wages, and probably another thousand or two thousand families m veiy straitened circumstances and requiring a measure of relief.

It has been repeatedly stated by me and others connected -with relief organisations that, the amount of wages earned on relief works is inadequate for the essentials of domestic life, food, rent, and firing, even when taken on a privation basis. This can easily be verified by 'Co-orainat"' for himself. To meet this position the Mayor's distress fund was inaugurated about "eighteen months ago, and at the same time 'the inter-church bodies formed themselves into district relief committees for the dispensing of relief in their own localities.

"In this connection, it should be clearly understood that the interchurch committees and the Mayor's executive committee are one corporate body, the former distributing relief, and .the Mayor's executive supplying_ the. necessary funds, but in some instances, at the instigation of the Mayor's executive, in order to augment the Mayor's fund, many of the inter-church committees are collecting a certain amount of goods and cash. It is doubtless this form of collection that has caused 'Co-ordinate' to mention tJie collection of food by a schoolmaster, but if 'Co-ordinate,' would inquire into the facts it is more than likely that he would find that the food so collected was passed oVer to one of the inter-church committees, and was not given away indiscriminately as suggested.

LITTLE OVERLAPPING IN FACT.

" 'Co-ordinate 1 alleges that business people^ are under the impression that there is an enormous amount of overlapping. This erroneous view could also be practically wholly negatived if a little personal inquiry was made among responsible heads of such organisations as the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, and other such bodies," continued _ Mr. Hislop. "It is true that an individual family may l>e helped by three different organisations, but it is also doubly true that the total amount given, generally' speaking, will still be considerably below the barest requirement of the family assisted. It should be understood by the public that there is no system, either in commercial activity or in the administration of charitable institutions, that will entirely prevent a certain amount of defalcation or exploitation, but the total exploitation in this instance, the public can be assured, is almost negligible, and though the exploiter may get away with it once or twice, he is quickly discovered, and no more help is given. Too much importance^ unfortunately, is attached to individual cases of this nature, and it is regrettable that a few such isolated cases should be fastened upon as an indication that the whole system is lax and that money is being wasted. 'Co-ordinate' can be assured that the system] of check is such that exploitation is promptly discovered, and stopped."

SERVICES VOLUNTARILY GIVEN,

"The total amount of salaries paid for clerical assistance is not more than £100 per year," said Mr. Hislop referring to "Fair Deal's" question. "The deputy-chairman and the members of the inter-church committees give their time and services without reward, and at great sacrifice of their .time and to their work. It must be bornein mind that the work of these committees is not merely a matter of 'giving bread,' for there is the 'very important human side of the personal touch. Hundreds of citizens are up againt it for the -first time and do not know where to turn for advice; the work of th-e committees in this regard is of vastly more importance than probably most people realise.

'' While it may very well be that one body to control all forms of charity would be desirable,' 1 concluded Mr. Hislop, "the facts remain that the Mayor's Relief Fund organisation is itself conducted on thoroughly businesslike lines, that.it operates through its various committees throughout the city, that there is a careful check system and a sytsem ,of personal inquiry into the needs of the applicants, and relief is only given on production of cards, ■which have to have marked upon them the assistance to be granted. "Anyone subscribing to the Mayor's fund for the relief o£ distress can be

assured, that the expenses of administration are practically nil, and that the fund is administered with the utmost care. The trouble is that it is not.nearly big enough.

"If these gentlemen who write letters to the Press about overlapping would only spend an equal amount of time in coming to sco me or the deputychairman and inquiring into the actual methods of administration, they would, I am certain, be satisfied and would not, through public utterances, discourage people from subscribing to a fund that is doing great work among the necessitous people in the community today. They would rather, I think, turn and help us in the very hard battle we are having to relieve distress."