OLD PEOPLE’S HOME.

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 September 1917, Page 3

OLD PEOPLE’S HOME.

POE GREY DISTRICT. MEETING OE LOCAL BODY DELEGATES. The proposal to make a special effort in the Grey district to raise funds to establish a home for the aged, apart from the present method of maintenance at the

Grey River Hospital buildings, was advanced a further step yesterday afternoon, when a'meeting ; of representatives of several local i bodies in the Grev district was held at the Town Hall. The move- ; meat was initiated by the mem- i bers of the Grey Hospital and 1 * Charitable Aid Board and, next i year being the jubilee of the for- i mation of the Borough *B1; Grey- 1 mouth, flic present is considered ( an opportune time to organise 1 and prepare a scheme for the i raising of moneys to establish a t home for the aged as well as i serving as a memorial and milestone in the history of civic life 1 and progress of the Grey district, i An apology for absence was re- i ceivod from Air M. Hannan, f chairman of the Grey Hospital r

and Charitable Aid Board, who was unavoidablv absent. Messrs J. I). Lynch and It. E. Dongan represented the Greymouth Borough Council, Messrs J. Ryall and 1). Baybuft the Grey County Council, Mr G. Hunter ihe Rnnanga Borough Council, Messrs P- Williams and Masters the Brunner Borough Council, and the Rev- E. D- Balchell ihe Grey Hospital and Charitable Aid BoardMr Lynch was voted lo the

chair. The minute on the books relating to the condemnation of the present dilapidated building, expressing the opinion that a special effort he made to raise funds for a new building and the calling together of delegates, was read. The Chairman said the matter was an ‘important one, a. new building was absolutely necessary, and it was for them to go into the question of ways, and means. In the Westland district SUU acres had been set apart at Lake Mahinapua for such a purpose, but he could not say if there was any similar endowment in the Grey district- Notwithstanding the war and its demands, it might be possible for them to go into the details, obtain estimates, etc. He asked for an expression of opinion, Mr Patchett said the proposal had been the outcome of a visit

to the Hospital, where sixty old people were found in a crowded state and in a building that had been condemned by Dr Yalintine some years ago as insanitary and unfit for the .purposes for which it is used- Much might be said in the direction that the time to appeal was inopportune, yet they found that the public were at all times sympathetic to appeals for humanitarian projects. He believed the appeal would- meet with generous support, -and the establishment of a home as proposed would be a deserving tribute to the early pioneers and make their lot more comfortable and happy, feome big gathering, or carnival, he thought might be organised- To proceed with the building while the war was on might be inadvisable owing to the heavy cost of materials, _ etc. Still, they could set about raising say,a couple of thousand pounds, and with the scheme launched there was a possibility of its being endowed by generous people in the interim- ‘ He quoted Wanganui, with its 40 inmates in its Jubilee Home, as against GO at Greymouth, to show that the care of the aged was a greater responsibility on the West Coast

; than in other centres- The reverend gentleman went into the finances of the Wanganui institu--1 tiou and gave comparative figures. The making of a direct special appeal at the present moment did not meet with favour

by the busiuesss iieople of the town, but if the scheme were launched now and efforts made later on, in the year of the Borough/s jubliee, the requisite money could be raised in, say, two or three yearsMr Hunter said that, while his Council had not yet committed itself to the proposal, he thought they could rest assured of its hearty supportMr.JDoogau, in approving of the project, moved that a committee, consist!iiG' of a representative of

each local body, viz., Messrs Lynch (Greymouth Borough Council), M. Hannan (Grey County Council), E. D- Patchett (Hospital and Charitable Aid Board), E. Williams (Brunner Borough Council), and H. Coppersmith (llunanga Borough Council) to make all enquiries and take the necessary steps to forward preliminariesMr Ilya 11, in seconding the motion, referred to a former effort made do establish a home in the district and thought if enquiries • were made valuable data might be forthcoming. Mr Baybutt supported _ the scheme, and in so .paid a high tribute to the early of tliis district. Mr Williams dwelt on the inadequacy and unfitness of the present building, and assured the meeting’ that the Brunner Borough Council would

give the scheme their hearty approval- Mr Masters endorsed ihe remarks of previous speakers and hoped the site for the home would be in fbe vicinity of the Hospital and within easy reach of medical assistance. The Chairman expressed his pleasure at the. favourable consideration given fbe proposal- He had bee nsurpri-sed to learn that < there wore as many as sixty old ] people at the Hospital- He would, however, be pleased to act on Die j committee proposed. One of the 1 first steps in be taken would be , in ibc direction of ascertaining if ( there was an endowment site; if : not. to sec that one was obtained- \ Air Baybutt moved that a hearty vote of thanks be ’accorded j the Charitable Aid Board for hav- A ing brought the matter forward- A Seconded by Mr Masters and car- 1 ried, ~ , - \ A vote of tliHoks to ihe clifin t concluded Die' meeting.