CHARITABLE AID BOARD MEETING.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXXII, Issue 5387, 6 January 1886, Page 2

CHARITABLE AID BOARD MEETING.

A meeting of the Charitable Aid Committee, representing the Borough and County Councils, was held at the Town Hall last evening at eight o'clock. Present — Messrs Lahman, Guinness, Cameron, Warren (chairman), Sheedy, Marshall, Clifford, M'Kechnie, Parfibt, Ryall, Taylor. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. A circular was read from the Secretary of the Education Department (W. Hislop) in relation to children committed to an industrial school, pointing out that the industrial schools -were not established for educating and bringing up the children of respectable people, even if poor, but for fhe purpose of providing a home for children whose parents are either incapable or unworthy of having charge of their own children. The cost of maintenance of each child in the industrial schools was stated to be £73 per annum, an amount considerably in excess of what a child could be maintained for in the home of a parent. The circular letter dealt generally with the the combs to btf jjgnmed by the Charitable

AH Board regarding indigent children

coming under their jurisdiction. The letter was received.

Letter from the manager of the Industrial School, Caversham, in relation to the M'lvor children, stating that he would look to the Board for the payment of 7s Gd per week for each child from the Ist October last. Letter received.

Letter from the Hon. Secretary of the Grey River Hospital in relation to a petition for making that a separate institution under the Charitable Aid Act, appended to which was the number of signatures attached to the petition. Letter received. A similar letter i>i regard to the Greymouth Benevolent Society was also read and received. A return of the rateable property and Crown Lands in the Grey Valley District, supplied by the Borough and County Councils, w s read and received. Applications from the following persons for the office of secretary and treasurer to the Board were read : — Mr James Payne Mr Thos. Englehardt Mr Robert Russell Mr J. A. Whall Mr Guinness raised the question as to whether Mr Payne and Mr Whall were eligible. It was his impression that neither was a suitable person, owing to their being already servants of local bodies, eachof which might comeinto collision with the Charitable Aid Board. The dual position to which they aspired appeared to be as undesirable as it was anomalous The Chairman said that in his opinion it was perfectly competent for both these gentlemen to apply for the office.

Mr Sheedy coincided with •■••hat had fallen from Mr Guinness. The County Cle k and the Town Clerk had quite enough to do to attend to their own duties, and they should attend to them. Mr Sheedy concluded by moving that Mr Russell be appointed to the office. Mr Guinness seconded. Mr Marshall moved as an amendment that the appointment be conferred upon Mr Payne. He failed to see how any objection could be raised against either Mr Payne or Mr Whall to filling the position of secretary and treasurer simply because they he'd a permanent position in the town. Either could no doubt find sufficient time to perform the duties, and they would no doubt perform them satisfactorily. Mr M'Kechnie seconded, as he considered that Mr Payne would make a most efficient officer. Mr Whall here withdrew from the candidature, as he said his terms of engagement with the Bjrough Council were that he could not accept any appointment unless the members of the Council were unanimous on the point. Some discussion ensued as to whether the election should be conducted by way of nomination and amendment, or by nominating all the applicants and allowing those who received fewest votes to drop out.

Mr Lahman proposed the adoption of the latter course.

On Mr Russell being proposed he received the following votes: — Messrs Sheedy,.C.ameron, Parfitt, Ryall, Guinness, Lahman. •;•

Mr Englehardt received the following votes : — Messrs Cameron and Guinness.

Mr Payne received the! ollowing votes: — Messrs Parfitt, Taylor, McKechnie, Clifford, Ryall, Lahman, M§jshall, Gui ness, and the Chairman. In Hie next ballot Mr Russell received nine votes and Mr Payne nine votes, and as he received the casting vote of the Chairman he was declared duly elected. Mr Clifford moved that the Mayor (Mr Nancarrow) be appointed a member of the by-laws Committee instead of Mr Thomas, late Mayor, and that Messrs McKechnie, Ryall, and Sheedy be also appointed members of the committee ; and that three form a quorum. Cr Taylor seconded. Motion carried. Mr Lahman moved that steps be at once taking for raising Lsoofor the purposes of carrying on till the 31st March ■:— Hosnital Maintenance, L 450 ; four children at the Caversham Industrial School, L 26 due in March ; and L 24 for contingencits. Mr Marshall seconded. In reply to a question, Mr Lahmansaid th^t the annual cost of hospital maintenance was between L 2200 and L 2300 ; but now having raised the salaries of some of the officers he anticipated that the cost in future would be L2OO per month. Motion put and carried. Mr Lahman said the next thing for them to do was to apportion the payments to be made by the Boroush and County. During the year ISB4-85 the county furnished 317 patients to the TToapital and 75 from the Borough. Besides these there are 92 which might be classed as chronic cases ; so if the half nf these were put down to the county and the other half to the boroush it would be found that the county furnished three patients to every one from the borough. He therefore thought that it would be a fair arrangement if the county paid twice as much as the borough. He very much feared that

in fu'ure their subscriptions would fall off.

Instead of getting £800 per annum by way of subscriptions they would barely get €400. If the borough was forced to

adhere to clause 23 then they would very probably be compelled to take advantage of clause 25 and lay their case before the Colonial Secretary. Mr Ryall thought that as the country worked solely for the benefit of the town,

the borough should not be so niggardly in providing for the sick and distressed from the country. He therefore moved that the maintenance of the hospital be derived from the rateable value of property in town and country. Mr M'Kechnie seconded. The motion was then put and a division taken, with the following result : — For — Messrs Warren, Tavlor, Parfitt, M'Kechnie, Clifford, Ryall. Against— Messrs Guinness, Cameron, Lahman, and Marshall. The motion was accordingly carried. Mr Guinness pointed out that if they wished to fairly apportion the contribution of each local body the property in borough and county should be assessed on the same basis, which is not the case at present. Mr Guinness moved that the valuation should be made the same in each district, namely, under the Rating Act of 1882. Mr Parfitt seconded. Motion put and agreed to. On the motion of Mr Ryall, seconded by Mr Marshall, the County Chairman and Mr Lahman were appointed to countersign oheoks drawn by the Treasurer,

On the motion of Mr Lahman, seconded by Mr Taylor, it was resolved to appoint a Finance Committee, consisting of his Worship the Mayor, the County Chairman, vJ r Guinness, Mr Marshall, Mr Cameron, and the mover ; three to form a quorum.

Mr Ryall moved that in future the meetings of the Board be held at the County Council Chambers.

The next meeting was fixed for the 9th March next, at 8 p.m., when the Board adjourned.