“THE POOR YE HAVE ALWAYS.”

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 27 September 1924, Page 16

“THE POOR YE HAVE ALWAYS.”

POSITION IN AUCKLAND

FACTORS IN THE PROBLEM

OPINIONS OP THOSE WHO KNOW,

“So many old men —yes, and women —are walking about from door to door begging, or selling trivial things. Why is it? What is Auckland’s position as far as her poor are concerned ? Is the position worse than in previous year's, is it the same, or is it improving?” These are questions that are continually being asked in Auckland at present (says the Star). They are the direct outcome of what would appear to be a band of unfortunates who’have flung themselves upon the community for support. Day after day suburban housewives attend to the visits of old men who ask for a little work (most of them would collapse if given it) or beg for a meal, or ask one to buy all sorts of small things, ranging from collar-studs to mussels. And hundreds of genuine cases Ave never hear about. Some of the visitors tell tales of misfortune, of having seen better times; others of hav_ ing suffered more than their share of the world’s hardships. And others again can give no apparent reason for their position in life.

So inquiries were made amongst those people who give their time to attending to the poor and needy of our city. They were asked for their opinions on the situation as a whole. In no case was it said that the condition of things was any worse than it had been previously, but the information was given that there is much poverty rife. ' The influx of people to the towns, their disinclination to take good work that is offering in the country, wife desertion, sheer hard luck, dishonesty, laziness, were amongst the reasons assigned, but informants were unanimous that the greatest of all the contributing agencies for a great proportion of the poverty of this city was the high rents at present existing. Adjutant Gordon, of the. Salvation Army Samaritan Workers, who is regarded as possessing the best knowledge of the darker side of this town, was first turned to for guidance on the subject. “People are flocking in from 1 the country to the town,” she said, “and they will not go out again. There are farm hands wanted—and we cannot get them.. There are domestics wanted. We get girls good positions—some stay, but others leave. They have nothing and will not work for anything. There has been such an enormous amount of dishonesty among young women employees that would-be employers will not risk taking girls into their homes. There is a spirit of unrest existing.” “Then rents,” continued the Adjutant, and she told how difficult it was for families to live on a small wage with, a big rent overshadowing them and eating up the greater part of the earnings of the person on whom their very existence depends. . “Something wiil have to he done, and until it is done we must expect—we will continue having—more poor than we would have otherwise.”

Touching on the degenerate, and the vagrants who ultimately find themselves in the police court dock, Adjutant Gor_ don said: “You have no idea how much has been done for many of those people before they are brought, up.” An outstanding member of the Benevolent Society, Mrs. Tolhurst, was asked for her opinion. She, too, stressed the rent question. “The rents are so abnormal that there are many poor people who can have no home life at all,” she said- “We have women struggling to bring up their families, and, at the same time paying £2 per week for houses that they would have previously got for 145.” “T do not think; however, that the position is worse tlia» previously,” said Mrs. Tolhurst. “It is about the same. Wife desertion is a factor to be considered. Men are ordered by the magistrates to pay so much to the wives they have deserted. There the matter often ends, and unless the women bring the matter before the court from time to time they are left to their own -resources. Then we have many old women who have nothing, hut will not go to the homes. They dread the discipline. They would’ rather live in poverty, and be able to walk about and see the faces and shops, or visit their children. That is their idea of happiness. The Benevolent Society has about one hundred, people on its books. Old age pensioners, for instance, who get 15s per week, find that inadequate to pay the rent and at the same time buy anything else., We supplement their pensions by ss, and they find that a great help. An extra 5s per week is everything to these people. The winter months are always the worst. Labourers lose so much work, and, with things so dear, they have a struggle to live.

“There are a few isolated cases—shocking cases —caused by various things, but the position is practically the same,” concluded Mrs. Tolhurst. The secretary of the Charitable Aid Board, who also said “Rent increases cause the trouble,” supplied some very interesting figures, which show to what gxtent the funds of the society have been taxed during the year. The total number of rations issued in the city, suburbs, and Onehunga in 1923-24 was 224,446, a decrease on those of previous years. The average number of rations per day was 615. The average number of persons receiving relief was 1488, another slight decrease. The cash allowance for food and rent was £6075 14s 3d, an increase on the previous two years. • The cost of rations in the city, suburbs, and Onehunga was £6OIO 6s 6d, a small decrease, while the cost of rations in out-districts was £1704 10s Id, an increase. “This board dees not keep the poor on its books —it merely helps them with their rents, but it expects those whoreceive alms to supplement them. We believe in throwing them on their own initiative. That may account for some of those who go about selling things.” And. so far as those who beg from door to door are concerned, the general opinion is that they are either unfortunate persons who lose their possessions, but retain, at least, a. little pride —it keeps them from institutions and homes. “I am not going to any home while I can walk and do a little work,” said one old man, asking for a meal at the back door of an Epsom house the other dav. That seems to be the essence of it all. But those who know state that others, again, may be persons well able to work, who are doing nothing more than “sponging” on their fellow men.