CHARITABLE AID.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXXII, Issue 10465, 1 October 1894, Page 6

CHARITABLE AID.

PUBLIC MEETING. A public meeting, under the auspices of the Progressive Liberal Association, was held in Cathedral Square on Saturday evening to consider the charitable aid question. There were between five and six hundred persons present, and Mr W. I. Ballinger, president of the Association, presided. Mr Ballinger, in opening the proceedings, said that the Association had felt compelled to take up the question of the administration of charitable aid, as it thought it but right that every elector should have a voice in the management of such an institution as the Charitable Aid Board. The Association had several times approached the Board and had asked that lady inspectors should be appointed to inquire into cases where women applied for aid. The Board, while pretending to fall in with the idea, had taken care to place the Association in such a position that it could do nothing in the matter. The question had now been referred to by one of their members (Mr W. W. Collins) in the House of Representatives, and it was the duty of the citizens to pass the resolutions which would be submitted to them in order to strengthen x his hands.

Mr W. Ensom said all who had watched the events in connection with the administration of charitable aid in Christchurch lately, would agree that it was quite time there was a searching inquiry. He condemned the system of inspection followed by the Board, and said that the fact of poor creatures being expected to exist on Is 9d per week while high salaries were paid to the officers was a disgrace. Ho moved—‘'That in view of the growing demand, which has been strengthened by the recent utterances of the Star, for an inquiry into the administration of the charitable aid system in North Canterbury, this meeting urges upon the Minister of Justice the need for at once appointing a competent tribunal to conduct the investigation.” Mr T. E. Taylor, in seconding the motion, referred to statements which had appeared in the newspapers. He contended that the manner in which the Charitable Aid Board was appointed was radically wrong. The members should be elected, not nominated. It was also wrong that any man should be allowed to be chairman of any public body year after year, as it led to the officers becoming too familiar, with him, and thus tended to prevent Him doing his duty. The" inspection of cases where women were the applicants should be left to women, and the Liberal Association was prepared to supply a dozen ladies who would be glad to do the work without charge. He saw that charges had been made against the inspector, but the Board bad dismissed them without inquiry, on the ground that it was bound to stand by its officers. Charges had- been made last year against the Secretary, and he understood that no satisfactory inquiry had ever been made into them. He considered it certain that the unemployed difficulty would be aggravated, instead of diminished, in time to come, as the improvements in machinery were yearly pushing more skilled labour out of the market, and it was therefore to be expected that the applicants for charitable aid would increase in number. The refusal of the Government to undertake the revision of the Customs tariff this session would also have the effect of increasing the number of unemployed. He was satisfied that there should be a labour test for applicants for charitable aid, and by this means some of tho ,£14,000 spent in relief yearly might be got back to the State. Mr Reeves had said in the House that if specific charges were made against the Board. a Royal Commission to inquire into the matter would bo set up, but this was putting those who had made the charges in an unfair position. They would virtually have to undertake a private prosecution, and this was not right. It was the duty of the Government, with the particulars already furnished, to cause a public inquiry to bo made. He was in favour of charitable aid being administered by the existing public bodies, who could do it without extra expense, and thus a large sum would be saved annually. The salaries paid by the Board were too high. It was ridiculous to pay a secretary £350 a year merely to chat with the members of the Board while tho bulk of the work was done by understrappers. The motion was put and carried. Mr S. Billcliff criticised the action of the Chairman at the last meeting in saying that there was no important business to come before the Board when grave charges had been made in the public Press against the management. He moved —“ That this meeting urges the Government to amend existing legislation prior to the close of the present session, in the direction of providing for the election of Charitable Aid Committees.” Mr T. Clarkson seconded the motion, which was carried.