A HELPING HAND.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVII, Issue 138, 13 June 1913, Page 6

A HELPING HAND.

SALVATION ARMY'S USEFUL WORK.

Some statistics of interest relating to the various avenues of work of 'the Salvation Army in tho Dominion during the past twelve months were given, by Commissioner Richards at the annual gathering of the organisation held in Wellington on Monday evening. The Commissioner prefaced his figures by stating that the ramifications of the Army extended all over the world and the. work in New Zealand was on a very much smaller scale than in the older countries. During the period mentioned, said the Commissioner, the Army provided 3650 beds for workmen at a shilling a bed. 6773 ninepenny beds, 13.407 sixpenny beds, 19,834 fourpenny beds, >and 4110 free beds. Work was found for no less than 7351 stranded men, and meals were provided as follows:—Total sixpenny meals at workmen's homes. 54,462; fourpenuy meals, 29,260; threepenny meals, 1606; twopenny meals, 1728;. free meals, 10.873. Dealing with the treatment of inebriates, .the Commissioner stated that 89 males were admitted to Roto Roa. 110 discharged, and 95 still remained on their island home. In the women's home at Pakatoa there were at present 23 inmates. TwentyN one had been admitted during the year and 31 had been discharged. "This is one of our most difficult departments," added the Commissioner, amid much laughter. "You women fail to recognise the anxiety you cause us men."

The Commissioner next went to to state that • the patients taken into the maternity home at the expiration of the twelve months numbered 176, andl 180 were discharged. The- sum of £3300 had been expended on the erection of a new maternity hospital, and another property purchased in Kensington Street ,for the sum of £2150, while a further amount of had been expended in improvements. In the rescue home for girls +,)>ere were at the end of the twelve months 103 inmates and 175 girls had heen admitted in the twelve months.

SPEECHES BY MINISTERS

Speaking at the ceremony of layme the foundation stone- of the Booth Memorial College, Mr Massey expressed his sense of the honor done him in asking him to perform this ceremony to tie memory of a great and good man— General TJooth. As a New Zealander, he was g£ad that New Zealanders had not ■been slow in recognition of the work of one of th 3 greatest and best men of the century—from a 'humanitarian noint of view one of the greatest the world had ever seen. Possessing great organising ability with great force of character, General Booth had made the whole object of his life the work of the Good Samaritan. Who would say his work had not been successful? Now the Army had representatives in eyery part of the world, practising ate well as preaching Christianity. On sach an occasion as this they should remember1 the work of the General's trife—-Mrs Catherine Booth. With Ability and zeal second only to the General's, she took part in the organising work., and yet remained a model wife and mother. The secret of General Booth's success was that whatever he did, he did with all his might. It was right that the memorial should take the form of a ifrsaining college, where young men sttid women anight be prepared to follow in the footsteps of the great man who had gone to join the comT*iny of good men made perfect. In ihei grief and lamentation at General Booth's death they had the thought tliat he had done what .everyone gliould try to do—leave the world better than he found it.

Mr Massey then laid the first foundation stone, and Commissioner Sichards, having been presented with am. inscribed;:- mallet, performed a similar ceremony with the second atone on behalf of the Salvationists «f New Zealand.

Major Page read a statement of fflae finances of the memorial fund. The expenses would be: Site, £2300; -estimated cost of erection, £9700; furnishing, £1000; total, £13,000. Amounts received totalled £9763.

The Hon. F MB. Fisher congratulated the Army on haying cliosen a site in a congested area, where they would find great scope for their work. When the Prime Minister saw the Army undertaking such work as this on its own account, _it must impress upon him the necessity fox some assistance being given ,by tiie Government of the day. .Not long, ago Lord Rosebery said in England that the Government would do well to entrust the administration of charitable aid to the Salvation Army. He believed the day was not far distant when the Government liere would find it economically sound to hand over the administration of charitable aid to the Salvation Army. He hoped that as the days of the Massey Ministry grew longer, and they had time to carry out their humanitarian programme, it would be found that there were men in the Cabinet inspired by some of the ideals that actuated General Booth. The Hon. James Allen, in a speech

at the social gathering held in the evening; stated that he fully recognised the magnificent work being done by the Salvation Army. The greatest work that any organisation could take in hand was the building up of character. It was work that must appeal to everyone who had as his ideal the welfare of the nation. The Empire wanted citizens of strong character, who could resist temptation. He wished the Salvation Army good luck and all success in their glorious mission. .