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New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 9045, 25 November 1892, Page 4

A vote which was passed in the expiring hours of last session is causing a good deal of talk-, and in all probability will be heard /of next session. The Government brought down on the Supplementary Estimates a fote of £500 for the Mount Magdala Magdalen | Asylum, Christchurch. This is an iusti-

tution foande* by the Rev. Father ; Ginity, and wj believe that it has done :'good work, ana is deserving of: public i support. Mri Buick. a Government j supporter, objected that a vote should j be given to this institution, which is a i Roman Catlblic charity, while nothing was proposed to be voted to the Magdalen Asylujns established and maintained by th» Salvation Army and by other bodies/ Mr. Meredith also spoke strongly ini reference to what was being done vby the Salvation Army in different I parts of the colony and the unmrness of making a distinction in favour of one particular ! institution, , lliere are two institutions j of the same nature in Auckland—one j managed by Mrs. Cowie and one by the Salvation Ariiiy—but no Auckland member opened his mouth in opposition to the proposal made by the Government. We understand that a claim has been bade on behalf of this institution for (several years past, but previous Governments have always declined, on tlie ground that if they subsidised one such place they must subsidise all. I The Hon. W. P. Reeves, in supporting the vote, said that the institution had some forty persons on its/hands. The following were the totals of the five Salvation Army ; institutions in different

parts of the colony —Number received for year ending September 30, 1892, 308 number! sent out, 300; number oi these unsatisfactory, 53; number sent out and known to be doing well, 242. The present Government have seen it their duty to do what previous Governments have declined to do, and have made a distinction in favour oi one institution beyond the others. We cannot see why, and we do not believe that Ministers could give a good reason. We cannot understand why the Auckland members, knowing of the existence of Mrs. Cowie's Home, and the Home maintained by the Salvation •Army, did not protest against tins vote. It may be easier to'surmise why the proposal was kept back till the very last time when appropriation was before the House, and till many of the members had left Wellington.