THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAY APRIL 23, 1897.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10423, 22 April 1897, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. THURSDAY APRIL 23, 1897.

How the record reign of Her Majesty should best be celebrated is a wider question than appears at first sight. We are all anxious to-do something which shall be lasting, and which shall in future times be a monument showing the high sense entertained by those who lived in Her Majesty's reign of the wisdom which has governed her conand of her high character as a sovereign and in all the relations of life, It has been hinted by the Prince" of Wales that the most satisfactory way to commemorate tlie ; Queen's reign would;be by taking some measures whioli would relieve distress and suffering amonest the poor and needy. Thia suggestion is likely to be adopted at home, for the most part at least. In' the colonies, • although our circumstances ure somewhat different, • the suggestions made as yet are nearly all in the same direction. . The donating of money for public purposes naturally : divides ( itself into two branches. One is the merely charitable ; institution, where : - provision is made for destitute, or neglected ? ohil-

dren, or for some class of the destitute or sick and infirm. Another is making provision for some benefit to be conferred on the whole community, such as founding ft free library, or an art gallery, or 'college for technical instruction. The proposals hitherto made have chiefly been for purposes of pure charity. But there is one thing which must be kept in mind in discussing these charitable projects, and that is, that the reoent trend of legislation, the Statutes whloh are already 111 existence, and the measures which we are informed are still to come, must have 'an important bearing upon any subscription for charitable purposes, It must be remembered that in the Socialist state, to which we have been hurrying of late years, there will • be no room for charity, because everything will be in common, and what the State requires for those who cannot, or will not, support themselves by their own exertions, it will simply take from those who have anything. The present | charitable aid tax is severe, and country settlers are appalled to see a third part of the rates collected in their district swept away to be administered for relief. Those rates were imposed to make and maintain roads, but those roads must remain unmade, or impassable for want of repair. There is nothing looked upon now as being given in a spirit of kindness. The recipients, for the most part, consider everything they get as a right, and that it does not even amount to what society pwes them. Look at the Old Age Pensions Bill which was brought in by the Ministers last session. In the original scheme it was stated that one of the sources from which money would be raised would be contributions from those who were to benefit by the fund while they were in work and were able to contribute something to make provisionfor theirold age. But the Premier indignantly struck this out. Those who were to benefit by the fund wore not to be asked to contribute at any time. The whole amount necessary, probably about £360,000 per annum, was to be added to the income tax and other taxes on property. That is the plan which Ministers have for raising money for the Old Ago Pensions scheme,

11l fact, the whole of the legislation of recent years has been directed against the voluntary giving of charity. If it is given, the Government simply use it to save the exchequer. Those who give are scarcely thanked ; if they had not given, the amount would have had to be found out of taxation. Already the result has been experienced. The amount subscribed now for the Ladies' Benevolent Society is a mere fraction of what it was 30 years ago, considering the difference in the size and wealth of the community. if, indeed, of late years a method of raising money from the pleasures of people had not been found, the Society would have died from i starvation.

The objects which have been spoken of as suitable for the commemoration of this great event in the history of the Empire are all good and worthy and urgent. But it will prove a mistake to undertake too much. A very considerable amount is now taken possession of by force, and there is no merit in parting with that. We are besides threatened with a series of measures which will go to an extreme in that direction. There is no doubt as much want and poverty and suffering in the community as ever, for the money levied by the Government is to a considerable extent wasted. But there is much less disposition to give than before, except in the cases of special calls, sucli as the Indian famine, or the lust great disaster in Hawke's Bay. It is undoubtedly the case that the legislation of late years must lead to a contraction of the charitable feeling towards our own poor and needy, a result greatly to be regretted in every way.