CHARITABLE AID.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17330, 29 November 1919, Page 11

CHARITABLE AID.

"STARTLING INCREASES."

POSITION IN WELLINGTON.

HOSPITAL BOARD'S TROUBLES

[BY telegraph— OWN correspondent.]

WELLINGTON, Friday.

A statement that charitable assistance is being given in Wellington to the families of working men who are -earning current wages was made at to-day's meeting of the Wellington Hospital Beard.

The board had before it a report from the charitable aid superintendent showing that the expenditure for the half-year ended September 30 last had exceeded" the estimate dv £2540. The excess on ordinary outdoor relief was £1195, the balance being due chiefly to epidemic relief. Compared with last year, tne expenditure had beei. higher by £2755. The "daily average number of persons in receipt of outdoor relief had been 329, as against 140 in 1918 and 174 in 1917. The increase in the. numoer of recipients of outdoor relief was 165 per cent., and the increase in the expenditure was 185 per cent. Mr. J. McEwan said the increases were startling, and he would like to know the reason.

Mrs- Mc7"] C : The high cost of living. Mr. McEwan said the amount, as well a? the number of the grants, had increased.

Mrs. Beck, a member of the Charitable Aid Committee, stated that the commite.s had found it necessary in some cases to make grants that really were subsidies oil wages. The committee did not like doing this, and it examined every case very carefully, but there were' casei where, owing to the high cost of living and high rents, families could not make ends meet, even when the breadwinner was in receipt of current wages. this applied to families where the number of children was large. Men who were earning £3 5s and £3 10s a week, and had large families, could not pay Wellington rents and feed and clothe their children Ibe committee had been compelled very rductantly to make grants in such cases Mr. J. Glover asked if the case mentioned arose among casual workers or among me l in permanent employment. If men in permanent employment were heW compelled to apply for charitable aid the position should be investigated. He had no doubt that the trouble arose from the fact that some men who were receiving the lowest wages paid had large families to support. Mr. J. McCurdy said there'were not many cases of payments to families which were receiving full wages, but such cases did arise. The committee could not allow children to go hungry, even in cases where the father was suspected of being a " sponger." He mentioned the case of a family whkh had been recerving assistance for four years. This family had received a grant for rent, and also for certain rations, and it had recentlybought a piano. But the fact that there were some bad cases did not entitle the board to reduce its assistance te deserving cases.

The difficulties created by large families where the father was incapable of earning an adequate wage, were mentioned in the course of further discussion. One of the cases quoted was that ot a man who was sent to a consumptive sanitonum. He had five children, -who became a charge on the board. The man was sent home while still sick, and provided with an open-air shelter. His. wife subsequently gave birth to twins. The man died a little later, and after his death his widow presented the state with twins again. A family of nine children was left as a charge on the board. The board adopted the report.