STREET COLLECTIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19719, 19 August 1927, Page 12

STREET COLLECTIONS.

GROWING IN NUMBER.

CITY COUNCIL DISCUSSION. HELP FOR THE UNEMPLOYED. About the frequency of street collections in the city, centred an animated discussion at the meeting of the City Council last evening. When an application from the Auckland Unemployed Association to hold a street collection on Friday, August 26, was under review, the Mayor (Mr. George Baildon) commented upon the number of collection dates then before the council. Mr. M. J. Coyle asked how much the City Council contributed to the hospital. / The Mayor: £34.000. Then, said Mr. Coyle, the needy should go there for their relief. "Quite a number are going there now," replied Mr. Baildon. Those seeking aid at the hospital were not held up to ridicule, said Mr. Coyle. They went there quietly and no one knew anything about it. Were their case deserving they received not only money, but food and firing as well. Mr. G. Ashley: These collections are confined to the city area, the business people in which have to put up with them all the time. They are becoming so frequent that soon people will be reluctant to come into the city. Miss E. Melville deplored the council's action some time ago, in removing restrictions on the number of collections. "There are so many now that none of them will be worth while. We are getting into a state of chaos and will have the public up in arms. It is time to call it off," said Miss Melville. Admittedly this was a deserving case but the officers of the organisation writing were unknown. Mr. J. Dempsey opposed the idea of paying cash to tho unemployed. Mr. E. J. Phelan defended tho Unemployed Association, pointing ont that it asked the council to supervise tho distribution of the collection. Further, he said, food and goods were the supplies sought by the beneficiaries. "I hate the idea of collecting money and doling it out. I don't like this charity stunt," said -Mr. J. A. C. Allum. "1 would rather see the council raise money on subsidy to provide further unemployment works." "Absolute begging," Mr. L. A. Eady described street collections. "I wonder how long the public, will stand for it?" he asked.

Eventually the collection was sanctioned and a committee of members was set up to supervise the distribution of the proceeds.