CITY MISSION WORK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20651, 25 August 1930, Page 10

CITY MISSION WORK.

INCREASE IN ACTIVITY.

"A MOST SEVERE WINTER."

Tho work carried on at the men's night shelter and the medical clinic, branches of the Auckland City Mission's activities, was described by tho Piev. Jasper Calder and Dr. H. Barraclough in addresses at tho mission service last evening.

Mr. Calder said conditions had been very severe this winter and the number of men seeking shelter had increased greatly. The shelter had been in existence for four years and it had supplied a definite want in social service work. Last winter there- had been a record number of 115 men oil one evening, but the average this year had been 120. On one night there were 168 men at the shelter. Since May 1, about 17,000 free beds had been supplied. All sorts and conditions of men were given shelter and a fine spirit prevailed among them. Mr. Calder said the majority of the men were anxious to dbtain work and an effort had been made to placo them in the country. Through tho agency of the organising secretary, Mr. B. Clark, 290 men had been sent from tho shelter to positions in the country. Speaking of the work of the medical clinic, Dr. Barraclough said that, besides treatment being given at the mission, visits were undertaken to homes. A total of 460 cases had been dealt with by tho cliuic this winter and in one week 64 cases had received attention.

"It is sometimes thought that we interfere with tho medical profession, but this is not the case/' said Dr. Barraclough. "We give treatment only to those who cannot pay and in this way we are really helping medical men. Likewise, our relations with the Charitable Aid Board are very cordial and we do not interfere in that direction."

NO CRIMINAL UNDERWORLD, CONDITIONS IN AUCKLAND. " In ono sense the city possesses an underworld, but it is ,not tho commonly accepted underworld of crime," said the Rev. C. G. Scrinigeour, Methodist City Missionor, in an address, " Has Auckland Got An Underworld?" given in tho Lewis Eady Hall yesterday. Mr. Scrinigeour said Auckland was free of tho criminal underworld possessed by the largo cities of the world. Those who looked in Auckland for an underworld of crime, with numbers of criminal bands, would bo disappointed. Howcvor, from another sense, tho city did possess an underworld. This existed in tho poverty and want of tho slum areas and its members were thoso who daily trudged tho streets, living a hand-to-mouth existence.