THE CITY MISSION

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21503, 29 May 1933, Page 11

THE CITY MISSION

"MOST DIFFICULT YEAR" . . . PROBLEM OF FINANCE ACTIVITIES REVIEWED In his report on the year's activities of the Auckland City Mission Mr. Julius Hogben, chairman of commit-tees,-says that never in the history of the mission have conditions been so difficult for the committee. The mission has been living practically from hand to mouth, and more than once the executive has had to consider the possibility of closing it. The chairman's report, together with that of the city missioner, the Rev. Jasper C'alder, will be presented at the thirteenth annual meeting of the mission this evening. Mr. Hogben reports that receipts for the work of the mission have been less than in the previous year by more than £IOOO. Valuing at a low figure the material relief not expressed in terms of money in the accounts, the mission during the past year has been the administrator of relief to the total amount of £6623. The actual cost of administration was very much less than .in the previous year.

In his thirteenth annual report Mr. Calder says that the strain on the resources of the mission has been tremendous and shows no sign of abating. Landlords as well as tenants are suffering great hardships at present. Since the medical department became widely known the work of the honorary ollicer, Dr. Barraclough, has grown out of all proportion, and 5611 patients were dealt with in the clinic. In the dental department, under Mr. Robert Steele, 479 patients were treated. The annual camp at Oneroa Beach, conducted by Sister Pat, provided an excellent Christmas holiday for about 150 children from the poorer areas. The hospital free library, founded by Sister Pat about 12 years ago, distributes books free to the patients in the public hospital. Women's and men guilds do excellent work in assisting the mission and the jumble shop is a most important department. It has been unfortunately necessary substantially to reduce the salaries of the mission staff and to reduce their number by three. The missioner's own work is concerned largely in assisting those brought before the local Courts and those discharged from prison.

The most difficult problem in such an organisation must always be finance. Some of the decline in donations may be traced to the activities of new organisations, some of whom are inexperienced and out of touch with the other social workers of the city. The number and amount of legacies received have been exceedingly small. In conclusion Mr. Calder asks for the reelection of the old executive. The statistics of the mission show that there have been 24,756 interviews at headquarters during the year. Parcels of clothing given number 3983 and of food 18.368. Eighty-six tons of firewood and 625 bags of coal were distributed.