CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 741, 14 May 1886, Page 11

CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

A meeting of the United District Board was held on Tuesday. Present—Messrs Danks, G. M. Kebbell, Speedy, Taylor, G. Beetham, M.H.R., and W. C. Buchanan, M.H.R. Mr Taylor was voted to the chair until the Chairman (Mr Williams) arrived. A letter was received from the Premier’s office, in answer to an application for subsidy on L 165 18s 6d expended on charitable aid by the Hutt County Council and certain Boards in the county during the six months ended 31st March, 1886. The letter stated that the Government had no power to subsidise this expenditure. Section 15, subsection 3, of the Act provided that pound for pound should be paid for contributions received by any Board from local authorities. But this provision did not apply here. Moreover, with the exception of the County Council, none of the bodies by whom the expenditure in question was. made were local authorities within the meaning of the Act. After a short discussion, it was decided, on the motion of Mr Speedy, to recognise the receipt of LlB4 from the Hutt County Council, and that the Secretary should apply to the Government for subsidy on the same amount. The sum of Lllls 4s 2d being required for maintenance during the current quarter, it was decided to vote half that amount and apply to the Government for a similar amount by way of subsidy. It was also decided to apply to the local contributing authorities for L55712s Id. Mr William Price applied for Lll 3s 3d subsidy for the month of December, 1885, to the Christian Societies Home. The Secretary stated that this was included in the estimate of expenditure. A circular was read from the Premier’s office, stating that the Audit Department had taken exceptiou to the practice by which the Government had, up to the present, paid for the maintenance of children at industrial schools committed under subsection 1 of section 16, of tbe Industrial Schools Act, 1882, prior to the Ist October, ISBS, on which date the Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Act came into force. The ground of the objection was stated to be that section 2 of the lastmentioned Act makes no distinction regarding children so committed, but enacts that alt shall be maintained at the charge of the district wherein the order for sending the child is made. Under the circumstances, therefore, it would be necessary for the district or united Boards to pay the cost of those children from the beginning of the present financial year, and the managers of the schools would be instructed to apply to the Boards periodically for payment. The Secretary submitted the following memorandum re the cost of maintaining the various separate benevolent institutions in the district, and the whole of the children committed from Wellington to the undermentioned industrial' schools Institutions —Wellington Benevolent Institution, L 1149 10s; Ladies’ Christian Association, L 11 4; contingencies, say L 150; total, L 1413 10s. Industrial Schools Burnham, 11 children, per annum, L 212 2s 4d; Caversham, 8 children, L 15 6; St Mary’s, Wellington, 27 children, L 229 ; Mrs Hewett, 2 children, L 36 10s : Nelson Orphanage, 10 children, LlB2 10s ; total, LBl6 2s 4d. Grand total, L 2229 12s. Receipts—From Wellington City Council. L 2068 10s ; Hutt County Council, L 225 ; Horowhenua County Council, L2O ; total, L 2313105. Thus the receipts are estimated at L 2313 10s, and the expenditure at L 2229 12s, and a credit balance is left of LB3 18s.