THE CHARITABLE AID QUESTION.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 889, 15 March 1889, Page 31

THE CHARITABLE AID QUESTION.

MEETING OF WAIRARAPA DELEGATES. (from our. own CORRESPONDENT.) Masterton, March 12. A meeting of delegates representing the various local bodies in the Wairarapa which are liable to contribute to the 1 United District Charitable Aid Board was held at the offices of the Wairarapa North, County Council this afternoon, there being present —Messrs W. H. Beetham and R, Daggv Wairarapa North 5 Messrs H. R- Bunny and H. Braithwaifee, Wairarapa South ; Messrs A. W. Renal! and W. Perry, Masterton ; and Mr F. H. Wood, Greytown. Mr W. H. Beetham, who occupied the chair, explained that the delegates had been called together in consequence, of a notice received by each of the local bodies interested to the effect that if the amounts for which judgment had been obtained against them by the contributors to *■' Wellington Benevolent “ ie tions would be issued. TT ’ exempnot taken the Hitherto they had anythin-’ ~ew that they should pay * toward the body named, and he tor one was still of opinion that they should not pay anything so long as they could possibly help it. Mr H. R. Bunny moved : —“ That the vaiious local bodies in the Wairarapa resist to the utmost the demand of the contributors to the Wellington Benevolent Society. ” The affair was one of the most extraordinary and barefaced swindles ever perpetrated by law. The contributors in Wellington paid in somewhere between L3OO and L4OO, and then were put in a position to demand that many thousands from the Wairarapa. The law, as it now stood, was admirably calculated to increase pauperism, and he could imagine how some of the loafers must have smiled when they first heard of it. He was glad to hear that it would probably he abolished. He for one would tell the Wellington Benevolent Society that they might levy upon him, sell his property, and go to the utmost extremity of the law. He hoped that they would stand shoulder to shoulder in the matter. Mr H. Braithwaite seconded the motion.

Mr F. H. Wood questioned whether it would not be wiser to pay the money now that the action in the Supreme Court had gone against them. Personally he sympathised with all that had been said by the mover of the resolution ; but he would ask the Chairman whether they would not bo putting themselves to further expense. The Chairman said that in all probability they would incur further expense, but in liis opinion they should maintain their principle as long as they could.

They should inquire into the question how it was that costs in the action had only been given against the_< local bodies in the Wairarapa. He quite understood why Wellington was willing to pay its share, when he considered that the money was to be spent there. Mr A. W. Renall said so far as Masterton was concerned he did not see that there was anything that could be seized. They had no money in the bank, and if they collected their outstanding rates for them they could do more than the Borough Council had been able to do. All there was that could be seized was a lot of tar at the gasworks. (Laughter.) Mr R. Dagg quite agreed with the view taken by the Mayor of Wellington, but here the reasons for not paying were even stronger than they were in Wellington. A discussion then took place upon the Act in general, all the speakers condemning it, and the Chairman pointing out that it put a stop to all private benevolence. The motion was carried unanimously. The Clerk was instructed to ascertain how it was that costs in the action had only been entered against the Wairarapa local bodies.