AGED NEEDY HOME.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1315, 13 May 1897, Page 39

AGED NEEDY HOME.

DISGRACEFUL CONDUCT AT A MIEBTIBG OF TRUSTEES. A meeting of the Aged Needy trustees was-held at the Home on Thursday. Present —Messrs C. Willeston H. Fraser, T. W. McKenzie, J. E. Smith, J. Danks, Rev H. Van Sfcaveren and a New Zealand Times representative. An OBJECTION TO DAYLIGHT. Mr Batiks wanted to know by what iidtHo'fity d xxiecrtb'e? of the . press* was pre|ent. / ;• - V The Chairman suggested that no’w the Trustees were to have the honour of a representative of the press present, it should be recorded in the minutes. The Rev H. Van Stavorensaid he took it the pfess were simply there by courtesy. Mr F. it. Eraser nipped that the press should always be admitted. Mt McKenzie said there was nothing in the Wofld the Trustees desired to hide, fifed he was glad to see the p'ress represented. The motion yas Unanimously carried. Mr, Danks said lie only raised the question because the signs of progress in the Home were great, and he wanted the correct thing done. He did not like to see a pressman popped in unawares when people were not prepared for him. THE TEMPERATURE. Mr F. H. Fraset proposed that thermometers should be obtained and kept in the rooms, and whenever the temperature was iower than 60deg a fire should bh lighted:^ Mr McKenzie said fires had already been given, and although he supported the idea, he did not (looking towards the solitary New Zealand Times reporter) want the ide&to go abroad that fires had not been given. i i The Rev H. Van Staveren thought tho less said about the subject the better. A s old joUrnaliat; Mr McKenzie should kiiow that a riiatter shotild not be discussed when sub judice. Mr McKenzie said he was not goifeg to’ fee sat Upon. He knew that fifes had been giyefi. . Thß cliairinafe dt this juncture ordered Louisa Wilson to be brought iti. Mr McKenzie: Mr Chairman, I hope you are not going to bring in any matters that should not be discussed ? The Chairman : I am chairman. lam going; you lifedfirsfcatid; td do iriy you uiiderstand j and I will make it Unpleasant if anyone stops me. Mr Danks : We have erred on the side of kindness. Now we had better err on the side of .severity: Louisa Wilson was then called in. The Chairman i Yofi came .to i the door last Thursday, the door of this room, and in a most disrespectful tone you said, “ I am going out.*' ‘ - - i . Louisa Wilson: I did not say anything of the sort. The Chairman : Will you listen to ine, Louisa Wilson? Mr Short said, “Who said so ?” I (the chairman) then said, “ I am chairman of the institution and you are not going out/’ Louisa Wilson : Mr Short said, “ You are not going out,,” and you said, “ I am chairman and I intend to see Mr Short’s orders carried out.” The Chairman: I said nothing of the sort. I told you you should not go out for your insolence. Mr Danks: It seems to be a revelation of the methods that are going on lately. I was astonished at the tone taken by Miss Wilson. Louisa Wilson: Please, sir, can I spoilt now ? I came in in the dark and saw Mr Short’s headland I said, “If you please, can Igo out ? I want to go out on particular business.” Mr Short said. “You cannot go; it’s too late.” I said, “ I want particularly to go.” Mr Willeston then said, “ When Mr Short tells you you can’t go out, you must not go.” The Chairman • Well, Loilisa Wilson, you wilt kindly speak in a more respecif ul tfray to anyone in charge of this institution. If you come here with the idea of running the institution, you are sadly mistaken. Louisa Wilson.: I was never disrespectful. I have been brought up to he respectful. It was not too late for three or four other ladies to go out. Here she was stopped- by the chairman and withdrew. The Rev H. Van Staveren asked if it was for insolence that the woman was prevented going out, or if it was because she had given evidence at the enquiry ? The chairman, in his (Mr Van Staveren’s) opinion, had shown a certain amount of j temper, which had been visible before, and perhaps he had shown it in speaking to Miss Wilson. It was clearly the duty of the chairman to keep the balance of the chair evenly and not incline to one side or another. Mr McKenzie protested against what the last speaker had said. The Chairman said he had always protected Mr Van Staveren in the other Home.

A heated discussion then took place across the table between Mr Willeston and Mr Van Staveren, with interjections thrown in by the other Trustees. Ainid the Babel of voices Mr Willeston’s could be heard accusing Mr Van Staveren of telling untruths. Mr McKenzie said the discussion was not at all seemly. Miss Wilson had, he thought, exposed her hand. The words which had passed between her and the chairman had been reported to him. The Rev H. Van Staveren : May I ask who reported it to yoxi, Mr McKenzie ? Mr McKenzie: No, you may not. The RevH. Van Staveren : Then I won't consider it reported at all, except by the chairman and Mr Danks these two here. Mr Danks said they must maintain order in the institution, whatever took place in connection with the inquiry. The Home had got into perfect chaos at the present

| time, if ifiejr feetd to put up with such ‘ conduct as had been eorffpfiaiped of they had better resign. If they had to' p'tlb u|* with this humbug, he wondered what; i master and matron would stand such treatment without losing their temper. No one , -tfotild put up with such “ stuff.” Mr Fraser conburfed; i The Chairman, addressihg the UeV Mr Van Sfcaveren : You never hear me feddretesj’ ing people in an obscene manner, as other people have done. j The Rev Mr Van Sfcaveren : I don’t want to know about other peojile. j Tho Chairman: lam alluding to you ! particularly, Mr Van Staveren; you are ' the than I artl meaning.- ! Several of the Trustees interposed, and stopped tlie Chairman irx his remarks, Mr ! Smith rising from his fieafc fifed deprecating such a statement. j Mr Powles: Oh, I’m going; I hope • you will not take any notice of such a statement, Mr Van Staveren. The Rev Mr Van Sfcaveren said he would • hot take' any notice of it. Addressing the chairman; Mr Van Staveren 'said* whatever., position the chairman might take tip he’.---would always remain a gentleman. He would ask the chairman to retract the statement i which , lie . had made ill , which he said j he (Mr Van Staveren)' had Hot Spoken the truth. I Mr Danks explained that the others j who had gone out were 12 or 11 of the ' inmates who were in the habit of going to ' the Wesleyan Church, and had gone out that evening to a reception to a new minister at the church. Tlie.Rev H. Van Staveren asked the Nlv)' Zealand" TiMEp representative if he would take a note of thSt? . Further recriminatory remarks cochrred at this stage. The Rev IT. Van Staveren said ho thought the Trustees should have been told about what hart transpired in connection with Miss Wilson before she came into the room, and not have a surprise sprung tipoii them.. The Chairman:. For having followed your fo'otsteps,- arid in the manner in which you repeatedly ignore yo'ur fellow Trustees at the other Hoifee, perhaps I Was Wrong. At this stage Mr Smith got up and moved that the meetihg get to busifiess. Mr Fraser said the discussion about the thermometer had evidently raised the temperature. - ~ Alter an attempt, to coffcentrate their minds on btisifeees, the Trustees gave it up find branched off into a discussion about skim-milk. , Mr Danks denied that Mr Van'Staveren could prove that skim-milk was used. Eventually the only, business —accounts amounting to dlol 3s 2d—were passed for payment, and the meeting adjourned.

Commenting upon the above report/ the New Zealand Times says: —“It is matter for regret that while the enquiry into the conduct of the Home for Aged Needy has not yet been reported upon by the Commissioner appointed by the Governor an unseemly quarrel should have taken place at a meeting of the Trustees. Mr Willeston, as chairman, acted discourteously towards the Rev H. Staveren, and nearly every one of ohe members appeared to be taken by surprise at the presence in their midst at the meeting of a New Zealand Times reporter. If the conduct of the chairman and of some of the Trustees towards one of the inmates of the Home may be taken .as a sample of what usually happens in such cases, then the public may be excused if they regard the condition of these old people as anything but happy. There was one remark made during the very animated discussion which calls for more than passing notice, as. it bears out in part the suspicion bf the outside public as to the favouritism alleged to be snowu to persons of a certain religious creed. There is no necessity to enlarge upon the point. Readers will be able to make up tlieir minds as to whether or not they are right who say that to secure peace and c unfort in the Home ifc is necessary to conform to a particular faith. If it Were not that the report of the Commissioner has yet to be made'there might- be good grounds for' discussing the whole of the questions opened up by the discreditable conduct which characterised last Friday’s meeting of the Trustees. Mr Willeston, as chairman, has certainly not improved his position by bis undignified demeanour. If he cannot conduct the ordinary business of the institution without displaying feelings of rancour towards a fellow-member and without behaving harshly to a female inmate who is unable to protect herself against such ill-humour, then he should consider the advisableness of vacating a position which demands from whoever may occupy ifc at least patience and kindliness. It was stated by one of tho Trustees, and there seems no reason to doubt that statement, that chaos reigns at the Home. Cannot Dr Macgregor do something to restore order ? Failing intervention by tho Inspector-General, would it not bo well for the Minister controlling the department to step in?”