HOW CHARITY IS ABUSED.

New Zealand Times, Volume LVII, Issue 2410, 16 January 1895, Page 2

HOW CHARITY IS ABUSED.

THE BENEVOLENT' INSTITUTION. REMARKS OF THE REV H. VAN STAVEREN. . The first business at the meeting of the Trustees of the Benevolent Institution yesterday was to elect a chairman for the current year. „ Mr S. Lancaster proposed the ro-oloction of the Rev H. Van Stavoren. Ho “aid it would bo impossible to find a better chairman. Ho was sure there was no one in the city who better understood the duties.

The motion was seconded by Mr Willeston and unanimously agreed to.

Mr Van Staveron in assuming the chair thanked the Trustees for ‘their continued confidence in him. Ho could assure them ho would sit 'there, as' ho had done hitherto, to dispense charity in as impartial a manner as he could. At the same time ho trusted that the legislation which had so long-b'eon.promised would bo introduced to Parliament next session so as to assist in the effective treatment of cases such as the Trustees had to deal 'with. First and foremost he would suggest to the Government or the municipality that more power should bo given to the Trustees to punish those whom ho had in his mind’s eye. There were a fejv families the heads of which instead of being bread-winners were merely beer-soakers,-and yet at present the Trustees were unable to get rid of thorn. He hoped our, legislators in their wisdom—or the Government who were going to introduce a measure of the' kind ho had indicated — would insert some clause by which , places would be set aside a small -colony in fact —to which these men could bo compelled to go with their families, and work for them, andjnot be able to get beer.. It was useless to place these men in gaols, because in that case not only was the Benevolent Society obliged to beep the women and children, but the Government had. to maintain the men in prison at a cost, he - understood, of from A 33 to .£35 each per annum. "So that if they were not a burden on- one body they were upon another. He hoped they would do their best to induce the Government to bring in some such measure, so that means might be found of ridding the community of those who were merely, loafers and undeserving of charity. Until such a place as ho referred to, was established the Trustees must do what was necessary and keep the women and children. /'lie'knew there was a great outcry in the city against keeping this claai of persons, but What else were to do ? As chairman, he opnld only say that whilst women and children were starving he must, if they came before him, see that thev were fed. *