THE OHIRO HOME.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4302, 11 March 1901, Page 5

THE OHIRO HOME.

SUGGESTED MARKET GARDEN AT THE HUTT. The deputation representative of tire trades unions in Wellington who interviewed the Premier on Saturday in regard to various matters discussed with him the establishment of a market garden at the Hutt for the inmates of the Benevolent Home. . ~ Mr J. O’Brien having introduced the deputation, Mr Allan Orr mentioned that this matter was not' new to Mr Seddon. as five year’s ago a deputation from the Anti-Chinese League had interviewed him upon the same subject, in regard to a piece of land ,in the Hutt district where the, subsidised homes of the city of Wellington might be placed, and become self-supporting. An average sum of £14,000 a year had been spent for the past years in charitable aid, and they claimed that if that money had been spent for two pr three years ,in the way suggested, .the homes would have made themselves almost self-supporting. Mr Seddon asked how‘many of the people who were receiving tire £14,000 a year would be able to work in a market garden? • Mr Orr replied that he was not prepared to go into that; but ho thought, putting it at the lowest figure, that £6OOO had been given in relief to people 'who could have helped themselves. The laud upon which' the Ohiro Home was situated was without grass, there was practically no road to it, and hot one solitary cabbage could be grown upon the land. Some cabbages which were growing hear by were really upon the city reserve. The authorities at the Home bought all their milk, butter, eggs and so on. If the Home could be removed to the country, the surroundings of the old people would be better and brighter, and if they were given something to do in tilling a piece of ground their lives would be happier. They would be able to grow* produce, which might be sent to town to market, or to those people for whom such things had to be bought out of charitable aid funds. Having urged that the, decrease in the cost of the Ohiro Home was due to the old age pension scheme and the prosperity of the coloky, Mr Orr again asked that the inmates of the Benevolent Home should be put on this farm, and so given' an opportunity of earning, their own. living. - * Asked' by the Premier whether he wished that the’ Benevolent Trustees should sell the Ohiro land, and out-of the proceeds buy a farm at the Hutt, Mr Orr replied that he wished the Government to take the whole thing up, as he was not in love with Trustees in this matter. The subsidy, instead of going to these bodies, should go to the Home, and the Government should have the spending of the whole of the money. Then when the Home became self-sup-porting, the taxation on the local bodies might be reduced. If the old people • were given something to do in a market garden, the stigma of paupersim would be renioved, and in the country they would be removed'from the temptation to intoxication in the city. He, explained that the deputation was at the request of Mr Duncan, Minister of Agriculture, who had previously been interviewed 1 on the subject.

Mr T. W. Young was in. favour of removing the Home from its present position, and would agree that the inmates might produce enough for their own maintenance, hut he didi not think the people of the Home ought to enter into competition with • outside labour. The Premier, in replying, said that he was entirely with the deputation in condemning the present situation of the Home. Its present site was absolutely unsuitable. Ho onjortunity was given to the eld people such as was afforded the inmates of the Costley Home in Auckland. If one went to that Home, he saw fruit and vegetables growing, and found: that it was more than selfsupporting in the way in which it supplied vegetables to the inmates. The surroundings also were very nice, and had a soothing effect upon the inmates. The Ohiro Home, on the other band, was stuck upon a bleak hill—a fact due to the natural configuration of Wellington. If the land could be obtained at a' reasonable price, it would be better if the Home could be removed, _ and there would be a corresponding advantage through the productiveness of the labour of the inmates. But this was a very large question. They could not do for Wellington that' which they might refuse to do for other places in the colony. If there - were other homes situated in a similar position, to that in Wellington, and the authorities came and asked that instead of paying subsidies upon the present basis, the Government should -pay interest On the capital necessary to remove their homes, he : b'elieved it would-pay to do so. Having pointed out that he attached no weight to the objection that the inmates of the-Home-would .enter, into competition with outside labour, the Premier- went on to say that homes of this kind ought to be in the midst of pleasant surroundings, and the old folks ought not to feel as if they were in the workhouse at Home. (Hear, hear.) He assured the deputation that if the matter came before the Government it would receive the most favourable consideration. (Applause.) 1