GOLD CHARITY.

NZ Truth, Issue 150, 2 May 1908, Page 5

GOLD CHARITY.

THE WAYS OF "iMWff GANUI CABr •*-

*A Bumptieus Bounder of a ■ Secretary.

Waagaiui is noted for lots of things, aad fiill Webb has practically made ft world-famous as a town of sports. Now, the local Charitable Aid Board has made a name for -itself as a mean', stingy sort ,of concern that is making a travesty of cold charity, which has seldom muel> to recommend it as a virtue. "Trutli" hasn't any time whatever for these miserable skin-flint Charitable Aid Boards, as the members of these concerns are generally looking for contracts and ' bis profits and use other people's charity as a sort of stepping stone to royal fortune, or if the "boarders" are not boodlers they're contemptible individuals who seek a cheap advertisement at the expense of the lowly starving poor whcse. poverty is always made to appear a crime. ■ The latter variety of philantrophist is generally cold and stony-heart-ed, more bitter m spirit than the bread they dole out. Now, "Truth" ddesn'.t want to get off its track, but wishes, if it can, to deliberately insult the Win*anui Charitable Aid Board, . of which, Wm. Ritchie is chairman and Archibald Campbell Ritchie the secretary^ ' for . the scurvy, miserable manner the Board recently treated the McDonald family, five children of which were, one day last week. . ' COMMITTED TO THE NELSON RECEIVING HOME by Magistrate Stanford. The McDonald family, the mother is a widow, had, it seemed, been recipients of the cold charity of the colfl Board for some time, and lived m an old house in/the Avenue,, the rent of which had, for a little time, been paid by the humble Board, who got tired of it, or something, and the result was the woman couldn't pay her rent, and some stone-hearted, avaricious landlord actually raised the roof on her. The police took compassion on the poor woman and her bairns, and temporary accommodation was provided them, and food was supplied, and Sergeant Bourke, m relating the facts to the Magistrate, said that the secretary of the breaddoling body was communicated with and apurised of the state of affairs and that ;/ big-hearted gentleman's reply was that t. the family had. been receiving relief, and" had obtained the usual rations, arid as'Jjfr to get rid of the police. 'and the McDonalds, 'who seemed to be damned nuisances, he. declared ;the case '"an unsatjs£> factory. ?6ne." Thel; Sergean-t" tbtn ide*' tailed the Charitable Aid Board webldy" i rations, which he -described as insufficient, consisting as they did. of 21b brow I " Sugar, 41b *\ dour, 41b meat.- iMfttea,<i ilAJtg potatoes,. ; seven small loaves^ l%£eap, .etc. At a fair estimate, l im (jonsidered this was J^qual to 8s 8d worth'! ' of rations' per .we'eft' for a ' family ofc ohefa t °n?ftp)j3aft& five children. , pv- -lfi,M6. ner Yeekper each child, which was requiva- • j .aa'Tft s.P*p. PER ; DAK r E AOh"^ rT with nothing for clothing, it c.' • The'xiJF.l fortunate^ woman, m: her statement, told the Co.ujEtStSat her , Blishaiid Ji^d died* 'two years ago",' -and had 'left .'TierUHelpiflsl lind penniless. t Ay . the . Time ;> of > his,. ,dea*k they were living at Turangajcere, " and the residents there got up. a subscription on her, behalf. The proceeds otVihis' she had invested m la.fru it shop? /but^' the 'business failed ,pw,ing her TacW of • bu-Sia'eisT«3b-ility. She was hot^~ afte'-to^worl^'SSSS had been receiving '^hela fram the Wanganui Charitable Aid~fibkrd *fte tbe last eighteen months. TtieZ zea¥ t .Q!&&lHken stopped for some considerable time, and the allowance ef food .provided . »V the Beard was insufficient for the children.. She had let two rooms for 8s ncr week, '2s more than the house rent, and for doin? this the Charitable Aid Board ceased paying her rWfc. Her eldest dauffhr ter had been earning 10s per week for eleven weeks, but had been put of. work for a month, and the eldest boy had earned 18s uer week fpr tliree jweefts Atit had been, unable to get anything since owing to beine; too younac^aridJ small. The secretary of the Charity joint then gave his version,; and . n+T+.-xU-t-hat the rent hail been" stopped as -the woman was retting more for two rooms than "TEES" rent amounted to. The logins, he considered, were ..,, ' J\ ■ I.- -.;; v ' £g/3tfgsA| LET TO UNDESmtfBLW t^ iy J CHARACTERS;; v r; whom it was, not richt' for the 1 Board to have m a Tiouse they, paid >£enjfc for. Th« rations were distributed" 'tothe family ia the usual quantity^ and he thought everything necessary had been done. Now, this "paper ■•' h&&\ not* goOmuch more to say on this . matter, but it trusts that when 'the ' skinflint Board meets again some spirited member will raise hell and let this bumptious .bouncler r of a secretary know: his proper -fplicfc. Charity is cold at all times, but "the charity of this Wanganui' crowd bests anything. -Perhaps Mrs McDonald's poverty and the chanGe to aid her did not mean a cheap advertisement for the coldblooded push, so they let her .go to -the devil. ■>••'- i '?'