BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION TRUSTEES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10617, 12 March 1896, Page 2

BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION TRUSTEES.

The ordinary meeting of the Benevolent Institution Trustees was he'd yesterday 'afternoon; present—Messrs E. Cbiaholm (chairman), A. Solomon, W. Bridgtnan, 0, Allan, W. Brown, C. Hayaes, and J. Green. 51. H.K.

Accounts amounting to ig2l9 12s 7d were paseed for payment. The Secretary reported that John Shaeldeton, an inmate of the institution, had died during the week of heart disease, at the age of 77 years. It was decided to thank the Fernhill Club for a donation of books and periodicals to the tnstt tution. / ■ ' EXPENDITURE FOR. THE YEAR. The Ghaiuman stfttud thai; at last meeting the matter of fixing the amount to be requisitioned from the Charitable Aid Board to carry on the work of the trustees for the coming year waa referred to the Finance Committee for a report. The Finance Committee met that morning, and had gone into the matter very fully, and the result of their deliberations wn embodied in a resolution which he would presently read. The onlj basis the Finance Committee could go upon in arriving at an estimate of what would be sufficient to meet the ytar's expenditure ,was the expenditure for last year. The trustees would remember that at the beginning of last year application was made to the Charitable Aid Board for £10,600. The result was that the trustees had exceeded the sum by about .£SOO. The Finance Committee were quite satisfied that there was little prospect of things improving next year ta any appreciable extuut, and with a view to making sure that the trustees would have sufficient to carry on their work without incurring an overdraft, which they had no legal*right to do—(hear, hear),—they thought that 'the amouut to b« requisitioned should bo £11,500.

Mr Solomon: That is iIOOO more than last yeat?

The Chairman : Yes, the reason for the increased requisition being, as before stated, that there was uo reason to hope that tfiings would be better this winter ; and, on the other hand, the Finance Committee recognised that they could not count on getting every year' Buch aid as was given last winter by a generous public. That being so, the trustees, could only by great economy and careful administration make the ■£11,500 it was proposed to ask for sufficient to meet all needs. The JFiuauce Committee felt the position very much, and regretted that they had to make such a heavy demand on the Charitable Aid Board, but they could not see how the institution was to be carried on without that amount. They knew that ratepayers,, in the country especially, had a very serious tax to bear in, the shap« of unemployed—"sundowners" they were termed —looking for work. He was .told that in many places farmers had often times many men to support, giving them two meals and a bed. That was a very great tax on farmers— (hear, hear),—and when this additional rate was fixed it would prove very serious. The fsctshould be apparent to all, and it was1 well that it should bs repeated, that if the amount requisitioned for proved more than was. required it would not be spent.—(Hear, hear.) The resolution of the linance Cuimnittee was as follows :—" That the trustees make requisition to the Charitable Aid Board for the sum of £11,500, being the amount estimated aa necessary for the maintenance of the institution for the year ending March 1897. This estimate is made on the understanding that the amount requisitioned for, as well.as overdraft shown on last requisition, bearing date March 2, 1595, be paid. The board will understand that if this is not done the trustees will require "an additional £500."

Mr Solomon stated that it was very much to be regretted indeed that tae expenses of the institution should go on increasing to the1 extent they had done during the,last live or six years, in 1891 the amout.t required was £8500 ; in 1892, £9ei>o ; in 1893, £10,001); in 1891, £10,000 ; and in 1895, £10,500. It was now proposed to ask for £11,500. Instead of advancing at the rate of £500 a year, it was proposed to ftdrance now at the rate of £IHOO a year. It was more than the contributing bodie3 could bear, and he would move as~an amendment that the amount asked for be £10,500 —the same m last year. " ■ »

The Chairman ; I would remind Mr Solomon that while that was the amount asked for last year we exceeded it by jfiKOO.

Mr Solomon knew that, but he thought that tao affairs of the institution coold be carried on without inconvenience to anyone if £10,500 were asked for. He thought that the increased expenditure was due to the fact that the ratio of allow* ances had increased considerably—viz., that whera a case, five or nix years 3go received 5s a-week, now more would be given. In his opinion that was to a very great extent the cause of the increased expenditure. 'I'be county councils, the borough councils, and the City Council were all hard up, and to ask for an additional £1000 was putting it rather strong. He thought if they acted economically they should he able to get on with the amount they asked for last year. The Chairman: Is there tiny seconder t« Mr Solomon's amendment? , :

Mr Solomon : With your permission I will u alter the amendment to £11,000, that is the amount of the expenditure for this year. Mr Green : I will second the amendment, to have the matter discussed. , • '

Mr Haynes said lie would'bs very pleased if ha could see Ilia way to support the amendment, bat he confessed that after the careful consideration the Finance Committee had given the matter that day he did not think they were justified in asking for any less sum than that recommended. It semeed strance tfcai Mr Solomon should favoai asking for £10,500. lie had been a trustee for a long time, and he, with every member of that board, must know that had not the citizens come forward in a liberal manner, another £1000 would scarcely have been sufticient to meet all demands. It was ray doubtfel if the citizens would respond again as they did last year. Mr Solomon: There will probably be no necessity. >•

Mr Havnbs : Possibly not. It was to be hoped there would be uo necessity. The trustees found it impossible to keep within their limits without ' refusing aid to people. If £10,000 proved sufficient for their wants every member would rejoice; but it was not right that they should havu an overdraft.—(Hear, hear.) They should put their froancea o-j a better basis. If it was more than the country conld bear the sooner it was faced the better. However much they regretted the expenditure it was' beyond theii power to reduce it. He was perfectly satisfied that they could not do with less than the amount suggested by the Finance Committee. '

Mr SotoMON : You only spent this year alto. gather £11,000.

The Chairman : We spent more than £11,008. We got £11,000 from the Charitable Aid Board, but we spent more'money than we got from them, Weif pent the mouey we got from outside sources, which are gtadu»llv getting reduced. Mr Haynes : Oi;r income from deposits is lost to us. We spent that in building. I think it fa batter to err on the right side. It does not follow if we got £20,000 that we would spend more than is nncessary. Speaking as treasurer I can say that it is very unsatisfactory that we should be incurring an overdraft, which we are not legally entitled to do. The country must face the music, however much we may regret it. The citizens of Duuedin feel it. I as a citizen feel it; but it cannot bfl helped. I don't see a way out of it. Me Bmdosun fully endorsed the remarks made by the chairman. When last year they requisitioned for £10,500 they were told that it would not meet the expenditure, and neither it did. He thought they shonld ask the Charitable Aid Board for sufficient to meet all the requirements for the year. As long a» this system was in existence the expenditure would go on increasing every year. Poverty was increasing every day, and every individual was getting poorer every day.

Sir Green said that the last remarks of Mi Bridgm&u hit the nail on the head. It was very true that a large number of the inhabitants of this country were getting poorer instead of richer. He agreed with Mr Kridijaian that so loug as this system was iv existence the expenditure would go on increasing. There was no doubt on that point whatever although they sat at that table and exercised the greatest care, and oftentimes they were so economical that he wondered with Mr Bridgman how these people .lived on the dole they got. A further source of wonder to him was how some of the people managed to contribute their charitable aid rate. In the part, of the country he represented he knew of several cas'S where families had to reduce their cattle iv order to pay this rate. The system was a bad cne,- but it was difficult to know how to devise another. One thing was certain, that the country ssttlcrs could Dot bear the burden, and the quicker the matter was brought to a head ami another system tried the better. Personally, lie thought they should get more assistance from the Government. The fact was that while the ii.ivernment was employing men in the country districts the trustees were supporting the wives and ■ children? of these men.—(Hear, hear.) That went on for months, and there ought to be some means of remedying it. If the current rate of wages were paid to these men they ought to be able to provide some suppirt for their wives and families. Ifthey could not there was something radically wrong.—(Hear, hear.) Then again he thought that the existence of the Charitable Aid Board was quite an unnecessary part of the system, and he cotild only compare that body to the fifth wheel of a'coach.

Mr Brown said that his feeling was that, in providing for the year's expenditure anticipated by the 'finance Committee, after having catefnlly considered the matter, they should ask for ample funds., ■■ .

The Chairman stated that this was not an exceptional year. Iv previous years the trustees, with a view to standing in the favour of contributing bodies, had made their requisitiona to the Charitable Aid IJoard lower than w.»s desirable, for during no year had they managed to keep their expenditure within the estimate, with the result that there had always been an overdraft. He did not agree with Mr Solomon, that the increased expenditure w»s due to the trustees making larger allowances, but it-was due to the fact that the number of applicants for relief was yearly increasing.

The amendment was then put and lost, and th« snscertion of the Finance Committee, that £11,500 be requisitioned for, was ad6pted.

.John G. Mauger, editor of the Sunbeam, Seligman, Mo., who named Grover Cleveland for the Presidency in November 1882, while he was Mayor of Buffalo, N.Y., is enthusiastic in Ilia praise of Chamb-r'.iin's Colic, Cholera, and Diarrhoea Remedy. Hasiys: " I have ueed i)j for the past five years and consider it the best preparation of the bind in the maiket. It is rb staple as sugar and coffee in this section. It is an article of merit, and should be used iv everj household.1' for rale by all leading ohemuto.