CANTERBURY CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11807, 9 August 1900, Page 6

CANTERBURY CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

(Per United Press Association.)

CHRISTCHURCH, August 8.

The Finance Committee of the North Canterbury Charitable Aid Board reported to a meeting of the board that £1700 will be necessary to meet the initial expenses for half ah acre of land, building and furnishing a house for a. cottage home to accommodate 12 children, with the necessary apartments for attendants. If the sum could be .raised, the interest and maintenance charges, including payment of the board of officers and other incidental charges, would scarcely be less than £400 a. year, thus giving an average cost" per child of £33, or about 13s a week. If the board rented and furnished one or more houses (each to accommodate four children, under the care of a qualified person) the annual cost' of each such home would be about £180,. or an average of £45 per child, equal to about 17s per week. The board decided that, after the committee's report, it was not prepared to adopt a scheme for a cottage home.

The chairman said his attention had been directed to certain remarks reported in Hansard upon the position taken up by the board with regard to old-age pensions, and a letter had been addressed to the Premier on the subject, the letter informing the Premier that he had been under a misapprehension in saying that the board did- not allow old-age pensioners in its homes an allowance of tobacco, as the inmat.es were alloYed tobacco every week, and the cost of such tobacco purchased by the board and distributed amongst the inmates of the board's institiitions during last year was £106 18s 3d, which gave an average of 6d per week for each inmate. In addition to this, snuff was regularly supplied to those in the homes who required it, and privittejlonations were often made to individual inmates or to the master and matron of the homes for distribution amongst them. With regard to the admission of old-age pensioners to the institutions, the board had found it impossible to entertain the ■ numerous applications that bad been made by persons who had never sought admission until in receipt of a pension, and, although those persons had offered to resign the pension in consideration of future maintenance in the home, the board had been obliged to point out that their admission would bar that of absolutely destitute applicants, for want of room. The board thought it worth consideration whether a special home could not ba instituted by the Government under the. Old-age Pensions Act for receiving, such pensioners as were unable to maintain themselves outside. ' .