CHARITABLE AID.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13858, 22 March 1907, Page 2

CHARITABLE AID.

"OTAGO'S ALLEGED PARSIMONY. WANT OF CO OPERATION BETWEEN TOWN AND COUNTRY. APPOINTMENT 'OF A SPECIAL COMMITTEE. At yesterday's meeting of the Charitable Aid Board a statement was received from tho Benevolent Trustees showing what aid was given in . town and country, Tho chairman (Mr Wills) pointed oiit that of a total levy of £6074, Dunedin and suburbs contributed £3024. The comities' lew was £3049, and out of that thoy got back £3503. Thus, whilst the city ; received considerably less hack than it contributed, the counties actually had back an oxcess of £283 19s over the amount contributed.

Mr T, Mnckcijzic, pointed out I hat tho Ihvoc vAad boards included in tlio city and suburbs should bo i»eliule<l in the country return's. The present return was by no means complete; it was noi ilio comparative statement wanted. The Secretary (Mr (JraJiam) stated that t'ho report was incomplete. After some further discission, it was resolved to get fuller returns, to bo brought up at tho next meeting. CANDID CRITICISM. , Dr Batchclor moved, in accordanco with notice—"That in view of the existing lack of co-operation between town and country members of this board, a committee be formed, composed of three representatives resident in tho country and three town members, who shall meet a.nd endeavour to frame suggestions for obviating the present friction and discontent, and enabling (lie board io conduct its work more efficiently.' 1 lie commenced a criticism of the methods adopted by llie board in the trancaotion of its business bv remarking that each country body should have a, certain sum allotted to it every year for charitable aid purposes, and should be entrusted with the distribution of it—a remark,which drew a " Hear, hear" from one of tho country members. .Without making anything in the nature of a personal attack,' lie proposed to freely criticise the management of the board, always with a view to bringing I'.bout more efficient methods. ■ Ho bad been a member of the hoard for more than a year, and bad attended all tho meetings. .During that year he had earciullv followed the proceedings, and lie now said deliberately that be considered the management of the board about as unsatisfactory, haphazard, happy-go-lucky, and irritating 115 anything of. the kind could

possibly to. Tito work was dumped down upon thorn anyhow. Fresh business was from time to time brought forward ol which no notice was given to country members—a very unsatisfactory way of doing things. members' lack of interest. Still more 6orioits, perhaps, was the lack of interest in the work shown by members. Tho attendance was most irregular, and was .ifton scanty. There wore vorv few of their meetings at which a quorum was left towards the conclusion. In many oases tho board finished the business of tho meeting with less than the quorum 6f nine members specified in the by-laws. The Chairman: That, by-law .'has long since been altered by tho resolution of tho board. Dr Batcliolor: Then you should havo fresh by-laws prepared. The' alteration is not mado in tho only copy that-1 could get hold of. The Chairman (glancing at a document placed on the table by Dr Batcliolor): This is a copy of by-laws passed 20 years ago. Dr Batehelor expressed a desire to see any newer by-law on the quostidii he had raised. Continuing, he said important subjects were brought up and considered at a meeting from which a number of members were absent, and these things had to be ex-

plained at subsequent meetings to those who had missed tho former discussion.' They went over the same ground so often that tho board became sick of tho subject. Tho reason for t.liis irregularity of attendance and want of interest was not far to seek. From the chair they had been told that

tho board had no power and no influence— that they were a kind of fifth wheel to a coach, and had nothing to do-but to sign cheques; further, that the Charitable Aid

Act was a bad act, and that they would get no improvement until tho act had been amended. He disagreed with these statements ; he. did not believe they wero true. THE CHARITABLE AID ACT.. First with regard to the act itself. It was, lie admitted, cumbersome, but it dealt, with a complicated question. Tlvo Government had had before it, proposals in connection with this matter of charitableaid for years, hut. was afraid of tackling the subject. A bill was prepared last year, but if it wero adopted in its present form they would he worse off than ever.. Ho contended that tho act was not such a ljad act as was represented, aibeit, a difficult, act. It; was certain that, the utility of any act. may lie destroyed by maladministration. He considered that, it was from a bad administration of the act that the present discontent existed among members of the board. The bulk of the members had failed to make themselves acquainted with either the provisions, or, still more, tho importance, of tho spirit of the act.' It was erroneous to argue, as some of them did, that they had no vowor.,that the board was an unimportant institution, that they could do nothing. Tho board was of importance if only because it was the only body whero town and country members who had any say in direct taxation came together. Further, thoy supplied the funds to various institutions. He contended that as thcyi ■had the right of supplying tho funds they had also tJie right, of refusing them. It was not intended by the framers of tho act that the charitable aid lwards should moot to blindly sign cheques without knowing what they wore for. This was a mistake of the board, which did not recognise its. own powers. They had assumed •an alisurd position. As a- matter of fact' they had'power, and it was their bounden duty to see that the funds wero properly expended.

THE BOAHD A CHECK AND SAFKGUARD. Ho claimcd that the board should lie a check and.il safeguard for tho'interests of tho ratepayers. They had got to see that certain bodies were supplied with reasonable funds, and, as far as possible, thejr should see that there was tho due expenditure on the part of those bodies.. Unless they inquired for themselves they hod to accept blindly what they were told .by . others. Representatives of the Board did not take sufficient, interest in the; institutions. They were put. there to look after and did not understand the importanco ofi their duties. And as long as they were indifferent to tho management of their own institutions so long would there be troublo ' and discontent. riIKSF,NT-DAT REQUIREMENTS. • The Charitable Aid Board was ostabt; lished over 20 years ago, and did not. meet present-day requirements. Town and country alike had gone ahead, and-provisions • made then wera now out of date. Section, 31 of the act, set. Forth that, tho board may from time to time establish in any part of tho district new hospitals or branch hospitals, or other charitable institutions wherp required. New institutions were urgently, required in this district, and if. was a discredit to the whole district that they had not already been started, lie had been told by a person well up in charitable nil? . matters in New Zealand that -.11)0 Otago Board was the 'most parsimonious .Mid, chee6e-paring of all the boards ot the ■ colony, and there a certain amount, of evidence corroborative of this statement. Other boards had started just such inst-itu-. tions.as Dunedin required. In Wellington. Auckland, and even in the South Island consumptive homes, homes for incurables, and hospitals for infectious diseases had been founded. If, this were iho caso the Otago Board did not reflect, public opinion. In every ease the public when appealed to for charitable aid had generously ro-, sponded. A cheese-paring policy was not desired by tho ratepayers. As much ■ attention as possible should l>o devoted by membeds of the. board to 'their work.. Charitable aid distribution was a matter tliat. required a good' deal of thought and care. It could not lie done in 10 minutes.— "You cannot do it in 10 minute," repeated tho speaker, "and by evading your duties in the way they are evaded by country members."—(Cries of "Order.") Thero was a tendency among country members to blindly vote against any increased expenditure.—(Mr Mosley: "I- • question tliat.") Let them take .the question of the necessity of a consumptive hospital. Tho expense of such an institution would be more than made up by tho ; chcek to tho, discaso that.would follow. In fact, thoy would save money hand over fist. , OETTIKG TIRED OF IT. Mr Mcslcy: Cut it short. l)r Bateholor: No; I will give you all of it. Mr Wilkinson: Thero is nothing very new in all this. We arc iiwaro that tho board hits its shortcomings. ; Dr Batchelor, resuming, pointed out that there were various big undertakings ahead, and the members of iho board had •two courses open to them—namely, : to delegate the whole of their duties-to the chairman, which was a bad way, or to appoint a spceial committee. In saying this, he wished it, to He understood that he in no way disparaged thu oxcclltnt, tservices rendered by the chairman, who deserved credit: for the way in which he had undertaken the work. It was the custom of ldaving things to tho chairman that thoy ought- to do themselves that ho objected to. Ho asked for a special committee to devote an hour or more onco a week to the work.

In reply to Mr Mosley, Dr Batchelar said (he country members had a against tho Benevolent Trustees for their attitude.

Mr Mosley: The grievance had been going on for years. • _ Dr Batchelor pointed out that in a recent instance when approached t.he Benevolent Trustees had endeavoured to meet their t wishes. Public bodies, lik<; individual, wcro apt to be taken at their own valuation. The Benevolent Trustees, who jravo mucli mo?e timo to their duties than did the Charitable Aid Boafd, had been wont to take the board at the members' own estimation. If properly approached, he believed they would so act that there would be no reason to complain. THE RESOLUTION' CAP.HIED. Mv Mill, in seconding the resolution, emphasised the statement of the mover that there had been friction between town and country members. Dr Batchelor had ntlvisod thcin as to tJioir future conduct, and had chastised t.heni for past shortcomings. If the motion could bring about conciliation, it was their duty to carry it. Mr Moslcy moved an amendment as follow.?:— " That, the resolution of Dr Batchelor, while well meant, will not achicvo tlie object hoped for; and_ that the only way to remove I lie friction and ahuso niicler the present system is to bring these who pay the rates and these receive aid in touch with one another. This cap only he done by having local control.'' Ho agreed with much that h/d been urged by Dr Batchelor. especially the contention that every district should control its own affairs. There would always bo trouble until each country district had Iho right to administer its own rates on behalf of its poor and sick. Mr Johnstone seconded. '

Mr Miller said the board's powers'were liniiied. For 12 years thev had I'vs'U promised an amendment of the act, md the amendment should be so made i hat ono body should not find Iho money and another spend it. Mr .Stevenson thought that the work of the hoard was done in ,t slipshod fashion. There was not the interest taken in it that there ought to be. Tim amendment found only two sr.'porters. The resolution' was then put and carried. The special committee agreed upon by the adoption of Iho resolution was thou elected, and consists of fho following tnentbors:—Messrs Moslev. Clark,. Attdcrcou, Miller, and Dr Batchcloc»