DIVERGENCE OF OPINIONS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21990, 27 June 1933, Page 8

DIVERGENCE OF OPINIONS

10 THE EDITOK . . Sir, —It is in the interests of all to get at the truth concerning the urgency of need for the relief of distress. As reported in your issue of Saturday, four prominent gentlemen of the city give two definite opinions. Two of them state" that the distress is acute, and the other two state quite definitely that the unemployed are being adequately provided for. Two points arise the settlement of which would probably give us, the truth regarding the position. The first point is which of the two parties is in the best position to know how ' much actual hardship does exist? The Mayor (Mr Cox) says there are 5000 families actually underfed. This is supported by the Rev. L. B. Neale, who goes so far as to say that the sum of £IO,OOO will not by any means b e sufficient for relief purposes for the whole city. What facts do they go on that enables them to make such Statements? Are their conclusions arrived at made from personal contact with the families concerned, or just from hearsay or guesswork? Mr H. L. Paterson states that there is not a great deal of hardship among the unemployed, but only the problem of special cases. Councillor M'lndoe supports Mr Paterson even more emphatically, stating that there is only a shortage of blankets, and that where cases of malnutrition do exist they are due to the unemployed man spending his relief wages on drink. Again I ask, Are the conclusions arrived at. by the two gentlemen from personal contact or from hearsay? Both parties cannot be right. The next point is: What is the standard set? What prompts the Mayor and Mr Neale to say there are 5000 families underfed? On the other hand, what prompts Mr Paterson and Councillor M'lndoe to say that the relief is ader quate In other words, what prompts the Mayor to say that a whole loaf is necessary, and Mr Paterson to say that the half loaf that i s ; being distributed as adequate? If the two points referred to were made clear, I think we would be assisted to know the actual truth regarding the state of affairs prevailing. _ I feel I cannot close without commenting on statements made by Councillor M Indoe. Is he prepared to prove that the only cases of malnutrition are caused by relief workers spending-• their wages m drink? Councillor M'lndoe also states he was informed by a representative of the social work of one of the churches that he could not recall a year in which so few requests for assistance had been received—so much so that the church in question was seriously thinking of closing one of its two orphanages—this being attributed to the efficiency of the relief afforded by the depots. The statements by social workers of two other churches might be placed alongside . Councillor M'lndoe'a. Mr Neale says that.in 20 years' experience he had never before encountered conditions so distressing as they are to-day. The Rev. Vincent King says that the demands made oh the Mission House this year had been so great that it was necessary to secure more funds in order that help for the distressed of the city might be continued. Who is right 'and who is wrong?—l am, etc., W. F. , Dunedin, June 25.