BENEVOLENT TRUSTEES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2051, 15 June 1893, Page 5

BENEVOLENT TRUSTEES.

The weekly meeting of the Benevolent Trustees was held on the 7th inst. Present: Messrs R. Chisholm (chairman), J. Roberta, W. Isaac, W. Bridgman, W. Swan, A. Solomon, and J. Green. FINANCIAL. Accounts amounting to £512 3s 9d were passed for payment. In this, the chairman stated, were included some very heavy items, one being an amount of £91 5s that was due to Ross and Glendining for blankets, &s. The secretary reported that during tho month of May the cost of relieving out- door cases amounted to £115 13s 6d per week. This sum included payments made in respect of the children boarded out. Mr Solomon inquired whether the cost of boarding-out children was debited to outdoor relief cases. The Secretary replied in the affirmative. Mr Solomon replied that that would alter the financial aspect of the books. When the children were in the institution the cost of their maintenance was charged to the institution, and if they altered the charge to outdoor relief it would make the amount paid in outdoor relief appear far more than was the case. As they knew, no one had taken exception to the cost of maintaining the institution, but it was the amount spent in outdoor relief that was considered unsatisfactory. Mr Roberts did not think it would make any difference, so long as it was mentioned at the end of the year that so much of the amount mentioned in connection with outdoor relief wae paid in respect of children boarded out. He inquired what was the difference in the amount paid during last month for outdoor relief, and the amount paid in the corresponding month of last year. The Secretary stated that the amount paid away for outdoor relief during May last year was £111 15s 6d per week, against £115 this year. The Chairman remarked that it meant, if the amount paid for the children boarded out was not taken into consideration, the sum paid away in outdoor relief during the month of May this year was considerably less than that paid for the corresponding month of last year. Mr Solomon : How much has been paid in connection with children boarded out ? The Secretary : There were 19 children who were paid for at the rate of 5s 6d per week.

A DESTITUTE JEW.

The Chairman stated that the Jewish rabbi, Mr Harrison, had brought under his notice a case where a Polish Jew was in distressed circumstances, and recommended that he be admitted to the institution. Mr Harrison had mentioned that Mr Solomsn was very averse to the application being made. Mr Solomon said that during all the years he had been connected with the institution no Jew had received any outdoor relief, or had been an inmate of the institution, and he regretted very much that this application had been made. He moved that consideration of the matter be postponed. His object was to induce this man's co-religionists to keep him outside, and he had told Mr Harrison that he did not think it proper to make the application in the meanwhile. Mr Roberts observed that if the Christians were only as sensible of their obligations to the poor as were the Jews, there would ba no need of any institutions at all. The Chairman thought that the position Mr Harrison took up was a perfectly fair one. The members of the Jewish community contributed proportionately just as much as did any others. This man was in destitute circumstances, and he had as much right to assistance as another. Mr Solomon stated that legally that was so, but the chairman did not view the matter from the Jewish standpoint. The Chairman did not think they should set aside the application on that score. Mr Roberts said that he admired very much the action of the Jews ia the matter of their poor. In the present instance he would like to see consideration of the case deferred, in order that the man's friends might have an opportunity of doing Eomethiug for him. If necessary, he (the speaker) would pay for his maintenance in the meantime. Mr Solomon stated he would sooner pay for the man'a maintenance himself than that he should go inte the institution. • The matter was allowed to stand over. The relief cases were then dealt with.