CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

Otago Witness, 14 December 1893, Page 35

CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

The annual meeting of the United Districts Charitable Aid Board was held at the Council Chambers on the 6th and attended by Messrs J. Robin (chairman), W. Owen, H. Clark, W. Hay, W. Aitken, H. Gourley, J. It. Monson, W. Snow, P. Miller, J Hazletfc, J. H. Hancock, J. Green (M.H It.), and J. F. Christian.

APPOINTMENT OK CHAIRMAN,

The Chairman said : Gentlemen, — The business which haj brought us together to-day is to elect a chairman, to hear and discuss the committee's report, and to appoint a treasurer and a new committee. But before we proceed with the business I should like to make a few remarks. The first meeting of the board was held on the 17th of November 18S5. Mr A. Seoullar, who was then mayor of the city, was elected chairman. Business engagements after the lapse of a very few months called him away from Dunedin, and you did me the honour to elect me acting- chairman, and at the meeting in July 18S6 you elected me to fill that position, which by your kindness I have held ever since. During that time there have been, as was to be expected, many difficulties, more especially at the first, in introducing a new and, at best, disagreeable act ; but through the tact and consideration shown to and by all concerned, they were got over without any serious misunderstanding. At the meeting 12 months ago I intimated that I thought I had held the honourable position of chairman long enough, and that I would not again seek re-election. I have since then seen no reason to change my mind, and will, when I have made a few more remarks, ask you to elect your chairman for the ensuing year. There is an impression that the demands of these boards are increasing to an alarming extent I have had the amounts of the moneys paid over for maintenance, alterations, and additions to the various institutions since the act came into force compiled, and they are as follow :—: —

Benevolent Institution,

These two years the Government paid double subsidy direct to the trustees.

Caversham Industrial School.

St. Mary's School, Nelson.

Auckland and Canterbury Schools. Casual, not noted.

Estimate, £200 per annum all through. ' Including £197 16s 6d for buildings.

* Double subsidy paid direct to the trustees. t £400 for buildings. t New beds. £212 10*. II Nurses' Home, £800. By these figures yra will observe that, so far as we have gone, although in all the institutions (save and except the Female Refuge) the tendency has been to an increase of expenditure, if you except the industrial schools, the increase has not been very marked. I had, however, hoped that with improved legislation the demands on our charitable institutions would have been considerably lessened. It may be, however, that the good seed sown has not yet had time to bear fruit, and that we will ere long reap a glorious harvest, and that miny heavy hearts will be made glad thereby. A goo. l deal has bemi said against the act ; very little has been said in its favour — not half so much as might be. Before thepa-sing of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Act the various districts of the colony did not receive an equal amount for charitable aid per head of the population. The amount given by the Government depended largely on the outside circumstances and the pressure that could be brought to bear on the Government, and in some cases one district would receive three or tour times the amount another district would get ; and I believe I am right when I affirm that for th-j purpose of equalising the amounts paid to all parts of the colony iv this particular point the act fulfilled all that was expected of it, each district receiving equal subsidy on the amounts subscribed both by voluntary contributions and rates received from contiibutory bodies. It has been set forth by some that were industrial farm 1 ? established throughout the colony it would greatly lesten the strain on the general public I at one time favoured that system, but a more intimate connection with the poverty that exists in our midst ha;S considerably modified that ornnion. It is true now and again some ablebodied men are recipients of charitable aid, but the great bulk of the amount annually distributed is given for the help of helpless women and their children, or for feeble old men and women who are past woik. We have no steady demand on our funds by able-bodied men beyond affording temporary relief. The amount may not vary much, but the recipients do. Another schema put forward is : Let the consolidated revenue bear all the expense. If my voice can prevent any such change I sha.H not be silent. The. com-

plaint against the present act is that it encourages pauperism. True, it does to a certain extent, but so will any system you may adopt. But if you draw the whole amount out of colonial revenue you will have each district endeavouring to get as much as it possibly can. There will be no personal inducement to curtail the demand ; and as it is now the great bulk of the funds distributed for charitable aid comes from the consolidated revenue. The Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards draw from that source £1 for every £1 contributed by local bodies, and the great bulk of these bodies are subsidised by the Government to compensate for the charge made on them for charitable aid ; so that I believe three-fourths of the moneys now are derived direct from the revenue of the country. Besides, all moneys voluntarily contributed are subsidised by 24s for every 20s so raised. The small amount paid direct by local bodies is just sufficient to cause them to watch narrowly how their funds are expended, and such, doubtless, was the intention of the act. Gentlemen, Ido not think we want change so much as rest — perfect and complete rest from change. There has been a longing all down through the ages for something new, and I say New Zealand _ wants rest from change ; and so far as this act is concerned no scheme has yet been promulgated that to my mind meets the case so well as the present act. If we could only remove the children of paupers from the influence of pauperism in order to stop the increase of those who look outside themselves and their own efforts for a means of livelihood a great good could be effected. And this could easily be done in many cases by simply adding a few hundred acres of land to each of our industrial schools and placing on them all pauper children who could do any work, and, when old enough, hire them out to settlers aud other suitable persons, as is done all over the country The sj stern might cost in the meantime a little more, but in the course of a few years it would be found very beneficial. Gentlemen, I think the Minister who framed the present act, aud the Government who cairied the measure through the House, deserve the thanks of the country, and I do sincerely trust that no change will be made in the existing law until some well-thought-out scheme which meets with general approval has been considered by the public. I have occupied your time at greater length than I had anticipated. I have to thank you for your kindness and courtesy to myself during the eight years I have been your chairman, and if at any time I have given any of you unintentional offence, iest assured that the matter troubled me a great deal more than it could possibly have done you. I now ask you to nominate your chairman. Mr Snow said he had much pleasure in moving that Mr Robin be chairman for the ensuing year. His endeavours had been in the direction of working the board as economically as possible. He (Mr Snow) did not agree with Mr Robin's remarks about there being no change desirable ia the present act. He thought there should be a change, as at prosent the cost of the maintenance of charitable institutions fell only on the ratepayers. If Mr Robin considered the matter he would see that that was so. Mr Cl uuc seconded the motion. Mr Robin said he would be much more pleased if they would elect someone el?e to the position of chairman. Mr Gourley endorsed the remarks of Mr Snow. He thought that Mr Robin hadgiven every satisfaction, and thoroughly understood the working of the act. He should be sorry to see him retire. The motion was then put and carried mnni- ! mously. ANNUAL REPORT. The Secretary (Mr P. Black) read the annual report of the committee, which was as follows :— " To the Members of the United Districts of Otago " Charitable Aid Board. "Gentlemen, — The date of our retirement from office as members of committee having now arrived, it becomes our duty to submit a report in regard to such matters connected with board business as it has fallen to our lot to deal with during our term. " As you are doubtless aware, we were appointed to act as a committee of the board at the annual meeting on the 7th December last. It is necessary to state, however, that your committee have not been continuously in office since then. At a meeting of the board held on the 19th January last it was resolved, on the motion of the Hon. Vincent Pyke— ' That the resolution appointing an executive committee be rescinded, and that meetings of the full board be substituted.' At the same meeting it was resolved, on the motion of Mr Snow— 'That the board meetings be held every three months, and that the treasurer and two members of the board be authorised to sign cheques not exceeding the estimates, and that the quorum of the board be reduced to seven.' The provisions of this last resolution were adhered to until the meeting of the board held on the 20th April last, when it was resolved, on the motion of Mr Robin — 'That the resolution ot the board of the 19th January 1893, abolishing the committee, be rescinded, and that the members of the board appointed as a committee at meeting of 7th December 1892 be empowered to act as such during the pleasure of the board.' "In submitting our report now in regard to financial transactions, we propose to refer only to the period from lot April last, being the commencement of the current financial year. " BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION. " During the period there lias been paid over to this institution for maintenance the sum of £6907 Is Bd, which your committee regret to find is £573 15s in excess of the trustees' estimate—considering, of course, only eight months of the financial year. Comparing these figures with payments for the corresponding period of last year, we find that the requirements of the institution then amounted to £6238 17s— thus showing by comparison an increase_ of expenditure for the period under review of £66'S 4s Sd. "The number of outdoor relief cases on the books of the institution. as per return to the Ist November was : Dunedin city, 155 ; suburban and country, 246 ; — total, 401. At the corresponding date of last year the number was as follows : Dunedin city, 151 ; suburban and country, 213 ;— total, 367. It is thus shown that the number of cases has increased as compared with last year by 3J. As to the number of casual cases rel'eved between the dates of quarterly returns from the institution, we have no information, and are therefore unable to mike comparisons. "In regard to inmates of the institution, the number on the lit November wai 229, as against 239 on the corresponding date of last year, or a decrea c of 10. Against this appaient decrease, however, there must be set down 23 children who have been removed from the institution and boarded out, mainly in country districts, during the interval, under recent arrangements, such arrangements being at tho cost of 53 6d per week per child. "As to the outdoor relief cases on the books of the institution as at the Ist November last, it is found that the list comprises 150 adult males, 311 adult females, and 871 children. The total amount of relief granted weekly is found to be £100 7s b'd, which gives an average of about 5s per week to jeach of the 401 cases on the list. " Referring to the amount overdrawn by the trustees for maintenance as compaied with estimate, the trustees, in correspondence with jour committee, point out that theii first estimate for the current financial year was £10,1.00, but that, at the request of the board to reconsider their estimate, they reluctantly agreed to reduce the amount by £!500, while at the same time intimating that if the children in the institution were boarded out in accordance with previous recommendation of the board an increase of expenditure would be incurred on that account. The trustees further stale that for the past few months the claims upDn them have been considerably added to owing to scarcity of work, and consequent destitution ; but they express the hopo that as the season advances employment will become more abundant, and that the requirements for the remaining period of the financial year will be less than has been the oa^c for tho period und"r review. Your committee can only echo tho hope of the trustees on thi3 point. We believe that tha trustees have beon doing their hest all through to economise, and that if expenditure has boon high it is owing to circumstances not within their control. The figures quoted by us in the main confirm the trustees' statement in regard to the causes of inert ased expenditure. We therefore offer no comments on tha subject, but leave the f«i^ts to si^eak for themselves. "industrial schools. "The claims ou the board for tho support of

indigent children in industrial schools during the period have been as follow :— Caversham School, £1571 2s 6d; St. Mary's School, Nelson, £110 0s 6d; Auckland School, £62 16s 6d ; Burnham School, Canterbury, £26 13s 6d ;— total, £1770 13s. From the latest returns the number of children in these schools chargeable against the board are as follows :— Caversham School, 183; St. Mary's School, Nelson, 23 ; Auckland School, 6 ; Burnham School, Canterbury, 4;— total,4 ;— total, 219. The number of children at the corresponding date of last year was IS6 ; therefore the above figures j show that the number of children chargeable against the board has increased by 33 during the la-t 12 months. " It is worthy of note that owing to the charge on account of children committed after September ISB9, being reduced by the Government from 7s 6d to 6s Gd per week, the cost per head to the board is now in the majority of cases to be reckoned under the last-mentioned seale — a circumstance for which we must be thankful. " As to the measure of control over the Caversham School, so long sought for by the board, it will be remembered that at the meeting of the board held on the 20th July last the proposal of the Hon. the Minister for Education, that a board of advice be established in connection with the school, to consist of four members— two to be nominated by the board, and two by the Government—was agreed to, and Messrs J. Robin and P. Miller were nominated by the board. Later information enables us to state that Dr J. Hislop and Mr A. Solomon, both of Dunedin, have been appointed on behalf of the Government on the Board of Advice thus constituted to act in conjunction with Messrs Robin and Miller. We further understand that the Board of Advice have entered upon their duties, and we trust that their services, in lieu of more definite cqntrol over the affairs of the school, will prove satisfactory. "femvle refuge. " In regard to this institution we beg to submit the following particular :— Amount paid by the board for maintenance during eight months of the financial year, £S1 10.3 ; amount required according to estimate, £133 6s 8d ; amount of payments under estimate, £48 16s Bd. Comparing the above with the results for the corresponding period of last year, we find that there is a difference of £5 6s 5d against the period under review ; but as the amounts paid by the board in the latter case include the cost of substantial repairs and improvements to the institution, Hie record is one which we may justly congratulate the Ladies' Management Committee upon, both on account of ecouomy and efficiency in regard to the affairs of tho institution. Although a considerable amount of money has been expended in additions and improvements to this institution since first placed under tho supervision of the board, there yet remains much to be done in order to make the old building, originally acquired as & refuge, something like what such an institution ought to be. Accordingly your committee, having noted that a sum of £1500 was passed in the Supplementary Estimates during the last session of Parliament for assistance to female refuges, applied to the Government for a grant of £600 from the said vote in aid of our institution here. We have not as yet received a reply from the Government on the subject, but we aie in hopes that the deserving character of our claitr, as well as the absolute necessity of improving the refuge buildings, will receive due recognition. We have only further to add that in an interview with the Premier, which the chairman and two other members of the board were lecently enabled to obtain, it was agieed that an estimate of the probable cost of putting the refuge buildings in a creditable state be submitted to the Government in supplement of your committee's application."

The Chairman having moved the adoption of the report, Mr onow a«ked how the Board of Advice was found to work. Mr Robin arid Mr Miller were appointed. The Chairman said it was such a short time since the board was appointed that they did not know how it would work, but he thought, judging by the way things had gone, it would work satisfactorily. Mr Miller said, with regard to Mr Snow's question, he was one of those who had been appointed to the Board of Advice. This board had no control over the Industrial School, and it was never expected that it would have any control. The board consisted of two members nominated by the Government and two by the Charitable Aid Board. Advice might be given to the Minister, but he held the power of veto, and although in some cases the advice given might be taken upon any vital question, they might rely upon it that the Minister would never accede to their wishes. Mr Miller proceeded to refer to the question as to whether it was necessary that contributing bodies should be represented on the board by some of their own members, and said he thought that was the proper place to say whether they thought it was right that contributing bodies 150 or 200 miles from Dunedin should be put to the expense of sending delegates to the board from the country. If the present act intended that those bodies should do so, he was of opinion that the sooner the act was amended the better. He thought that the board was perfectly justified in expressing an opinion as to whether the contention held at the meeting of delegates on the previous day was right or wrong. He had much pleasure in seconding the adoption of the report. The Chairman :I don't think this is the place to raise that point.— (Hear, hear.) Mr Green supported the motion. It was probable, he thought, that the Hospital and Charitable Institutions Act would come under revision by the new Parliament, and he was of opinion that there was much need of it. If any alteration was made in the act he held that instead of the magistrate haviDg power to commit poor and indigent children to the Industrial School that power should be vested in the Benevolent Trustees. He also thought that poor and indigent children should not be admitted to the tame institution as criminal children.

Mr Snow endorsed the remarks of Mr Miller in regard to the question of the representation of local bodies on the board, and if necessary he thought that meeting should confirm the action of the delegates on Monday. If the law did not allow the local bodies to do what they had done the sooner it was altered the better. Mr Gourlky thought that the only practical step they could now take was to empower the chairman to consult a solicitor and get an opinion on the matter. If the thing is illegal they could ask Parliament to alter the law.

Mr Miller suggested that they should communicate with the Minister in charge of this act, and ask him if the act imp' fas that local bodies should be directly represented on the board by one of their own members. If that were so he could then be a .ked to take steps to get the act amended.

Mr Owen thought that eveiy reasonable man must see that it was against the act to do what 'had been done on Vlonday, and he was of opinion that it should be altered as suggested. The motion for the adoption of the report was carried. ELECTION OF COMMITTEE. The following committee were elected :— Messrs Claik, Green, Snow, Hardy, Owen, Robin (chairman), Gourley, Miller, and Monson. Mr Ittibin was re-elected chaiiman. The annual balance sheet of tho board was adopted, and a vote of thanks to the chair closed the meeting.

3SPIT PAL L l'A.l yji lENTS. Year. 1883-83* ... IBSfS-87t ... 1887-88 ... ISSSB9 ... 1889-SJO ... IS9O 91 ... 1891-9 't ... I8i)2 931| ... ... £743 G 5 ... 3,(330 1 5 ... 5,600 0 0 ... 4,5)03 3 10 ... 5,039 8 1 ... 4,940 5 11 ... 5,2fil 0 1 ... 6,100 14 7

FEMALE EFUUE, 'art Year. 1885-86 ... im-87 ... 1887 88 ... 18^-89 ... 3889-90 ... 1890-91 ... 1891 92 ... 1892-93 ... £ 2<> 15 4 172 16 2 370 11 11* 162 0 1 91 14 1 166 0 0 131 5 5 119 13 0

'arc Year. 18S6 87 ... 1887-88 ... ISSB-89 ... 1889 90 ... 1890-91 ... 1891-92 ... 1892-9.') ... £ 61 0 0 288 5 0 327 3 0 305 1 0 279 9 0 322 0 6 381 7 6

'art Year. 1885-86 ... 1888-87 ... 1887-SS ... ISBS-89 •... 18S9-91) ... 1890-91 ... 1891-92 ... 1592-93 ... ...£ 24 0 0 ... 1,377 18 8 ... 2,550 0 0 ... 2,133 19 3 ... 3,250 11 11 ... 2.9G3 14 4 ... 2,250 0 0 ... 3.603 IS 0

'art Year. ISSS-86 ... 1886-87* ... 1887-88* ... 1883-89 ... 1889-90 ... 1890-91 ... 1891-92 ... 1892 93 ... ...£I,OOO 0 0 ... 5,151 4 7 ... 8,714 1 8 ... 8.503 9 4 ... 8,766 17 8 ... 8,704 19 0 ... 9,697 9 0 ... 9,000 0 0