CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 2205, 4 June 1896, Page 8

CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

An adjourned meeting of the Charitable Aid j Board was held on Thursday and attended by Messrs J. Robin (cliairman), H. F. Hardy, W. Snow, P. M'Gregor, A. Solomon, J. Green M.H.R , P. Miller, J. Hazlett, and H. Gourley. An apology was expressed for the absence of Mr H. Clark. ABSENT BEPRESENTATIVES. The Chairman stated that at the last meeting, which was an irregular oae, it was agreed to send a circular to a number of the local bodies drawing their attention to 1 the fact that their representatives were in the habit of absenting themselves and asking that they elects new representatives. Tha members present that day, however, and Mr Clark j generally attended the meeting? regularly. THE BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION ESTIMATE. Tfle Secretary of the Benevolent Instifcufcioa wrote asking the boud to reconsider thuir decision as to granting their estimate of £11,500 for the year. Mr Miller moved— "That the letter be received." Mr Solomon, in seconding the motion, suid it seemed to him that the board must either granb tho amount of money the trustees aeked for, or appeal in accordance with the act. Mr Green : Is that for tbs board or trustees to do? Mr Solomon : The board. Mr Gourlet said the board should either grant the requisition or refuse it. They had no right to say they would give the trustees so much. Mr Snow rose to a poini of order. This matter had been dealt with at the last meeting. A number of members at that meeting were not now present, and had loft town under tho impression that the board was to give £10,500. Mr Gourley : I maintain you hive no right to fix it at £10,500. You have only power to aay ib is too much, or it is excessive. Mr Solomon : You can do thafe now. Mr Gouhlhy: I feel satisfied thab if the trustees appeal bo the Colonial Secretary they will get what they require. Mr Hardy said that there was not a person who had a greater regard for the members of the Benevolent Trasb and had a batter knowledge of their arduous duties than he himself," but, at the samo time, there were limits to the amount which the board should contribute. He ventured to say that the position of the unemployed was very different to - day to what it was this time last year. — (Hear, hear.) There was no comparison, and it wa9 a very gratifying thing to ba able to say so. There were means by which the expenses of the institution could fee reduced from what they were at present. From £100 to £200 was spent every year in tobacco for the institution. It seemed to him that people who gob food and shelter ought to be content without tobacco, Mr Solomon : Do you smoke ? Mr Hardy : No. A Voice: IE you did yon would nob say that;. Mr Hardy supposed tobacoo was a. great | source of comfort and consolation to those who used ifc. At any rate, 5t seemed thab the inoßfc of the people in the Benevolent Institution drifted there in consequence of their want of ! thrift and on account of their having spent tha . heyday of their youth in wasting all they | earned. He saw no reason why they should be kept up better than other poor people. It was true that the cost only amounted to aomothing j like 53 2d, but ib would be better if that sum went into tho hands of tb.9 working men who had a house to keep. He ventured to say that 5a 2d kept many a family whore the father was only getting 30*. He saw by the report that the trustees b%d to provide foe 62 deserted wives and their children. That was a very difficult matter to deal with. Men had i left thek wives and f amilies, knowing that the institution would have to take, care of them, and he was sure in saying that if it were nob for the Benevolent Institution, to which they conld refer them, a larga number would nob have deserted their wives and families. He knew of people in Dunedin who were unable to pay their rates, and he must s»y that the inmates of the institution, with no care and no thought of any kind, were far better off than thoae poor people. He thought it wa? monstrous that in a young country lika this they should have to vote so much money, and if the board had to fiad so much he would retire from it>. 1 Mr Solomon said that Mr Hardy had touched upon evary point that was etrong, and had managed not to touch the weak ones. He thought that tha institution was managed economically, and he did not think any more luxuries were given to the poor and old people there than the country should provide. The weak point of the act was in reference to outdoor relief. He had been a member of the trust for 10 or 12 years, and he voted agaiusb the sum of £11,500 being aiked for. He thought the work could be done for less money, therefore he had a perfect right to vote against it. Mr Hazlett said tho prospects this year were better than last, and he did not see why the board should grant a larger sum than last year. There were nofc nearly so many unemployed this year. Mr Miller saw no reason to alter the opinion given by him at the last meeting. As a representative of a large country district, his instructions were to oppose the voting of so large a sum. He would like to see a return prepared showing the cost per head of outdoor relief for the past seven or eight years. He was under the impression that the number of outdoor patients had nob increased so much as the amount given. He believed that the leakage was in the outdoor relief. Mr Green did not mteud to say anything, bufc he wculd vote straight in favour of the motion. Mr Goorlby said that of the gentlemen who spoke against the granting of the requisition and giumbled about the so-called extravagance of tho trustees not one ever gave a single idea an to how things could be mended. Mr Hardy had certainly said that £200 was spent on tobacco. %v Mr Hardy : I said I heard so. Mr Gourley balieved that when the Government passed the Charitable Aid Act tfcejr im>

tended that the poor should lire to comparative oaruforb; and not that the institution should ba converted into a gaol. Mr Miller : Tobacoo is allowed in gaol. Mr Gourley thought these people deserved all the tobacco they go!?, and he would never vote for curtailing their comforts. Be was glad to know thab the poor creatures were pretty oomfortable, and he would not be one to make them otherwise. The Chairman said that if be had voted at the previous meeting he would probably have supported the granting of the trustees' requisi- j tion, because the outlook at the time was a black one. But it was an old adage that the darkest time tras before the dawn, and he thought now that the prospects of trade and of things in tho colony generally were brighter. The prospects had not bean so bright in the* building trade for a long time. Foundries were bo busy' that soma of them would not send i in tenders for good work that was advertised, | and generally speaking the oublook was bright. For that reason he would perhaps be justified in changing his mind. Still, he was halting between two opinions. He thought the institution was aa e:onomioally conducted a3 it possibly could be, but he should like, with Mr j Miller, to see a return prepared showing what the cost was per anuum as compared with, say, five years ago. Mr Gbben : More, sir. Tho Chairman : You state so now, notwithstanding the fact that provisions and everything else are cheaper now ? Mr Green : I do, sir. The Chairman said thab if that could be shown it would be a good reason for adhering to the resolution. What he would suggest, however, was that they should alter the resolution somewhat and give the trustees the amount they actunlly expended last year. If they would not accept that; the board could draft a resolution and send to the Colonial Secretary their reasons for not complying with the trustees' requisition, and he thought they could then do that successfully. Tne trustees had no right to assume that the expenditure would be greater than that of last year. The reason they gave was that it had been heavier for the four months already gone ; but, on the other hand, things were improving. There wsb some talk of it costing 5? per week to keep people. He would give a ease from his own experience of how much it cost to keep people outside He knew of a case where a lampI lighter kept himself and his wife and his father and three children— six mouths ia all — and paid 63 a week rent, and his wage wa,a £1 a 1 week. He quotad this to thow how poor some of the people were who were asked to pay towards the supporb of tho Bsnevolent Institution. — (Sear, hear.) He did nob think the bodies represented would object to their members voting the amount that was expended last year. I Mr MacGreqob moved, and Mr Mi£bbb seconded — ■'• That the board adhere to its former resolution."

The Chaisman moved as an amendment that they should offer the trustees tho amount actually expended last year— viz., £11,000. The amendment was lost and the resolution carried.