DEPUTATIONS TO THE PRIME MINISTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2805, 18 December 1907, Page 18

DEPUTATIONS TO THE PRIME MINISTER.

STATE AID TO OTURCH O&PHANAGES.

DRAINAGE O¥ GOVERNMENT ' BUILDINGS. On Monday evening, after the arrival of , the first express, Sir Joseph Ward received . two deputations at the Grand Hotel. The , first represented bha

CHARITABLE AID BOARD,

and comprised Messrs M. Stevenson (chair- ' man), T. a Graham (secretary), P. Miller, and Dr F. C. Batchelor. The- deputation wm introduced by Mr JT.-JT. Arnold* M.P. • Mr Stevenson said that some time ago application was made to the Charitable Aid Board by St. Mary's Orphanage for a "contribution towards their funds, the same as -was done in the case of the St. Vjncent ' de Paul Orphanage at Bouth Duhe'cfin, but . the board's solicitor, to whom the matter was referred, advised that they had no power to granf the request. The board thought it was unfair that one denomination should get this aid, whilst- other denominations which did equally useful work on similar lines should not receive it. They communicated with the Minister of Education on the subject, but the reply received j •' was that State aid could not be granted I except to industrial schools, of which there ■ • -was a sufficient number already. The ! ■ hoard did not take up the stand that St. i : Vincent de Paul was not entitled to the ' • £700 - per annum which it received, 'but j ' they desired to ask Sir Joseph, as Prime • Minister, if h,e could ccc his way to put the J ; other denominational orphanages, which t were doing equally good work, on a similar ' footing. ' Mr Miller said that St. Vincent de Paul was an industrial' school, and the only tray these other .orphanages could be assisted was by declaring them to be industrial schools ateo. He thought that would be a . fair thing, seeing the work these schools | were doing. Of couree, he realised that if lit was done in one plare, the Government .would be placed in the position of having . similar schools established all over the ' " Dominion. j Dr Batchelor said that the whole spirit of , charitable aid was to egoourage public and , private benevolence. He felt certain that St. Mary's Orphanage had been doing ex- ; cellent work for the past 25 years, and at present there were aboat 25 orphans there. It was not in any wav an educational institution, but was purely philanthropic, and j . the board felt that these bodies should be ( , encouraged in the work they had under.taken. ' • The Right Hon. Sir Joseph Ward said „ •the matter had not previously come under -hfe notice; and. he would be glad to refer , -it to the Minister of Education, in whoee 'department it was. They were, to some ■pxtent, asking for the withdrawal of child- j ten from the Cavewham Industrial School. * Mr Miller: No; these aro children who, In all probability, would not be_ committed j to the industrial school. , The Rig:.i Hon. 9i* r J. G. Ward saidthere was no f ach thing as gwing a yeany ■vote to any denomination.' ' "For' every tihild commixed by a magiatrate to an industrial scj-00l so much was allowed by lew. If t\ji suggestion was that . every denominahC • m^ght have it» own industrial^

school, and have committals made to them, that would naturally mean that in the future there would be a- withdrawal of children from- the, Oavereham .Industrial School. c It. wwVa , policy gueation that would have to oe inquired" into' by the Minister in charge, and reported upon to the Administrtaion. What was done in one town would have to be done in others. Okie's feelings were in sympathy with St. Mary's or any other orphanage making provision for children, but the matter wa« one -that required to be looked at from the standpoint of whether the present institutions were, to some extent, to be weakened in order to spread the funds over a larger number. THE DRAINAGE QUESTION. A deputation from the Punedin Drainage Board, comprising Messrs" Burnett (chairman), Esther (secretary), Small, Gore, and Dr Fulton, was introduced by Mr A. R. Barclay, M.P., and there were also present : The Hon. Mr Millar, and Messrs T. K. Sidey and J. F; Arnold, MrP.'s. The object of the deputation was to bring under the notice of the Prime Mirister the present position with regard to the Government's contribution towards the drainage of, the publio buildings connected with the drainage system of the city. Mr Burnett said they considered the Government's offsr of £100 a year was not sufficient, considering the enormous outlay on the drainage system. In Christchurob, for the same work, £162 was paid, and the board thought that Dunedin should be placed on the same footing. The Hon. Mr Hall-Jones had offered £50 a year for the Railway Station, and it had also beeu agreed to drain the Government Life Insurance Buildings. Supreme Court, Stuart street; His Majesty's Gaol. Castle street; Police Barracks, Customs and Telegraph Offices, Post, and various offices, manager's office, houses,* r> post and telegraph department, Great King street; railway station and house. Pelichet Bay ; Mobilisation Stores; Industrial School, Caversham; Government .Workshops, Cavereham ; houee and post office, Kew ; 'post ' office, South Dunedin; police station, South Dunedin, for an additional £50 a year, making £100 in all. The board agreed to this, but the Government subsequently wrote down to say that the amount was not only for the buildings mentioned, but was also to in-clude-an t buildings which they would subsequently erect, in Dunedin:' This stipulation the board thought was unfair and unreasonable. Mr P. Miller pointed out that if the Government contributed the same as private institutions they would have to pay nearer £900 than the £160 as asked. The Bank of New Zealand in Dunedin paid £75. Mr Barclay said that on the valuations the Government premises would pay £750. He understood that if the Government paid £162 to Dunedin, as was paid to Chrietchurch, the board would be satisfied. Mr Burnett: As regards the present buildings. Mr Sidey pointed out that Hillside Workshops and the Caversham Industrial School were not included in the list, and for the workshqpa alone the Government was paying £52 a year- to a private contractor for sanitary purposes. When . these premises were connected with .the sewage system they would have a much more satisfactory service than 'at the present tim*>

I Thefeht Hon. Sir JZ&.iWard sSiif h< | would be very glad to give, the represents 1 tions which had been made the fulled ' possible consideration. It was a matte i that -had been before Cabinet on more thai one occasion, and he ' wanted io explait that it was not the question' of the mer< amount that was involved, but the prin ciplee underlying it from the standpoint oi | the present and the future of the country ! He admitted there was great force behinc the arguments used, but if the drainage ol State departments was to be paid for th< same as was done in the case of private citizens, it should be laid down by act oi Parliament. The citizens .of the town* were part and parcel of the Government oi the country, and it was of first importance to the citizens that they should have fully equipped public institutions of all kinds foi their use and the use of others who oam< in and out of their cities- If the principle ruled that all public buildings should paj rates and taxes, then they were going t< lay down a rule that would probably in duce most Governments to erect, compara tively speaking, cheap buildings. Thej had to recognise that the Government it carrying on important work for the citj required to provide numerous building/ to last, not 16 or 20 years, but to last ioi perhaps 100 years, with a large initial expenditure to prevent future generation! 'putting their hands in their pockets for the re-erection or addition to those buildings. He found in some parts of the oountrj that there was a tendency to suggest thai publio property should pay rates, but h< thought that was a mistaken policy, foi though it might appear that this would perhaps mean diminution of the rates, i! was in reality being paid out of the pockets of the people. The sound polioj was that where buildings were erected foi public purposes they should not be on th« same footing as the buildings of private people, because they were owned and used by the community, and some exception should therefore be made. Regarding paying for sanitary services, that was a matte l that required to be approached carefully. Christqhw^h was the bete noir in this ease having received a% the instigation* of somebody some years ago a grant of £162 pei annum, and that had rightly raised the question of whether Dunedin was noi entitled to a like amount On the earm principle, the arguments he had used ap plied with the same force for drainage oi water. He. admitted that, where ♦ larg< expenditure " was carried out ths mattei required to be looked at from the stand point of the users of these conveniences, and from that standpoint the Governmeni had agreed to give £100. His own opinior was, that Parliament should be coasultec before any such thing as a binding arrangement should be made. Neithei himself nor, the Hon. Mr Hall- Jones, noi anyone else, could bind the country foi all time on a. matter of this kind. Having agreed to give £100, that would stand, anc he did not see how it could be altered, but they could not control future Govern merits. Whether they should receive ar additional amount for future buildings wai a matter that required to be gone into. He would be glad to do so, but thej must recognise that the Government, noi the present Government only, but al! Governments, had rendered valuable assist anoe to public bodies in ibe matter ol helping them in finance and other matter* from time to time. The question had to b< viewed from the national standpoint, ai well as from the local. They had hac

» applications from two other places for contributions for utility services which it had t always been understood in New Zealand ■ these public buildings were exempt from 1 paying for. The request made by the 1 deputation-would be considered and a reply 5 forwarded in due course. i\