SOUTHLAND BENEVOLENT SOCIETY.

Southland Times, Issue 3313, 1 February 1879, Page 2

SOUTHLAND BENEVOLENT SOCIETY.

The annual meeting of the subscribers to the •Southland Benevolent^. Institution was held in the Cpui't-hduse yesterday afternoon ■ at haif-pas't i o'clock. ;v Mr? H: "Mc'Gulloch was elected to the chair. .. :;: - The roihutes of the previous meeting having, beexi read and confirmed, ' :■■■'• The Ghairniiinfornially introduced the proceedings, and called upon -the secretary to read the annual report. . ; :: - '>■ The report subrnittetLwas as follows: — . ' In laying before the - subscribers the first annual report of the Southland Benevolent Institution, the committee have pleasure in stating that the demands' made on them for relief during the year have not- proved so be'avy as was at first expected, so that the resources of the institution have been by no means heavily taxed, while,: by the ready support conceded by / the public, the committee have been able to render the institution eminently useful to the public, and have to congratulate the friends of the institution on the success which has attended their efforts. ■ f They have been liberally assisted by the subscribers, who have contributed, freely to the funds,, also by those who, during the year, have assisted in raising money for this Institution by public entertain merits, &c, notably the muff cricket match ami industrial exhibition, the latter alone bringing in £lIS 12s 2d. •-.:.. ; ... :.;-,• The committee of _the late Indian famine fund kiDdly handed over its surplus monies to the Institution, while the General Government have also readily met demands for subsidy ; the committee have therefore been in a position to more than meet the claims upon its funds. They would, however, point out that they are prevented from making the most economical use of monies at their command, or from making the Institution in any way supporting, by providing work for paupers, &c, through not having any building in which to carry on their operations. ■ The Government did on application of committee, grant the use of -6- room in the Immigration Barracks, but ; for obvious reasons, this could not at all times •be made available, nor indeed would it have answered the purposes of the Society. During the year the committee have, however ,succeeded in procuring from the Government. l£ acres of laud, in the southern portion of Invercargill, as an endowment, or rather as a, site on which to erect buildings, the granting' of which was brought about principally through -the exertions of our late president.; Sir John Richardsou, the decease of whom proved a great loss to the Institution, he having taken a great interest in its proceedings. The Committee have taken steps for the incorporation of the . Institution under the Friendly Societies' Act preparatory to obtaining the Crown grant for endowment : this would have been already accomplished but for some technical difficulties which have at length been overcome and completion of it may now be looked for in a week or two. The Committee anticipating at the begining o£ last winter, which w;s au unusually severe one, a run upon their funds, secured, on application, a substantial grant from the County Council. The number of meetings held from the commencement of the society, not including preliminary meetings for its establishment, have been sixteen, the whole of the proceedings of which are reported in the Secretary's . minute book. The committee have .available funds in hand amounting to £300, the greater portion of which might be made a nucleus of a building: fund should it be thought desirable on the part of the public to erect a building, on which point this meeting will be -called upon to give its decision. Thirteen families — comprising four male adults, eleven; female adults, and twenty-five .children — have been relieved. Bent to the amount of £13 10s has been paid during the year for recipients of relief. The cases have generally arisen through the fathers of families meeting with accidents or being laid on a bed of sickness, wives being deserted or left widows. The total amount expended on relief for the year has been £61 14s sd. The average cost per recipient for the year has been Is 6d per week per head. The subscriptions and donations for the year amounted to £372. The committee, in endeavoring to conduct the business of the institution as economically as possible, have made ifc a practice in all cases when application for relief was made to institute enquiries through the police, who have rendered the society valuable aid during the year in all such cases as were at all doubtful, and also, when desirable, have sought to reach the friends of people in s distress in distant parts of the colony, and even beyond it, and this has been found to work well. .•■;...■• ■■ v — ' The committee; in closing their; report, feel it their duty to publicly thank those ladies and gentlemen who have so .willingly on several occasions given their assistance in the raising of funds for the institution. . Geo. C. Baker, Hon. Sec. : 31st January, 1879. •\.-- ; -.7 ■■■'.. The report was adopted unanimously. The election of a committee and officers for the ensuing year was then proceeded with. The committee of last year were elected, with the addition of Mr Moffett, to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of Sir John Richardson, Mr H. McCulloch was elected president; Mr Martin, treasurer; and Mr .Baker was elected secretary. Mr Perkins drew attention to one matter that required attention, and which ought to be dealt with before the meeting separated. Ho referred to the necessity of providing an asylum for the treatment or relief of cases ■that occasionally came "under "the notice of the committee. In the absence of accommodation of some Mnd the commtttee experienced great difficulty in dealing with appeals for charitable aid. - He referred to a case in point, where a man had gone awayleaving : a wife and family destitute, and it had been found difficult to provide accommodation for the children. They could not find any person in* a private house willing to take charge of- children, v or meet cases of this kind ; and even if they could the expense would be as great as would be involved in providing ~ some permanent means of accommodation in connection with the Society. The question for the meeting to consider, therefore, was. what must be done. They had a site already, and it was for the meeting to determine whether it would build say two or three-rooms as . a temporary measure, on the understanding that they should form a partbf the general plan for an Asylum •to be built hereafter. • After some conversation of a desultorycharacter, in which, however^ there seemed.

to be general concurrence in the principle involved in Mr Perkin's remarks, Mr Turnbull moved that a temporary building be erected as an initiatory step. In reply to a question from the chair, Mr Burwell, architect, stated that a building such as suggested by Mr Perkins would cost about. £400. Ultimately it was resolved, on the motion of Mr Saunders, seconded by Mr Pearson, that the committee be authorised to ouild, or make the be3t' arraugement they might deem expedient. A hearty vote pf thanks was accorded to Mr Baker for the indefatigable and efficient manner in which be had discharged his duties as secretary tq the institution. A vote of thanks to the retiring committee was also passed. The meeting then terminated. ■