HELP FOR THE NEEDY

Southland Times, Issue 20538, 14 July 1928, Page 6

HELP FOR THE NEEDY

By a paradox the purest form of Justice is justice tempered by mercy. This apparent contradiction is explained by the fact that frequently all the evidence is not available when Justice makes her decisions. The letter of the law is not enough to secure justice and nowadays we recognize the advisability of allowing ourselves a margin wide enough to permit us to escape from the letter in order to catch the spirit. It has been suggested that there should be no raid on the “breadwinner’s bread” in order to give help to the unemployed, but it is not by bread alone that even the breadwinner will win salvation. With the suggestion that single men should be displaced to make way for married men in jobs we do not intend to deal, because more evidence is necessary before any reliable decision can be suggested, but as to the righteousness of assisting those who are in need there can be no argument. Charity may begin at home, but it does not end there, and it would be a poor world, a miserable world, if it did. The appeal on behalf of those who are in want is made to those who can afford to give something to help their less fortunate brethren. Doubtless there are among those who are out of work men who are unemployed through their own fault, but there are enough cases of distress to warrant the risk being taken of helping a few of the unworthy. In charity it is better to err on the side of generosity than to miss one case deserving assistance, and it has to be remembered that the wives and children of these workless men are not to held responsible for the circumstances which deny them food and comfort in these winter months. The proposal made that subscription lists should be opened to assist in collecting funds to help these needy cases is one which applies to the town and holds out the hand for voluntary aid, but we think it would be better to follow the course which was used last year and use voluntary contributions to pay for work actually performed. The Mayor, having received word that the Government will subsidise expenditure on street beautifying if it is received by public subscription, has opened a fund on behalf of the unemployed, and we are pleased to be able to assist him in this matter. In this way the town will be able to help those who are in need and at the same time will push on with work that will be of advantage to the town. Work on the Oreti Road is to be opened up on Monday, absorbing a fair number of men, and it can now be said that the borough is taking up its responsibilities. A discussion of the causes of unemployment is of no value at this stage. There is unemployment and genuine distress. These have to be dealt with in the name of mercy, which in this case is the better part of justice.