PITIFUL POVERTY

Taranaki Daily News, 28 August 1930, Page 13

PITIFUL POVERTY

CASES IN AUSTRALIA. CHILDREN ON BARE BOARDS. Many particularly distressing cases of poverty were brought under the notive of the Mayor of Granville, near Sydney, lately. In several of these he found after investigation that the parents had been unemployed for many months, and their furniture had been sold. Children were sleeping on bare boards, and the families, being without chairs, had to sit on the floor. Their ’>ed eo .’ering at night was hessian. It was also found that many children and parents had no underclothing. In one house where there’was no furniture and no clothing or blankets, an unfortunate woman was about to give birth to a child. She and her husband and three young children had been living on Government relief rations for several months. Another pathetic case is that of & family at Clyde. The fathei’ has been out of work for seven months. There are six young children, a baby having been born this month. As the unfortunate family has no money to buy fresh milk, the child was being fed on skimmed milk powder, which. was ini. eluded in the rations. A local medical man recommended that the family , should be given additional and special rations for the mother, who is in a weak condition. These were refused by departmental officers when application was made. The Mayor stated tnat he could grant only a little aid with the funds at his disposal because there • ’•ere scores of cases of genuine distress ■in the district. 1 I f G.; -•-.• .