DR. BARNADO'S HOMES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14482, 1 July 1911, Page 7

DR. BARNADO'S HOMES.

To tie Editor otf the "Timaxu Herald." Council of Dr. Harnado's necessary to ask the fnioißo to assist tlram ir> AAmirtg to a somewhat difficult decision. ftm/v* death of Dr. Bam ado five years M®i sympathy of the innumerable fnends and admirers of his work, has otnly to carry on t his , bpt to extend it- in accordance yibahas known desire. "Wo hare hither"ith* utmost strictness liia ttnafterabl© rule, that no destitute child •ball be' refused admission; no votes Bo influmoe, no credentials have ever been required for admission to Dr. Barnado's Homes. A chiid's destitution, for which it can in no case be itself responsible, has always been the only test. fa ere faced with this difficul-' middle of last year the income of the Homes was increasing, as it has always increased, in almost exact proportion to the increase v the number of destitute children *ww> had to. be provided for. Then there was a. tudden fall, and at the end of. tbe year there was a denoienqy of over £BB,OOO. It is not necessary to go into the reasons for this being so—rtbey are beyond; our control and they have affected other charities in the country, in many to an even greater degree. , The same thing is continuing jmv lag the present year. Our inoome would be considered enormous, but it is insufficient to support the 9,400 dhfldreta who are now in the Homes. •We have practically no endowments, and for permanent relief we must either reduce our expenses or inarease our income -

Are we to do the formerP We pare endeavoured to maintain Dr'. Barnado's tradition of strict economy in everything except -tike- proper plain food,_ cfothrng, education, and personal training of the children themselves. There are no high salaries to be cut down, no excessive staff to be reduced—we can economise in oMdr&n snlj.

This is tho question which w© havo to decide at ouoe. Because we havo no endowments, and because the Homes depend entirely on the country's daily appreciation of Dr. Barnado's work, the matter is urgent; but in six months vro could bring our expenditure within our present income by abandoning the rule which. Dr. Barnado followed for all his life, and which he has loft for his successors to follow and maintain. Is it worth itP Looked at merely as a matter of pounds, shillings, and pence, the thousand destitute children who would bo. re-fused admission would, if admitted, be wortih to the country in the future majiy thousands of pounds as honest, hard-working citizens. If left destitute, who can sav how much thoy will oost? Destitute men and women have seldom much future before them—they often have a very extensive pnst. Destitute children have no past—of their own making—and their future is almost a certainty of an honourable, independent life, if they are given the opportunity, which they can seldom make for themselves, and which the workhouse does not adequately provide: It is a pood investment to give it to them, .and by every canon of human conduct it is also an absolute dnty. We ask the public to decide fox us, and to