CHARITABLE AID BOARD

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5499, 26 February 1896, Page 2

CHARITABLE AID BOARD

THIS DAT. The ordinary monthly meeting of tho Ashburton and North Canterbury Charitable Aid Board was held at 10.35 a.m. today ; present — Messrs R. Westenra (chairman), fIL W. Peryman, J. Hamilton, R. H. Parish, G. Wallace, B. P. Manhire, W. Dunlop, P. J. Board, W„ Prudhoe, J. Rennio and A. Chalmers. Apologies for absence were received from Messrs J. T; Smith and W. ActonAdams. chairman's BTATEM_NT. The Chairman stated that since* tho Board laat met Mr Grigg hod resigned h_ seat, owing to failing sight ; and, following the usual course, he (tho chairman) had asked the Ashburton authorities \yhetber they desired to make any recommendation to guide tho Board's appointment of a successor until the next annual election. Mr C. J. Harper had been nominated by the County Council. He (the chairman) had been somewhat surprised to read on the day following a committee meeting held at Ashburton, a of part of 'the committee's proceedings in a Christchurch newspaper. He mentioned this because he believed it was generally recognised that business arish-k* ih Committee should not be divulged and become public property until it had been submitted to the Board for discussion. Otherwise prejudice might arise before the Board itself had had an opportunity of deliberating on the proposals of its own committees. His attention had been directed to a letter published in the Ashburton Guardian, jwhich was evidently , intended to reflect upon one of the Board _. officers who as© entitled at least to the Board's protection. He only wished to say that the writer and the object of - his solicitude -were' both inmates of the Old Men's Home. Mr Dunlop asked if there was any way by which members of committees could lio stopped from divulging what took place in committee before it was brought beforo the Board. Thie Chairman Baid he had brought tho matter before the Board, because he thougKt it was quite possible the member - who divulged what transpired at the committee meeting did so unwittingly. Mr C. J. Harper was appointed a mem- ' ber of the Board in the place of Mr J, Grigg resigned, and his name was added to , the Ashburton Homo and Finance Committees. Mr Parish moved— "That with a view to reduce the expense incurred by the Board for medical relief, the Hospital Board be respectfully requested to consider whether the Assistant House Surgeon could not combine, with his duties the office of visit- ! ing doctor to charitable aid recipients." Mr Peryman seconded the motion pro formd,, which, after a short discussion, was. lost by seven votes to four. A letter was read from the InßpectorGeneral's office, Wellington, stating that the question of allowing the old Immigration Barracks at Addington to be nsed for the purpose of affording Bhelter to certain applicants for relief would be brought, before the new Minister of Hospitals. . ASHBURTON HOME. The report of the Ashburton Homo Committee was as follows -.—The Ashburton Home Committeo has recently inspected the Old Men's Home, and with regard to the general condition and structure of the buildings is of the same opinion as; that repeatedly expressed by. tho Board and. the Inspector-General, namely, that they arc quite unsuitod. to present reqiurements. The;problem is, Jiow fo b^ing about a per.manent'improvement as *U) situation^ i room'> accommodation and -economy of .m'abagementl** There wore- no specific complaints : from any of the inmateß' on the occasion of the Committee's visit.' Occasionally, trivial disputes arise, which may be expected amongst such a number of infirm ana aged men. Tho closeproximity to the townaffords opportunity for somo of the inmates now and again to procure intoxicants during temporary leave of absence from the premises. This probably occurs through mistaken generosity on the part of sympathisers with the old men's condition of life ; the suspension of "leave" for short periods, and deprivatibn of the customary allowance of tobacco, &c, are the only means of checking such, senile proclivities. The alternative would bo expulsion, which in most cases would lead to arrest for vagrancy and committal to prison ; and on release a fresh application for admission to the Homo would bo almost certain to follow, i Your committee recommends that appli- ■ cation be made to the Government for the grant of a blook of, say, five hundred acres of the Highbank Estate for tho establishment of an Old Men's Home. The land under proper management should help to render the institution self-supporting; and various ways of utilising such work as a proportion of tho inmates could be required to do would ba opened up as soon as the Home was erected. Ways and means for building purposes must necessarily be deferred for the present, but as an initiatory step your .committee considers it will be advisable to proceed without delay towards securing, if possible, a grant of land of sufficient area to bo of some practical uso in the future." The report was adopted. statistics of relief. The Treasurer said thero was nothing of special interest to report this month as to the distribution 7of out-door relief. The number 6. casea in January was 488, as against 400 in January, 1895. Thero was still a constant demand for admission to the several institutions, an occasional vacancy being promptly filled. institutions committee. The raport of the Institutions Cc""iittee was as follows :— The Institution Oom- • mittoe is not prepared at this meeting of the Beard to submit any recommendation in the direction of utilising the premises of the Lyttelton Orphanage : but it has the subject under consideration in conjunction with another arising out of the bequest of the late Mr Eaton to the Queen's Jubilee Memorial Home, at Woolston. The Board will probably be in possession at an ■ early date of some -83000 left for the support and maintenance of the last-named institution ; and however desirable it may be to extend the usefulness of the Home by making an addition to permanent buildings for the accommodation of a larger number of inmates, the Coininitte3 is advised that tho capital cannot be applied to such a purpose, but must be invested; and it is doubtful whether even the interest can be made available for "maintenance" which is held not to mean additions to biiildings. Your committee recommends the Board to . procure a ruling of the Supreme Court as to the application of tho f uturo income to be derived from investment of tho capital; and pending such investment in satisfactory securities (if ifc must be obtained forthwith on receipt of the funds), the treasurer is instructed, subject to the Board's approval, to placo the sum on deposit for a short period. The committee asks the Board to confirm its appointment of Mr H. Thomas as male assistant at the Memorial Home. He has been appointed on probation since his predecessor's death, after a very short illness. The committee also requests to be empowered to effect the necessary repairs to the water service at, the Female Refuge. The report was adopted. treasurer's statement. The Treasurer announced the -following receipts since the date of the Board's last meeting :— Kaikoura County Council, .£l3 6s 6d ; Amuri County Council, -316 ; Ashburton County Council, .£7B 14« 4dj Akaroa County Council, .£25 2s ld ; St Alban's Borough Council, -311 13s sd ; Sydenham Borough Council, -214 18s 4d ; Linwood Borough Council, JE9 lis ld; Christchurch City Council, .£69 15s 6d; Kowai Eoad Board, .£lo lßs 7d ; Cust Road Board, £1 19s ld; Ashley Road Board, J519 15s 8d; Mandevillo and Rangiora Road Board, .£l2 19s 6d; Refunds and recoveries, ,£ll 17s 4d; Government subsidy, -2528 ls6d. This was all the business.