THE CHARITABLE AID SYSTEM.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 69691, 6 December 1900, Page 1

THE CHARITABLE AID SYSTEM.

4b t SOME ASPECTS OP THE QUESTION. At ihe meeting of the Charitable Aid Board yesterday, the Chairman* Mr F. Board, stated, in reviewing the work of the past year, that from the public a-ecoun'ts it appeared that during the year ending March last the subsidies paid out of the Consolidated! Revenue under the Hospital and Charitable Institutions Aat amounted to £83,398, which sum included hospitals as ■we'll as Charitable Aid Board's, and also ■what are known as "separate, institutions." The Inspector-General's report for the same ■period showed that for hospitals alone the proportion of Government hiiibsidy was £44,814, aaid the remainder would therefore •have been approximately £40,000 for charitable aid, while the local rates for thait) purpose, together with income from various other sources reached upwards of £50,000, in addition to which, othei' contributions raised for some of the separate institutions should be borne in mind, although the figures, as far as he (Mr Board) could 1 ascertain, had -not been published. According to Dr M'Gregor'.s report, the sum of £77,602 represented the total expenditure, but this did 1 not include all separate institutions, and jf the sum of £3351 issued under vhe charitable vote out of the Consolidated Fund to cover grants in aid of refuge work amd other items were added, it would bo evident that the 'tot-ail cost to the country of charitable aid was £80,000, to say nothing dt the numerous funds raised throughout ithe. colony for private 'benevolent purposes. Talking the population of New Zealand 1 , exclusive of Maoris, on March 31 at 758,616 persons, the average contribution of eveiy man, svoman. and child for pivblic charity, without reckoning hospitals in the calculation, amounted to 2a I%<s. 'He thought 'there was another factor which should be taken into account, n««l that was "tne old a.ge pensions. It had bton claimed tha'b the introduction of this system would effect great reducftiong in ice charitable aid expenditure. How far su^h ,a prediction might ultimately prove correct it was difficift to say, though. suoli reductions could only amount 'to a trawsfereipe of disbursements from one compartment of the public chest to another ; but for vhe lioauVs information*, he would' point out that a comparison of the figures relating to public expenditure showed 1 'that while the snJw.dirs from Government to hospitals and charitable institutions for the laat financial year wtre rather in excess of the amount for- the previous year and the expenditure or. cuaritabfe aid was only reduced by £15,450, the cost of old age pensions was very nearly £160.000. The. public would, therefore, be V

enabled to judge whether the ■cost of .old age . pensions could be fairly regarded as other than an extension of 'the public cbarities of the colony, seeing that the operation of " the Act was limited to tha,b section of the coiamunity whose incomes were deemed insufficient to support them without the supplementary aid which the pension afforded. The old age pensions in force for the current year were estimated to aggregate an amount very little short of £200,000, and it would be interesting to note whether the anticipations of a large reduction in the national charitablo aid bill would be verified. He desired to direct attention to the unsatisfactory condition of the law in so> far as it related to the responsibility of parents and otter near relatives for the support of their families. The Board was const antly endeavouring — and he regretted to adimit,* with but a small measure of success or eni couragement — to counteract the tendency on the part of many persons to divest themselves of their natural and moral responI sibilities and cast them on the' public shoulders. In some cases it was to be feared thei*e was collusion or connivance between 1 J husbands and wives in order to force the State to maintain their cliildren, and instances had occurred in which families had been abandoned deliberately, the pai-ents escaping with absolute impunity. Illegitimate, children, were systematically neglected by their mothers for the purpose of compelling the public to support them, and until some drastic measures were adopted for requiring such mothers to discharge their natural duties they might expect an increase of illegitimate births. One other subject he trusted might receive the epme'st consideration of the Legislature in the next session of Parliament, as it presented a difficulty, hardly capable, in his opinion, of being successfully met by either a Hospital or Charitable Aid Board. There waa a class of case which seemed unsuitable for admission to a- hospital or asylum or any home already established — the case of the unfortunate 'harmless imbecile and the sufferer from, chronic or incurable disease. Fortunately the number was not large, and it did not seem necessary to seb up a special institution for, their treatment in each dis-. trict throughout the colony, but one such establishment was urgently -needed in,, say, each island. These might be under Government control, and if the patients were destitute the Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards of the district: from which such patients were sent oould be legally required to pay, from their local funds, a reasonable sum per head. A building adapted for such a purpose could be easily provided. ' \