PAUPERISM.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 5489, 8 December 1884, Page 2

PAUPERISM.

Although the European population of New Zealand only numbers some half million, there is a large and an increasing number of destitute persons for whom provision has to be made. At present there is an attempt to deal with the evil by means of locally organised Benevolent Societies, whose funds are derived from private contributions and Government grants in aid ; but it is well known they are quite unequal to the self-imposed task they have undertaken, and that many cases of real distress are not reached by them ; whilst worthless and vicious persons, who have no real right to charity, impose on the district visitors and draw money and rations, to which they have no shadow of real claim. The cases which demand the earliest and most thorough treatment are those of the old and helpless, who, from a variety of causes, are now quite unable to do anything towards their own support, and must cither perish for want of shelter and food, or be provided for by their more fortunate fellows or the Government. Private charity is nearly always inadequate to the demands made upon it, and the Government funds are all too slender for the additional burden of supporting a pauper element. It therefore looks as though, before very long, the question would have to be dealt with on a broad basis, and legislated for by the enactment of a Poor Law, by which property would be called upon to bear its share of providing for those who have broken down in the race of life and drop by the wayside. Private and undisciplined charity is generally more or less mischievous, and is imposed upon by a class whose misfortunes are of their own seeking, and are, therefore, ill-deserving of assistance. What is wanted is a proper system of relief and assistance, so that the old and helpless paupers, of whom there are, unfortunately, a large number already in the colony, may be provided with shelter and food, and not left to perish of neglect and want, as there is too often danger of their doing under present conditions. In every town of the size of Wanganui there should be a building with sufficient accommodation to house the old and destitute of the district, whose j support should be made a charge upon the land, as that is the birthright of all, and was intended for the sustenance of all. Of course we know large property-holders will demur to this, and deny their responsibilities; but the earth and its fruits are the common heritage, and the old and«destitute are a first charge upon it. In Europe in the feudal times, when land was only held in trust, every member of a tribe or clan had a right to as much of the soil held by the head of the clan or the lord of the manor, as would suffice for the support of his wife and family, and the old and helpless had to be provided for by the chief, whose doors were never shut to the poor and helpless. In later times the Church, whose lands gradually increased in area and fertility, relieved the hereditary families of a great deal of their responsibilities towards the aged and infirm, and threw open the doors of their religious institutions to those of whom their Divine Master had said, " The poor ye always have with you." Feudal tenures and Church properties have been usurped by the descendants of the old families, or have passed into the hands of the newly enriched, but the poor remain with us, and with them our responsibilities, which, in a young country like this, have, fortunately, up to the present, not been very burdensome. But it is an ever increasing responsibility, and the time is now growing close at hand, when something systematic must be done for their relief and support ; so that those, who are cheerful givers, may not be allowed to go on doing, not only their own duty towards their less fortunate fellows, but that of those who, though rich in this world's goods, are poor in spirit, and either refuse to help at all, or do so grudgingly and out of all keeping with their means. In the old country this has been met by the imposition of Poor Rates and the establishment of Alms and Poor Houses, under the roof trees of which the old and destitute many at least secure food and shelter, and not be allowed to die of want and exposure.

If people were thriftly and careful, there should be no real pauperism in a colony like this, but being human, many of them are neither, and the result is a prosperous and improvident middle age, and a pauperised and helpless period of declining life, during which, if not succoured and provided for by some one, starvation must surely be their portion. Our fillial laws are stringent enough to read, as they make the support of indigent and helpless parents compulsory on the children, if the latter are in a position to help those who fed and cherished them during childhood. But somehow what fillial affection fails to exact, fillial laws are equally powerless to compel, and we see old people left to the charity of the world, whose well-to-do sons and daughters often think it no shame to allow their indigent parents to go to their graves for want of, in some cases, even the barest necessaries of life. If special legisia-

tion has to be framed, as we think it will, for the people dealing with this question, we think these fillial laws should nob be left the dead-letter they now are, but should be made as stringent and far-reaching as those in force in China, where the support of the aged and infirm is a sacred duty which not the poorest of the teeming millions of the Celestial Empire would either desire or dare to infringe. In this respect, at all events, we are far behind the despised " Heathen Chinee/ who, in his country, may be often seen carrying on his back a bed-ridden parent into the warmth of the sunshine and summer breeze, setting the outer barbarian an •example the latter might turn to better advantage than has yet been made manifest in practice.

There is a considerable amount of destitution even here in Wanganui, as there are several families of young children wholly dependent on the slender earnings of their mothers, owing either to the death or desertion of their male parents, and our local Benevolent Society finds its slender funds all too small to deal adequately with these urgent cases. As the ladies who so cheerfully devote their leisure and means to the duties of charity are now canvassing the town for the annual subscriptions, we trust they will meet with a large success, and be able to claim from the Government an equivalent which, with the voluntary subscriptions, will make up a sum total equal to the growing demands upon their resources, so that at least the widow, the deserted wife, and the little children may be fed and clothed, and the coming Christmas be made something more than a season of amusement and good living for the well to do and thoughtless.

A number of cases of diptheria have broken out in Auckland, and several deaths kave occurred.

Mr C. E. Quiriton organist of Christ Church, returned from a lecturing tour in Nelson and Blenheim on Saturday. Mr Quinton took the organ as usual yesterday

A number of English clergymen are agitating the question of revising the marriage service in the English Prayer-book. They consider it coarse and indelicate in 'some parts.

The whole of the men arrested in connection with the illicit distillation of whisky at Porirua have now been released, the claims of the Crown, amounting to about £600, having been satisfied.

The Hon. Mr Tole received a telegram from the Native Minister, stating that Kawhia is included in the Kingite territory in which the sale of drink will be prohibited, and has so informed the Auckland temperance deputation which waited on him,

John G. Watkin, a well-known builder and contractor at Cbriatchurch, has been arrested charged with forging and uttering a promissory note on the Bank of New Zealand for £24 19s lid, purporting to be signed by John Bennett, storeman at Taylor and Cos.

Waring Taylor's cases were again before the Wellington Resident Magistrate's Court on Saturday. Accused Burrendvd to his bail on various charges of fraud, but in accordance with the understanding arrived at when the matter was previously before the court, none of the cases were gone into, au adjournment till Tuesday being obtained. Accused was admitted to bail.

Some excitement was occasioned in Princes Street, Dunedin, lately, by the members of the North Dunedin Rifles and the Salvation Army falling foul of one another when marching in opposite directions. The Army officers aver that the Rifles purposely dispersed their members, and have lodged a complaint with the officer in charge of the volunteer district.

Government are taking every precaution with a view of preventing the introduction of smallpox into the colony. The question of quarantining all vessels arriving from New South Wales was discussed, but the U.S.S. Company having reported that most minute examination was made on all passengers landing from Australia by their steamers and also that medical officers were carried on board steamers, it is understood that the present regulations will not be diaturbed.

There is a strong feeling in favor of the decision in the case of Timma v Spurdle being subjected to the test of an appeal, and several gentlemen have expressed a willingness and desire to subscribe the necessary coat of such. being done. They think the verdict was a strained interpretation of tho law, and in no wise based on the "equity and good conscience " powers given to the dispensers of the law as laid down for Jus* tices of the Peace, who have a latitude given them, that the .fudges of the Supreme Court do not possess. [Since the above was written we learn that it has been decided to appeal against the decision.] 9

On Saturday afternoon the Alexandra Cavalry mustered in full strength, 63 being present at parade. The troop could not drill on the Racecourse owing to the heavy rain which fell about the hour for which the parade was calle i. They were examined in the Drill Hall by Major Stapp, who expressed himself a3 thoroughly satisfied with their appearance, and paid them some flattering compliments. The country members got away by the 4.15 train, horse-boxes in number having been provided by the railway authorities for their transit each way.

The Australasian's Queensland correspondent says :— By the way, it's a dreadful thing to say, I know, but Mr Chester would have made an infinitely better High Commissioner than Major-general Scratchley, and would, I daresay, have taken the billet for half the money. He has been doing similar work for years past, and doing it with conspicuous success ; whereas the gallant major-general has never tried his hand at ruling niggers, beachcombers, b6che-de-mer fishers, and the " pioneers of civilisation generally. But then, what would become of society if such posts were given to men whose only claim to them was that they were especially fitted to discharge the duties of tho position ? Wanganulhasareputation for sending a certain class of people to Wellington, and no wonder when the country districts from which our supply is drawn, contains such a lunatic as seems to be at large in Hawera. We have received a lot of doggerel headed " The news of Hawera," whioh purports to be a story in vorse of a young man ("who's got a soft place in hia head,") goingcourting, and whoße mother ie to bring him to Wanganui next weok to look for a wife. The writer makes the mother say, "we'll find one big and strong enough, to earn some dayle bread." Wo are told to bo thankful for small mercies, and certainly we shall be thankful if the only Boft-headed person who comes ia the young man, we have no desire to gee shipped to Wellington, the writer who inflicted on us tha job of going through such trash aa "The news of Hawera."

The American correspondent of the Dunedin Star, writing by the last mail, sa y 8 : — "I am glad to notice that the drift of the emigration this year has been in the direction of Australia instead of America. The poor emigrant will not now find thiß country to be the Eldorado of hia dreams. Business is at a dead standstill; yet 1 cannot conceive why. ■ There are h«#e population, resources, money in abundaiicVj and of food, merchandise, and manufaotiiWii a surfeit. The hum of the factory has ceased, and the dry goodß salesmen go to sleep on the counters. There are no public works projected, and railway enterprise is checked. The big corporations are now occupied in eating each other up. This would be fun for the public, were it not for the conviction that the public will pay for their fun in the end. I cannot understand why this condition^! thinga,"

Tho First Class of tho City Rifles will fire for the officers' trophies on Wednesday morning, afc 5.30 o'clook.

We havo very discouraging accounts of the effect of the continued wet weather, we have been experiencing, on tho potato crops of tho district, many cf which will be an utter failure, as the seed has rotted in tho ground from the wet. If tho weather does not take up, and a long spell of fairly dry and warm eot in, tho grain crops will alto be destroyed, as tho continued rains cvuse the whole of the growth to centre in tho strand, which gets too rank and fal's to the ground and ttiero rota away.

The fire at Opunako the other night, at one time threatened the destruction of not only the stable, but tho whole of Prosser's large and expensively furnished hotel. Aa it was, the s'abling which was very costly and extcusivo was clean swept, and several vehicles, including tho buggy the Native Minister had arrived from Mew Plymouth in that day, were more or less damaged. The horses were only rescued with the greatest difficulty by the groom who worked like a Trojan to aavo property.

Tho Lyttelton Times correspondent wrote recently :— To-day the now regulations with reference to the change of houra in tho Government service came into force, and although the day was wet and miserable, it was amusing to observe how tenaciously the Civil Servants cluug to their privilege of half an hour's liberiy for lunch. They would have been far more comfortable inside the "big building," but as a sort of protest against tho half-hour extension, tlmy felt they must take that half-hour for lunch or die. Here and there might be seen a Civil servant cowering for shelter in a doorway whilst satisfying the want* of the inner man with a sandwich, or another crouching beneath a circus waggon philosophically endeavouring to combat the misery, due to the wretchedness of the weather, with his pipe. Whilst engaged in these several occupations, we may be sure anathemas-were thought, if not heard, against those who had brought about a change; which gave what was before tik-.n as a right, but tacked the privilege to the t>nd of the day's work.

From a long and interesting list of ailments induced by the conditions under which certain trades and professions are pursued, we learn how needle-grinders, potters, and other suffer from consumption ; how cigar-makers are liable to irregular heart-action and indigestion ; how match- makers suffer from bone decease ; how butchers are liable to poorness of blood and bronchitis ; and how various Other trades are marked by their characteristic forms of disease. Thus we learn that 111 butchers die to a mean of 100 of those who follow sixty-nine other occupations ; and this high mortality is traced to the constant dampness of their surroundings, and to the consequent development of rheumatism, bronchitis, and other ailments- Again, 108 drapers die to 76 grocers. — Christain Million.

M.M.H. Miranda has returned to Port Jackeon after a very exciting cruise among the New Hebrides. Besides inquiring into and settling a number of complaints, Captain Acland paid a visit to Bushman's Bay, and punished the natives by shelling and destroying their village, for the murder of Captain Daniel Leahy, master of the schooner John Hunt, who was speared at that bay on the 13th July, while recruiting labor. The murderers were not captured, but the natives were severely punished by the guns of the Miranda. Captain Acland also visited Api Island, where last year the Government agent and two men of the labor schooner Lavinia were massacred. After several attempts he failed to secure the murderers, and, therefore, Captain Acland taught them a lesson by destroying the village and plantations. Upon his return to Bushman's Bay Captain Acland learned that several natives had been killed by the fire from the Miranda.

The extreme scantiness of attire affected by some not over-particular ladies in high hociety (says "Lynx" in the Tasmanian Mail) is a notorious fact, and one that is said to be particularly distasteful to the Princess of Wales. Woman appear in a state of indelicate undress at large balls that they would shudder to show out in at the home breakfast table. A glaring illustration of this was offorded in a passing conversation between a husband and wife the other day : — Mrs De Ponsonby Tomkyns :" Are you ready for the dance, dear ?" Mr De Ponsonby Tomkyns : •' Yes, long ago ; and I thought you were getting ready. It is time t<) start. Why don't you put on your dress or something 1 Some one may see you through the window." Mrs De Ponsonby Tomkyns : "How nearsighted you are becoming, dear, My dress is on."

Theßritish aristocracy are becoming tainted with tho commercial spirit, and very often make the most of their opportunities for amassing wealth. The good old custom of sending one's friends presents of game, &c, is dying out, as the country gentleman nods it more profitable to supply the London market. A story is going round the press of a well known magnate of enormous wealth, who only invites those of hia friends to shoot with him whose expertness of aims secures the large bags. At the end of a hard and successful day he calmly bade his friends good bye never offering them as much as a brace of partridges ; but on parting he calmly asked one of his guests if he would kindly leave the big bag secured by the purty at the nearest railway station, addressed " Leadenhall market." This little incident shows an amount of coolness that would do credit to an iceberg. — Atticus.

At the quarterly meeting of the Christchurch Chamber of Commerce the president (Mr J. Cooke), in his address, said that a more hopeful feeling pervaded the commercial community. Prices at the local wool sales contrasted favorably with thore of last year. He stated that, despite the heavy loss through wet weather, and the export of over 100,000 caroa&es of frozen mutton, the sheep in Canterbury on May 31st numbered 4,251,739— an increase of 228,011 over last year. He thought Canterbury could easily maintain an export of 150,000 frozen sheep yearly. There was a reduction of about onethird in area under wheat cultivation in Cauterbury, and he felt hopeful that, as it was doubtless much the same elsewhere, prices would not continue depressed on account of over supply. Since January 1, 123,000 frozen sheep had been exported from Lyttelton. Resolutions were passed urging reductions in railway charges on the Lyttelton-Christ-church line and in grain rates, also requesting Government to take the increased duty off binder twine.

So long ago as 1864 a steamer used to ply up the Wanganui River, and bring down the produce of the natives living at the head of the river. The vessel in question, the p.s. Favourite, belonged, we belive, to Taylor and Watt, and made aeveral successful trips up the river, but the breaking out of the war closed the river, and it is only now that the re-opening of it seems possible, as there has been a strong determination on the part of the older Maoris to keep it closed, and to prevent Europeans gaining a foothold on the upper Wangauui lands, "During the war the Sturt and Gundagai, both light draught steamers, took men and provisions as far up the river as Pipiriki. There therefore is no insurmountable obstacle in the way of navigation, if proper vessels of sufficient power are procured, and we think from the enthusiastic way the subject has been received by the public, that another year will not be allowed to elapse without a steamer being placed on the river capable of reaching the up-river settlements, and bringing down their produce.

We have been requested to mention that on Sunday mornings business people and others are often inconvenienced by finding the door leading to the private boxes unopened at 10 o'clock. On several occasions it has been nearly 10.30 before the door was opened, and box owners have been kept waiting There ia one other matter connected with these boxes which we should like to see remedied. At present there is no definite hoar for closing the door at night, it boing closed directly the mails are sorted. As the mails vary considerably it is sometimes after eleven, but on other occasions we have known it shut before half?past ten. The consequence is that it is a risky matter venturing out for letters at night, as the shances are that the door will be closed. If the door were kept open every night until at least quarter to eleven the difficulty would bo obviated, aa box owners would know that up till that hour they could get in, and in case of later mails the door could as at present remain open until the mails were sorted*

Mr G. Carson was elected to-day for Cook's Ward hia proposers being Messrs A, Tod, and A. Barnes.

The Native Minister did not get away today by the Huia, but ho will leave by the Storm bird to-morrow at noon.

The Wanganui Rifles Band will givo thoir open air performance in Cook's Gardens this evening, tho programme we have already announced,

The customs revenue last week amounted to £279 7s Id, made up as follows : customs £233 2a 7d, beer stamp duty £44 15s 3d, passengers' cor.ificate £1 10s,

The Nativo Minister received on answer to-day from Taoanui, the Waikato chief, in reply to one written him by Mr Ballanco, that ho (Taoanui) would use his best influonce to help on the Central Railway.

A qallnnt rescue occurred at the River Avon, Christchurch, on Sunday, when a boy named Nelson, 15 years of age, though unable to swim, jumped in and saved a little girl named Soandrett, 7 years old, who had fallen off Montreal Bridge into deep water.

The prisoners were engaged this morning in a work absolutely necessary for the preservation of the paths formed on Queen's Park, The rain water comes rushing down theso paths in torrents, and carries away the clay, leaving deep hollows in the paths, and rendering them unsightly. The prison gang are putting in culverts across the paths, by which tho water will be conveyed into the hollows.

According to latest Victorian and South Australia advices, the wheat crop of these colonies bids fair to be above the average in yieid and of fine quality: Sales of the new crop are already being made at the milling low prices, which do not seem likely to rise for another season at least. The area under wheat in this district is muoh smaller this year than last, but will be ample for local requirements, as there is still a large stock of last season's grain unsold, owing to the suicidal habit of peop'e here prefering to send their money away for flour made on the South Island, while our own farmers are left with their produce on hand, and almost ruined by the combination of adverse circumstances they have so long struggled against. Money that should be circulated in the district, goes to Oamaru and other southern ports, and the place get daily poorer and duller; When we have starved al> our farmers out, and turned the country into a sheep and cattle walk, most of the trades folk now here, will have had to seek a living else* where, and Wanganui will have become a second Turakina if not a '• Sweet Auburn."

A correspondent, writing to the Shanghai Mercury from Tientsin, under date 6th October, says :— " By the Chung Ching, which arrived here on the 3rd inst., there came a messenger bearing a despatch from Peng Yu Lin, together with some of the spoil taken at Kuang Yin Chian on the 24th June last. The latter in part consisted of flags, swords, and several coat-sleeves having on themstripes designating the rank held by the wearers. I gather that three French officers were taken alive, whose fate it was to suffer tho moat horrible tortures. lam informed that they were for several days carried about in cages from post to post, and finally bled to death, their blood being carefully caught, mixed with samshu, and distributed by the different commanders to their men, by whom it was drunk. The bodies of the unfortunate victims were then disembowelled, their hearts taken possession of by the officers, and their bodies given up to the soldiers, by whom they are reported to have been eaten. The trophies were inspected by Li Hung Chang this morning, and found to correspond with the list forwarded with them, and they go forward to Pekin to-morrow."

There was a time when it was considered decidedly infra dig to be known for a newspaper writer. There are still some peopleespecially in the colonies, strange to say — who affeot to look down on journalists and think it is a very olever thing to sneerat anyone they do not like by hinting that he is connected in some way or other with the Press. We need hardly say that these as a rule are either very stupid or else very vulgar people. Not unfrequently they are both, and their pretended contempt for newspaper writers is w reality the outcome of jealousy and self-conscious inferiority. They may be rich and even clever in Borne ways, but they feel themselves below the mark intellectually, and it galls them to know that they tould not sit down and write a dozen lines that would be worth reading on any subject under the sun. Hence it affords them a certain sort of coarse satisfaction to depreciate writers generally, and especially to insinuate that journalism is a poor pursuit which no man of ability would engage in unless he were obliged. This variety of snobs, however, are fast becoming rare; because the time has arrived when an enlightened society give the place of honor to men of letters, and when no rank is too high for its occupant to to be proud of proficiency as a newspaper writer. — Timaru Herald.

He was one of the earliest settlers. Without exactly divulging his nationality, let it be said he came frae rather far north. He arrived here about a quarter of a century ago, and is now a v^ell-to-do farmer at — well there is no need to describe the precise locality. Several months ago he went to a neighbour, whom we will call Mr 8., for the loan of the latter's new patent roller, "Just to brak doon a few acres o' clods, ye ken." This was readiy granted, seeing that the parties had lived in perfect amity, and often obliged each other. Time passed ; there was no sign of the roller being returned. Another and more distant neighbour happening to require the use' of a roller, applied to the owner of the implement for its use. " Oh, yes, ye'ze get it, but yell hae tae gang for it to Mr ." This was done. Mr at first demurred "He hadna quite dune wit. Besides he wad want a written order." Eventually he surrendered it without one. When done with, the roller was to pass on to a third neighbour, thence to be returned to its owner. The latter, riding along the road lately, was met by the first borrower. ' ' Guid day, Mr B. Ye're the very mon 1 wanted to see. flae ye gotten back the roller yet ! For if ye hae I would lik' to get it again." " But I've lots o' work o1o 1 my am to dae. There's all least a hunner acres o' wheat tae gang o'er." " Well noo," and, this with a coaxing, appealing glance upwards, " would'na my auld am dae ye 1" — Soufchlander.

The deputation appointed at the late public meeting waitei on the Hon. J. Ballance this morning relative to the opening up of the river. As the press were not admitted, we cannot $»ive all the particulars of the meeting, but we are given to understand that Mr Ballance said that no doubt the Government would grant a subsidy larger than the present one for mails, if there were regular communication by steam. He said that everything depended on the report Mr Rochfort made in a month's time ; that the Government, however, contemplated quickly letting a contract about 15 miloa from Manganui-te-ao, and would make a passable road to it. The work there undertaken will be all earth work, and everythiug necessary can be conveyed to the place by canoe, but if it could be shown to the Department that great advantage would be reaped by improving the river so as to allow communication by steamer, Government mij>ht do something, but it was purely a departmental matter. It was urged by the deputation that there were Government lands adjaoent which would be greatly increased in value by the river improvements, and Mr Ballanoe promised to note this and make enquiry into it. He also told them that they must not expect the Railway Department to do anything but what they considered best for the department. Everything depended on Mr Rochfort's report, and when that was handed in he would reply further to the deputation. The deputation are of opinion that it will not be of any use calling a meeting for a month, and during that time they will make all necessary enquiries and report at a publio meeting.

Benefaotobs.— "When a board of eminent physicians and chemists announced the discovery that by combining some wellknown remedies a most wonderful medicine was produced, which would cure such a wido range of diseases that most all other remedies could be dispensed with, _ many were sceptical, but proof of its merits by actual trial has dispelled all doubt, and to-day the discoverers of that great medicine, Hop Bitters, are honored and blessed by all as benefactors." Bead.