AUCKLAND CHURCH LEADERS' NOBLE APPEAL.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume 25, Issue 10, 1 October 1935, Page 4

AUCKLAND CHURCH LEADERS' NOBLE APPEAL.

Signed by twelve ministers of religion belonging to several denominations, the following moving appeal was recently addressed to Cabinet Ministers, members of Parliament, and church leaders. It is a piece of plain speaking whiich does credit to the Church and articulates the thoughts of tens of thousands of people throughout New Zealand. Their statement reads: — Determined to arouse the public conscience to the dire need for drastic alteration on the existing methods of dealing with unemployment, with its appalling suffering and injustice, we the undersigned emphatically declare that m this city we know that on every hand there is suffering that is absolutely unnecessary. In our daily contacts we are constantly confronted with cases of distress that need not exist. Widespread malnutrition m a primary producing country is nothing short of a national scandal, and calls for immediate remedy. POOR HOUSING The fact that whole families are livihg m one room or perhaps two rooms m an apartment house, eating, sleeping, washing, etc., within the confines of a single apartment, needs surely only to be known to be condemned without hesitation on Christian as well as on humanitarian grounds. SHORTAGE OF CLOTHING While bur social workers are faced with a desperate necessity of attempting to cope with the demands

tor clothing, boots, blankets, etc., we feel that this should be unnecessary m a Christian country. To expect men, women and children to have to depend permanently upon the supply of castoff clothing is a prostitution of Christian charity to which we cannot subscribe. We know that, through inadequate •old age and military pensions, and the hopelessly insufficient income from relief work that barely relieves, and that deadly thing called sustenance which cannot sustain, unspeakable suffering is endured by thousands of honest and respectable citizens who should not be placed m this humiliating position. We call upon all Christian people to demand from those m authority closer attention to the fact that present measures are at best only palliatives. We urge the immediate undertaking of a constructive programme to deal effectively and permanently with the distressing conditions we have outlined. It is quite clear, that from the Christian stnadpoint, the present impossible state of affairs cannot be allowed to continue. Too long have we understood the words of our Lord: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto •one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me," to refer only to the distribution of charitable relief. Surely m these modern days they must equally refer to the pressing need for the reconstruction of our social fabric. We are not concerned with the merits or demerits of any of the schemes that have been submitted by fully qualified citizens of this country, but we protest emphatically .against the utter failure of the Government to launch any constructive scheme, such as an effective public "works policy. We Gall for close attention to the following facts; 1. We have the men available urgently requiring work. ' 2. We have no lack of work of a permanent national character. 3. In the ' event of ' war, money would be ; found to destroy life. To-day money can and must be found to save life. • • • .•■•. -. While insisting that drastic alterations oe made m our social and economic systems to abolish unemployment for ever, we assert ihat , the

present temporary method of relief can and must be made more effective. We call upon those responsible, to answer through the public Press the following questions: 1. Why are men compelled to stand down for fourteen days after they register as unemployed, and how are they expected to live during that period? 2. Why are men outside the metropolitan area placed on a' lower scale of relief and sustenance payments when their needs are just as great? Conditions must be worse m the South Island owing to the severe Winter. 3. Will the Minister of Health and the Minister of Unemployment show us by a detailed weekly budget how malnutrition can be avoided at the present rates, after the payment of rent? 4. Will the Minister of Employment state why there is needless and cruel delay m issuing, milk rations, especially m the cases of sick children? 5. In view of the promises made to the men who went overseas during the years 1914-18, why are there to-day 2000 unemployed returned soldiers m Auckland? We reiterate that as Christian men we cannot countenance a continuance of the present methods of relief, which m" addition to being degrading and humiliating, are totally inadequate. J. ADAMS, Vicar St. George's, Kingsland. A. RUSSELL ALLERTON, Vicar, Sf. Thomas', Freeman's Bay. W. N. AVERILL, Vicar, All Saints,' Ponsonby. A. J. BECK, Acting Vicar, St. Matthew's, Auckland. • JASPER CALDER, City Missioner. JOHN GREENWOOD, Vicar, St. Alban's, Dominion Road. HARRY JOHNSON, Chaplain, Dock Street Mission. : G. E. MORETON, Prison Chaplain. H. G. SULLIVAN, Vicar, St. Coloinba's, Grey Lynn. T. J. YOKES-DUDGEON, Asst. Priest, St. Thomas. F. HOLBROOKi Presbytery, Grey : ... ■■ 'Lynn. .... - . ■-. : KENNETH H. HOLBORN, Mt. Eden ;.,,•■■ Free Methodist.. .......

KING'S COLLEGE, Auckland. The Myers-Bankart Scholarship.— Five (5) King's College Scholarships. These Scholarships are open, to. boys under 13 years of age on the 1 Ist January, 1936. One (1) King's College Scholarship. This Scholarship is open to boys under 14 years pf age on Ist January, 1936. Applications, to close on 15th October, 1935, are invited for the above Scholarships. . Full particulars and application forms may be obtained from the Bursar, King's College, Otahuhu, Auckland, 5.E.,7. (Signed) J. G. C. Wales, Bursar.