SOCIAL WELFARE GUILD.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17471, 3 June 1922, Page 2

SOCIAL WELFARE GUILD.

CONDITIONS IN CHBISTCHURCH DISCUSSED. The first annual meeting ° f tne Social Welfare Guild was held yesterday. Mrs H. F. Herbert presided. Tho annual report stated that the Society during the year had had a strenuous time, as it had started in the winter, when dozens of families were in distress The Guild had endeavoured wherever possible to put persons in a position to keep themselves and not to be always dependent

on charity. Many of the families assisted were soon uoing quite well without any heip, and were now working hard to help others. The Guild had assisted some families into the country, worn being tound for tneui. The money spent on removal expenses had been justified by me good results that had roliowed. During the year quite a numuer of young people had become interested in the work, and many ot these were now visiting the hospital and other institutions, and had arranged luui.y pieasaut uUeruoons tor the sick and iieipless. A Young People's Guild had been lormed at tlio 'leclinical College, and the gins were devoting one evening a weeic to this work. At. Christmas time the Guild supplied one hundred families with a joint of meat, green peas, new potatoes, and other things lor their Christmas dinner, llie committee wished to thank the Refrigerating Company for their very generous donations of sheep and lamb on hve different occasions. The members of the Guild made up aprons, bedjackets, and other articles lor the old people in the Jubilee Home, and the Ulirisimas gifts were much appreciated. At Christinas time five cases of books were sent to '"luarangi Home,''_ Ashburton, 'ihe old men now had a library which the Guild hoped to add to Irom time to time. It was regrettable that the temporary Home for Children still seemed a long way off. A special committee of Christenurch business men, with Mrs Herbert and Mr A. T. Smith, was set up, and while all agreed that ~ such a home was urgently needed, the ; time was not opportune. Those in charge of the different orphanages conferred with the Citizens Committee, and an arrangement, whereby a certain number of beds should be set asjde for temporary cases was agreed upon. This still left the. most difficult problem—that of the babies—unsolved. If I. a mother. was taken ■ ill it was most • difficult to find a home for the infants under three years of age. Owing to the unemployment difficulty, the number of distressed families had increased so much that the Guild found the utmost diffieulty to supply the necessary clothing and " assistance. During the year a great quantity of clothing was collected and'distributed, besides the great"..quantity" of .hew. material that . had be.en made up. Most of the col-, lecting of money had been done by Mesdames Bartlett and Edmonds. The funds were also helped by two socials held at Linwood. A jumble sale was also held during the year and the net proceeds were £24 14s 6Jd. The members of the New Brighton. Committee had also. rendered a good deal of assistance. A jumble sale run by them helped the Guild's funds to the;extent; of over £3O. Coal had been

supplied to several families after the Coal and Blanket Fund had closed down. During last winter, one local merchant, who did not wish his name disclosed, gave the Guild two tons of coal. Potatoes and vegetables were also given during the year by Messrs Judd, Cullen, Walker, and Wmsor, and were a great help to those in need. The., big effort of the' year had been the sale of work" and art union held at the end of April. After all expenses .were paid the proceeds would be about £2OO. A tea and social afternoon for old people had been ) very enjoyable. The gratitude of many of those who had been assisted had been freely, expressed and many husbands, wives, and old people came to members for friendly advice, and help in their troubles. Members had the' satisfaction," if often (very tired, of. knowing that they had at least rendered a personal service. The balance-sheet showed a credit balance, but it was stated that this sum would be quite insufficient- to cope with the increasing demands for material and food.

The report and balance-sheet were adopted. Officers were elected as follows : President.' Mrs HrF.- Herbert; vice-presidents",-Mesdames Armstrong, Sapsford, Edwards, Goring ; Wilson, and Goodman; secretary, Miss. E. Cardale; assistant secretary. Miss M. Anderson; treasurer, Mrs Bartlett; committee, those present: Mesdames Herbert, Sapsford, Goodman, Conway, Debril, Davis, Armstrong, Galbraith, Gibson, Parker, Munroe, Bell, Anderson, Edmonds, Wilson) and Miss Cardale and the remaining members of last committee. Sub-cpmmittees: will be appointed at the first ordinary meeting of the Guild.

The president, Mrs Herbert, referred | to the appalling conditions at present existing m Christchureh. The Guild, ; she said, must set itself to discover the j best way to remedy them. There was one thing very glaring.that must be im- ' mediately attended to. The Guild workers could not but be struck by the number of wives left destitute by desert- : ing husbands. The unfortunate women : were left penniless, and finally had to | lay informations against their husbands. ! The police then instituted a more or less thorough search for the man. If lie was found, a maintenance order was issued against him. In nine cases out of ten j the money was not paid, and finallv the j woman was compelled to go to the Char- | itable Aid Board. The Board always insisted on a summons being issued against the husband, and if he did not pay he was imprisoned, but he was a great deal better off than the poor woman left destitute with the children. It was in this connexion that the need tor amendment of the existing legislation was most urgent. A man in gaol for theft earned a small amount of inoiiev each week after a certain time, but a man in gaol for failure to mainlain his family had no such chance. The speaker knew" that there were bad women as well as bad men, and that many i women* could be much cleaner in the j management of their homes. It was no wonder thai in certain cases a man did not come home as often as he could. Another matter crying out for reform in Christchureh, Mrs Herbert cm. tinued, Was the utter disregard ot precautions aguinet sicknecs. Workers would often find a whole famrly huddled together in one bed, yet one might bo suffering from tuberculosis. Tin* people, naturally enough, cioivded together for warmth, as they had insufficient clothing. Then there were undesirable people who would not stay in the Sanatorium when they were admitted there. They came home nnd took no precautions whatever. Such people should be taught to have some regard for other people's health, if they had none for their own. Then a matter which struck all workers was the enormous rents people had to pay for little cottages that were hardly worth anything. From 17s od to 303 a. week was asked for the poorest habi. tations. Landlords were in many cases so independent tlmt they refused to carry out the most necessary repairs. Mrs L. 11. Wilson moved the following resolution: "That this meeting endorses the action of tho Hospital Board in trying to amend tae existing legislation, and affirms the principle of tne Board's resolution: That the Minister in charge of prisons be urged to amend existing legislation so as to provide that persistent defaulters in the matter of maintenance orders shall be cmolavoH ," n somfl form «f ~munerativa

work, and-their earnings applied to the maintenance of their families." . The motion was carried unanimously. A discussion took place on the necessity for the provision in. Chnsjchurch of a temporaryr.'hame fop children-Tin--der three years of ; oge whose mothers were taken ill. • ■' Mrs Herbert mentioned that the provision of such a. home Mi been recognised as on© of the main" objects of the Guild at its inception;. Dunedm. Auckland, and Wellington-all had homes, but Ohristchureh. had no^proviision whatever for what was a -most I urgent need. When n mother was taken to the hospitnT she worried incessant'y as to what would happen to her children. It was comparatively easy to find homes for those-over three years 1 of asie, but almort impossible to do so for those under three* Nono of the homes would take them. .Some people had a Jjav time during the- summer at the pictures and other amusements, and looked fonvaitl to relief in tlie wmter as a nvitter of course. The Chantab.o Aid Board had to contend with "tlivrd and fourth generation" cases. It was mentioned that many young people were dest ; tiito in Christchurch, and the Coal and Blanket Fund was not available for such cases. | Mi s Car.lalo stated that it was very necessarv to guard agaiiut. imposition in the distribution of relief.' ' Mrs Herbert ssid th."t every precaution- was taken against those ' professionals." One factor to he considered was the intermarrying of 'peor>le who were practically degenerates. The offsnring"''of- such marriages never- had a chance. It was reported that a gord nvmber of offers to assist in sewiiig had been received.