CHARITABLE AID.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 650, 29 October 1909, Page 4

CHARITABLE AID.

THE PROPOSED BILL ATTACKED. ..." • The vWdlington andWairarapa' ; Charitable Aid :Board rtot-ycstorday. There were present:: Mossrs. R:' .C. v Kirk (chairman);' D. "M'Laron, AI;P.j I'. Cohen, and A. .Coles. 'The financial' statement submitted", showed'a' credit balance of i£2215.155. 3d;" — ■ A letter .was received from ! the"Napier.Board, declining' to: re'ccivo. a man'i(with .his, wife and family) who'had ; arrived .there 'destitnto.from Weilih'gto'n, "and- notifyingthat,,.they were'■ boing serif. back".' Resolyed that the lettcr,be:i'o- : ferred 'to;the Benevolent. Trtstccs; 1 .. , 'i Referring. 'to. tho. proposed ...Consolidated 'and Charitable Aid BMUjljho:.chairman.stated .that .onitlie i 6f ttio ilzo 'Si: districts: controlling 1 As regarded Wellington City r ,and'.surrounding' I counties,..the. now, proposals : wou)d- moan ,ipcreasod .expenditure .on'th'o part'. ? of ,thq local bodies concerned.-. On the other hand,' the Wai-: rarapa,- a rich 'district, would/only.hav? to 'de&l with, its • own' cases. " ;Furtliernibro, six'; small districts rbetween' Palmerston arid . Tarahaki would bo: found controlling expenditurepital'and charitable aid." The main 'feature.;in. the'' Bill'; Was'-.' the: schedule. regarding • th?, cut-' tingupV-of i.the 'districts;';and' the..manner.-iii which it'was proposed to do ;tfiis'.,was a"retrograde. step. • Why -the Wairarapa shohld; get, off Leo/lightly, .and ; the responsibility; of.."VVsllington:and surrounding, districts should., bo. -bo 1 heavily, burdened,: lie failed to realise. ... Wei i lington -at..present' paid l-35d. in the■,£, whilst Hawko's Bay-and Asfyburton paid WOd. in.tho. r 4.- ,Veryshortly - the. figures under, the-;now Bill; would be, available,-arid ha contended.-that it would then'.bo seen that Wellington would' be taxed heavily; .-One-effect of the-Bill .would bo the. swamping ot separate institutions except those supported by voluntary , as separate institutions, 110 had mo - hesitation in"- stating that the, expenditure would bo increased under the new Bill. Mr. D. ;M'Laren, Sf.P., concurred with, the opinion expressed by, the chairman, and considered ttat tho city districts would svontually. have to'bear.'the cost of- maintaining those indigent . people .whose best ..energies/had. been oxponded' in developing the country' districts. In his opinion, the charges.should bo equalised, so,- that. all-; districts, should bear ; their fair share of tho. burden. • , ■'• _' : • .'Mr." Kirk,further considered, it an injustice to the country districts that infectious diseases hospitals should have to be contributed to by them, when it was extremely unlikely that they would, be able to send patients to such institutions —for instance, of infectious disease from the Horowhonua. district. Hoirever.Jaccording to the Bill, this and similar districts would bo;called upon to contribute. i •' ' V'"' l ' • Mr. Cohen fnlly.ogreod with the opinions expressed, apd-.,the board then.. adjourned. ■ ,