CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 780, 1 April 1910, Page 9

CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

2■' FINAL MEETING. ' Tho final meeting of the Wellington and Wairarsipa Chdritablo Aid Board was held yesterday morning, and was attended by Messrs. E. C. Kirk (chairman), W. H. Mofrah, M. W. Welch, and J. 1. Devine. The secretary (Mr. George Willis) presented a financial statement for the year ending March 31. The balance for the previous year was shown to have been ■4MB 6s. Id.'; receipts,,-£13,925 12s. 5d.; expenditure, .£13,731! Is. 5d. ; credit balance for, 190940, £937 -14s. Id. The amount. of liabilities over assets was £382 13s'. Id. •'■'■•.- ■ The chairman .intimated that the meeting had been called to receive the final statement of accounts. He said that the amount of ,£382 (liabilities over assets) would be handed over to tho new'board to make somo recovery from the Wairarapa Board in proportion .to its valuation. The total amount spent in charitablo aid for the year had been £14,673 18s. 6d., as against £11,245 last year. An item of £1800 appeared on the balancesheet for the first timo in respect, to the Victoria Homo, liability for which had been accepted' in accordance with a decision of. tho Inspector-General of Hospitals. Tho expenditure on charitable aid was £691 in excess of last year's figure/but £194 was paid in respect of cuildren. Last year 260 children had been cared for, and tho number this year had been 298. The comparison of expenditure in tho two' years was as follows :-Gross cost: 1908-9, £3990; 1909-10, £4454. Recovories from parents: 1908-9, £752;. 1909-10, £828. Net cost: 1908-9 £3236; 1909-10, £3050. Net weekly cost per head:.l9oß-9, is. 9Jd.; 1909,10, 4s.' B.UI. , Apart from the expenditure for children, the actual increase in charitable aid dispensed by local bodies over last year had. been £200., He thought that it would be found.that tho new board would take over tho.administration of charitable aid without any liability. It had frequently been_ remarked that the amount spent on children in receiving homes and orphanages was very large, but ho had always' urged that public money could not bo better spent than in giving young people a reasonable start in life. He considered that the State ought to spend money on children who wero- below the standard, and educate them while they were young. Thero could be no better expenditure, and this was the only solution of the problem of poverty. Mr. Devine remarked that in certain cases children sent out to homes were treated almost as_ employees, engaged for tho'purposo of increasing the' revenue. Ho had. heard of children who were looked upon as an "adjunct," whose condition was almost that of white slavery. Parental responsibilities ought not to be treated lightly.. The chairman said that tho Education Department took caie to place children in suitable homes. Their lady inspector visited the homes at intervals and reported on the condition of the children. Tho statement of accounts was adopted. Before the meeting closed the chairman thanked tho other members of tho board for' tho help they had given .him in oarrying out tho duties of the year. lie also spoke in high terms of praiso of tho work of the secretary, Mr. Willis. ' Mr. Welch moved a hearty vote, of thanks to'the chairman and to tho secretary, and expressed tho hopo that they would still hold their respective positions on tho new. board. _ No better appointments, in his opinion, could, be made. Tho people of Wellington had no Idea of tho debt which they owed Mr. Kirk for the work ho had done in con-' neotlon with hospital and charitablo aid matters, ' . Mr. Morrah seconded the motion. In roply,' Mr. Kirk said that he was keenly interested in these two branohesof social work, and tho labour was a pleasant task to hi'tn, Ha agreed that Mr. Willie, who had learned a great deal about hospital and charitable aid work, was a suitable man to undertake tho secretarial work of tht new board, and hjj honed to sea him elected. *