UNEMPLOYMENT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 805, 30 April 1910, Page 3

UNEMPLOYMENT.

— : ——*—: —- METHODS OF BELIEF.. EEMAEKS BY'A CLERGYMAN.' Methods of. assisting the .unemployed and those dependent upon, them wore referred to in the address which the Rev. A. M. Johnson, delivered to the annual meeting of parishioners, of St. Mark's, last evening. . •'. , # . After alluding to the retiring collection taken at St. Mark'a one Sunday last winter in aid of the. local unemployed relief " fund,' the vicar, continued':—"l hope there frill not be any need for such a collection '■ this' winter, but, even if there is a need, I hope I- shall not be asked for such a collection., I feel, and you feel, that -the money' was extrava-' gantly 6pent. There were conditions which, were imposed by the recipients of that money, ajid which.should not be imposed by those who were'appealing for charity. „.Although there may be distress among us during the coming winter, I hope my churchwardens and vestry will not ask for such a collection again." Mr. Johnson went on to say that the problems of the relief of charity had as yet. been only theoretically tackled in New Zealand. There were a.great many cases that really heeded relief, but could not be recommended to any. charitable society. He hoped that. if there should' be much distress and poverty in the parish, they would have u parish-relief • board, on which there should bo somo ladies,'so that'they might be able to cope with the distress that really belonged to them. Of course, they would not be narrow, nor denominational, but be wanted to say that there was a large part of the Christian church in'Wollington that nover had a retiring collection, or anything of the kind, for thb unemployed relief fund lost yeai, but u great many of the people who came to him for relief belonged to that particular denominatioii. Ho would, however, say that that denomination did great work for tho relief of distress in other ways. "I cannot help thinking," added the vicar, before going on to other, subjects, "that we must look after our own poor, and thus unite thein'to ourohuroh."