CHARITABLE RELIEF.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 813, 10 May 1910, Page 4

CHARITABLE RELIEF.

A MULTITUDE OF AGENCIES. CENTRAL -GUIDANCE NEEDED. .Charity in, ' Wellington has a hundred hands, which might be vory fortunate for'.tlie.' deserving poor, if it "had not also' aj hundred heads', "To forsako.,tho language,' thoro. are. in- Wellington a' surprisingly large number :of societies and institutions- -doing 'the same kind of ptiilarithrdpic work, and doing it for the most'part,'without' any reference : to one, anotiipr.i do not learn by one another's' experience and mistakes; tile wastrel 1 with'-ii'ifalso tale who imposes for three monthSt-on 'ono society, and'-'j's.'. then.' 'iound,''i)iffc and given tho cold 'shoulder,, can_ extract an easy irevcnuo.from half a. dozen, others in town,- before.'he finds' himself an-ob-ject of general , suspicion, aild'is com-; pelled to".turn. to..honest' work.,' The following is a list of,,institutions —-probably,'a* very,.incomplete; one— which exist whoUy largely.for ddio purposo of Jielping-Jarpp :,dogs .over. ■ stiles !' in .Wellington and Charitable .Aid Board, (succeeding .tho Benevolent'. Trustees),. Salvation'.- Army, Presbyterian Social .Seryice., Associa-: tion, Methodist Central-Mission,'; Methodist -Missions -in Tory Street. , and. Aro. Street.,, -Anglican .Missions,. ? iii Tory Street.: and. .Taranaki Street, - Roroan. Catholic St,.' ( -Eaiil ; ,Society, Helping'HaniMission, and . 'mothers'.. . meetings,,,ifl<tffl3nnection . with most of- the Churcjhes, ...deaconesses -of special Churches, Ladies' Christian Association,. and St. John! s-..-.-Nursing Association; . -This, is. a-.fonnidahle list, .pnd fi. stranger might .conclude, from it .that tho population of Wellington consisted phiefl}/:of.lame,dqgs,;,j fr \ / ..Warning/Camp'Too* Laic. It is admitted by''the reptesentatives of. s(!ve#al"o'f these' Societies/tliat over.lapping is 'inevitable '-under 'such' a multiform and. haphazard --System of philanthropy.' . . ,"I believe '.'that''for "any deserving case 'in .Wpllington relief can be. 'jjrovided : within ah hourj"' said a' leading' ministor' to : a Dominion "representative, "and it is pleasing to know that such means • for relief exist, 1 but' it; is yqry difficult to know tho genuine cases from tho false." ' This minister told .ho'w, only "the"' othsr day, a ' mail -had appealed" to'him'with .a taoviiig stop',, 'hnd'iio had given him 10s. [ Very soon, afterwards he received a ring on tho .telephone. .• A weU-kno-iTO . private • philahthropist—there are ..many such in Wellington', besides ;'tlie/mih)sters, who. are at ovorybody's call—wished to speak to him. "Did a man ask you for nelp,. saying that—?". "He did." . "Oil, I'm sorry I rang lip too'lato." 'Tho lay ■philanthropist rang,off,.but he had said enough to make tho situation plain. - - Central-Agenoy Proposed. ... The,Eev...E.„ 0. .Blamires, jvho. ia in'augurating' tho new Methodist Central .Mission, ip Wellington, yas.. impressed, 'very /early with the desirableness of of .intef-communication ex'isting/between : the different, philan-. thrbpic./institutions, Ho in conversation .with a Dominion, iropresentativej'that -a'contral -agent..might be "established, to wlipin. ~all ■ti'd .worjrihg bPdielmiglit apply'.with regard to; tho horia fides of.: doubtful applicants , for re.'lief,' ,ahd. wlio oould; state,/also,, when any/particular body wished- to .know, -whother:..the case of..p. special applicant | was' being alrcady„'dealt„.with by --some othor institntion'/. A-fiy. W.. Shirer, stedstip'CKM, jefeprcd ,by,';; .the";'jressmSn,-: thought i.it.ari" ex-, tremely' gpfld-one.;/■ Mr. Shir'er.Va?-. cp""-' vinced tfet'if' aucii'a central was appointed,' for • the purpose of reducing, 'overlapping;''' tho'/amdunt of his" salary.; would be'quickly saved. / : ■ "Imposing on Churches. ; Mr. Mills, 'age'ntv of' the /Presbyterian 'Orphanage "atad Social"Seryice "Association, who has. had a' great deal of' ex-, .perience'of philanthropic work, was also Kci/n by the Dominion representative. He'-declared that in a great' many/cases /at- 'present, there./ wm,.-overlapping., /'Tlierol'iiro 'some.'pdqplp,'^who',apply to /evdiybody for help, and'tho'y'go to.every 'churcli in turn/;.' Sometimes., three or fpur cliurches .are . assisting '.themat .'oucei'J Mr.- .Mills thought-that-it was, ■advisable 'for each church .to look after 'Its' own' destitut&J'but..this, is no protection agaiiist'the.impbster, who represents himself at' one time'as a'Presbyterian, at aiiotier, time, as a Methodist,'; and again 'as an Anglican, and,who, in fact;'does,hot' caro to what Ch'urfih he "belongs" if lie' can' cxtrac't undeserved assistance from the agencies of any. If a central officer was" appointed, 'Mr. Mill pointed out, it would—he possible to discover if such ..a,man \ya§...receiving help from moro than one denomination. Of:course,, in.a -great : many strictly genuine-, cases,: no' inquiries .would need td 'he -made. Mr. Mills 'added; that' inmany cases;the great .difficulty , was.-to make the. people work. The professional "loafor" -was - very difficult'to.',deal with. ' Ho .knew.rthat ministers weriiMiesieged with : applications for" monetary assist-, anco. Many'of them ;had applied' to' him for .information- ,as f-to applicants, and- he 'had -beerf. ablo : to ■ aave';pounds in certain instances. Mr. Mills was, warmly in favour ?ofi tho appointment of .some central -agfent.

Work, Dona, at Present.

It-was admitted by . these', afttl others seen' that-much; excellent'work'is' .being done tinder present" conditions;' 1 At the samo'trme, a good'-.deal-of''it is done vory much id 1 tho''dark, arid'.tho money could bo spent." to\ ' much''-better advantage if .there 'way'some degree of co-operation- betweeii''"tho" ; : .bo'dies on-.gagod.-v-Fr6mitime:to *tiirie'a'dVico as- to' spft6ial'-'ca'ses"'has. : ' r boeu';'. 'SBjlgiit by several different froin Miss Kirk, inspector - for ' the' Hospital and Charitable''Aid Board inspector ■ for tho Benevolent Trustees). She has of tori' been able '.to' 'give - very useful information; but it' is"'obvious *hat tho experience of one busy officer, under present-conditions, could not take in 'all-'tht!' fcases •thWare ! Hkcly';to conio under'consideration';'; H'jUl'SsiSliwl agent was supported by' all the''private philanthropic. -bodies,, they- could '•* report to him cases which were "discovered to be fraudulent; and' : all" the !'' associations would benefit by the sad 'expericnco of one. ■ '