CHARITABLE AID METHODS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1720, 10 April 1913, Page 7

CHARITABLE AID METHODS.

PECULIAR CASE IN COUIIT. (By Telegraph—Syecial Correspondent,) Masterton, April 9. A case which shed lurid liglit 011 coi* tain glaring defects in charitable aid ad- : ministration was before the Police Court ' to-day, wlien'an old man, 70 y«ars of age, was charged with' insufficient means of '■ support. Sergeant Bourke said that the old man. > who luid no money except what ho was able to earn, had been iu New Zealand 45 years, 26 of which liad been spent 011 this coast. Ho had applied to charitable aid boards' in different .districts, but had always been told that lie belonged to another district. His only offence was that , he was old, and had no money. Mr. Kerr, S.M., wanted lo know why it was that the old man had not been admitted to a home, as the law was sufficiently clear on that point. I ' Sergeant Bourke: Tlicy try to stave him off on to other boards. The Magistrate: Can he show that ha , has qualified for a place in a home? •Sergeant Bourke: No, he can't. He lias , been wauderiug up and down the coast : for the last :!G years, and not staying iu a place long enough. The Magistrate: Surely. tlwro is some . way of providing for him? It is a distressful state of alfuirs. • The sergeant went on lo sav that th« . old mail had applied tor relief at Pal-.-merstan, New Plymouth, and Waugauui. : and at each, place was told that he din ( not qualify for relief, but to.go to the < .next district. Tlic Magistrate said that it was a scandalous state of affairs that this tort ' of thing should go on. In l'oply to questions In- the Magi?- : 'rate, the old man said that lie had at times been working at Westmere, Ma- 1 iiaia. and Waitara. lie had been working lately about Palmerston North, AYangauui, and Wangaehu. He had applied to i the Charitable Aid- Board at Pnlmerston, i and was told that he belonged to the i New Plymouth district. At Now Tly-; mouth lie was told to go to Hawera to get i a tiekct for admission into the Old Men's Homo there. He did, not apply to tho ; police. ■ ; The Magistrate remarked that there . were comfortable quarters at the local ' gaol, and it would bo a charity to send: him there for a fortnight until it was ■: decided what to do ivith him. H seemed' lo liini. that it was the duty of the polico 'to .see that .provision was made for per-; sous in such a position as this one, and < not b i put OIV by any statement that Charitable Aid Board officers made. They j should get the Crown solicitor to look info ; the matter, and, if the Charitable Aid; Board officers were not doing their duty, ; they should bring a case into Court. That , was the procedure in England when there . was a dispute between parishes as to who should support a destitute person, and it seemed to be the proper course to tako : in this ease between the New Plymouth ; and.AVanganui ,Charitable Aid Boards. That lie was entitled lo aid from one of them there, was 110 doubt, seeing that he' had . spent 26 years of his life, on tho 1 coast. . ~ Tho 'Magistrate went 011 lo say that tho police" should always move ill tlieso matters, and such cases 7 should be settled without haying old men brought into Court as id!<* and disorderly persons. If the ehariVable authorities refused to co-operate-Vi-th the police later they should consult''the Crown solicitor,- and if necessary lake a case to the Supremo Court 1 to "make the boards do their duty. Tlit sergeant said that, iu such cases. . coiillict often aros-s with boards owing; to . tiie-latter referring the matter lo boards , of other districts. where an accu-ed had ■ resided. 11. -was net the first <:a«o of Ihn kind they had had, and he wa* grieved <it having l i bring it before the Court. The Magistrate remanded the ease for. 1 a week to see what could be done, and . undertook himself to see the secretary of the Charitable Aid Board iu the matter. ■ The secretary, on being wen, said that thu old mail had not applied for relief lately, though he had done so about 18 months ago. On Mr. Kerr acquainting him with (ho facts (lie sccrotar.y at once arranged for the man's admission to Iho Old People's Home, and the matter, for the present, was fettled.