HELPING THE WIDOW.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1835, 22 August 1913, Page 2

HELPING THE WIDOW.

WHY A BOARD GAVE RATIONS. Pursuant to a resolution of the Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board at its last meeting, the Charitable Aid Committee made investigations regarding the statement that a person owning J2600 worth of property, with a mortgage of only ,£25 upon it, had received charitable assistance. Tho committee reported yesterday that the case referred to was that of a widow, who was left three years previously with four young children, who were, at tho time of tho application, aged respectively 11, 9, 7, and 5 years. She lived in a live-roomed cottage left her by her mother, on which there had been a mortgage of .£15(1, which sho had reduced to i-8. She stated that the last Government valuation was iCCOO. Her income hail been from day labour £1 10s. per week, and the outgoings for interest, rates, and insurances amounted to 7s. per week. The mode of earning her living necessitated her going out to day work six days a week, looking after her children beforo and after her work. This arduous and continuous work had pulled her down to such an extent that she had to go to the hospital. Her income was then reduced to 15s. per week, and she applied for assistauco to help her over a few weeks, while she took this amount of rest- . ~ From consideration of both humanity and ultimate economy, the committee considered it was best to help this widow with four children over a temporary stress, and to givo her a chance to re sume an independence which she so obviously was striving to preserve. Assistance was therefore given in the form of food rations for the four children for a couplo of months, at a total cost of £3 10s.