Dean Hovell on the Poor in New Zealand.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 54, 29 August 1894, Page 2

Dean Hovell on the Poor in New Zealand.

, (PEE PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Napier, Augnst 27. j At the annual meeting of the Cathe--1 dral parish, the motion against the Divorce Extension Bill was unanimously adopted. Dean Hovell, in his address said — Although I have been a resident | in this country for nearly twenty years, s anil have been engaged during the whole L of that time in ministerial work, I have r never witnessed so much poverty and distress before as has been brought under my notice during the past six months. It has been my painful lot to watch famished men eating ravenously on a number of occasions lately. For people to be in actual want of food in a country like New Zealand, which carries a population at tbe present time of only 700,000 souls, betokens something , wrong. Food and shelter for tbe hun- , gry and homeless should be available j in New Zealand and tbe country will , suffer humiliation and disgrace and loss | if the matter is not attended to with a , little greater care. For a person to be '. found lying dead of want and neglect behind an out bouse in New Zealand , while at the same time her preachers proclaim the doctrine of a Gospel for too poor and her legislators overflow with [ eloquent liberalism, awakens thoughts which are not conducive to repose upon such nights we havo been experiencing