The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY HORNING. GISBORNE, FEBRUARY 8, 1901. SLIPSHOD BUSINESS.

Gisborne Times, Volume V, Issue 33, 8 February 1901, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY HORNING. GISBORNE, FEBRUARY 8, 1901. SLIPSHOD BUSINESS.

One of the most important bodies in this district, judging by the money passing through its hands, is the Charitable Aid Board, and it is essentially necessary that its business should be properly conducted. A report reached the Times office last night —a bitter winter’s night, with heavy rain—that an old man had been turned out into the street from the Old Men’s Home, which, if true, would have been ft public scandal of which the whole town might well have fqlt ashamed. From enquiry we learn that some members of the Borough Council, who are also members of the Board, had a meeting on Tuesday night. No intimation of that meeting was given to the Times, and, worse than that, even some of the Councillors—one a member of the visiting committee —had received no intimation of the meeting, or of the business to come on. Ordinarily the meetings are held after the Council meeting: on this occasion the Board meeting was held first. It appears that at the meeting a complaint was made that an old man had broken the regulations, and later 011 he received the following letter: “ Owing to your conduct at the Home the Committee decided last night that you were to have notice to leave at once. I have therefore to request you to pack up your belongings, and leave the Home without further notice.” The complaint, we understand, is that the man had been taking liquor. On an offence of that kind it might have been proper for the custodian to have refused admission to the offender, or for the visiting committee to have taken action promptly about the time of the offence ; but when, as in this case, there was no need for immediate haste, there should have been a proper enquiry in the presence of Press representatives, and the version of the man concerned should have been obtained. It is stated that an admission was made in writing that the old man had been struck, and if that be true it is possible there are other interesting things which have not come to light. At one meeting of the Board—a properly-con-ducted one —it was roported that everything had been going smoothly at the Home, and at that moment our representative had in his pockots notes of a fracas at the Home, wlion sticks were handled freely and blood was drawn. The report was not published, for the reason that it was deemed no public purpose would be served by doing so, but in view of what happened then it would be interesting to know why there was so much haste on Tuesday, evening. The man ordered from the Home is an old-age pensioner who has resided in the district for over 20 years ; ordinarily he is a quiet, well-behaved man, highly respected by those who know him ; he has been very helpful to some of his fellow-inmates when they were in illhealth, and even if he did infringe the regulations lately, the times have been such that the Board might have been “ to faults a little blind.”