THE CHARITABLE AID BOARD AND THE SELWYN HOME.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1384, 23 July 1878, Page 3

THE CHARITABLE AID BOARD AND THE SELWYN HOME.

The Charitable Aid Board has already during its brief existence shown how great was the necessity for bringing at least one of the institutions committed to it under direct local control. The majority of the public arc no doubt aware that at the township of b’elwyn is an asylum or refuge for dc-t tutc and infirm old men, a description of whi h appeared a short time ago in the columns of this paper. In the article alluded to it was pointed out how urgent was the necessity for steps being taken to make such improvements as would render the “ Homo ” something more than a very comfortless refuge for the destitute. In no one particular is the building adapted for its present use, being a mere collection of unwarmed, ill ventilated, squalid apartments, in which the refugees are huddled together to make the best or the worst of it. The unfortunate part of the business was that, while fully alive to the utter unsuitability of the place, and the almost impossibility of patching it np into a decent condition of comfort and cleanliness, Mr J. E. March, thcadmini trator of charitable rad, was power.css to do anything baits amelioration. What was in his power to do he did, but that extended no further than to memorialise the Government at Wellington, informing them of the state of the Home and asking for pecuni try aid to amend it. In due course an official reply came, but it was only to inform Mr March that Government could do nothing in the matter in view of the contemplated handing over to the local governing bodies of the administration of charities, Of course the effect of this was to shelve the matter, and subsequently to shift the responsibility of allowing things to remain as they arc (a disgrace to the province) or of improving them at tli’ir own cost, on to the shoulders of the newly-formed Board. Fortunately Mr March, who takes a keen intoi’est in the matter syas, his large experience and special ability, brought into close relationship with the Charitable Aid Board, and one of the fir.-t things ho did was to bring the question of the condition of the Sclwyn Homo under its notice. The matter was briefly discussed at the Board’s last sitting, aud it was determined to pay the Refuge a visit of inspection at an early date On Saturday last the Chairman of the Board (the Mayor of Christchurch) with his official brother of the Sydenham borough, Mr Booth, and Messrs Montgomery, j. E. Brown, and J. E. March proceeded by special train to the Sclwyn Homo. On arrival, they bad but to stop from the train on to the platform, and from the platform into the Home, and commence their inspection. The building having been so recently described, it is unnecessary to say more than that not only did the members of the Board thoroughly endorse the justice of Mr March’s complaints, but were thoroughly shocked at what they saw. In justice to the master of the home, Mr Baylis, it must he said that the floors presented the appearance of having been recently scrubbed, and ho informed the visitors that this was done through onco a week, and the rooms swept daily. The men, on being question, stated that they bad a sufficient supply of wholesome food, and there was no lack of fuel to keep the fire in the kitchen and day-room (in one) continually going. Here the comforts of the Home commenced and ended. The walls of the rooms were in a filthy condition, which the judicious use of a little whitewash would to some extent have obviated, and the ceilings for the most part were leaky; the master’s room, as well as the others. An inspection of the stretchers on which the inmates reposed showed that the condition of the blankets was simply abominable, and the fetid odour that clung about the miser ible dormitories wa> at once accounted for. This to a certain extent was not the fault of the master, and was attributable, in a greater degree, to the misfortune of the old men than their repugnance to cleanliness. Many of the men are crippled and infirm, and physically unable to wash their bedding. Even if they were able and willing, there are no spare blankets in store to replace the others while in the wash tub. Hero, as in the case of the whitewash, the master seems to bo blameworthy. Surely a representation to Mr March might have brought forth a few pairs of extra blankets, and a sufficiency of chloride of lime and whitening to have kept the place clean and sweet. Even in *o remote a place as Sclwyn one would suppose the occisional services of a charwoman or laundress, not an unattainable luxury, or the authority to hire such extraneous aid when required, a matter of much difficulty—hid the master only thought of it. This at least was the opinion of the Board. After making the tour of the premises, the visitors unaui-inou-ly came to the conclusion that the place was utterly unsuitable for the purposes of a Benevolent Asylum, and that there was urgent need of a prompt removal of the inmates to a more fitting building, pending the necessary stops being taken to procure a site for the erection of an institution which, if possible, should include accommodation for the aged and infirm of Doth sexes, and he a credit instead of a disgrace to Canterbury.

Eevcval suggestions wore thrown out by the members of the Board as to acquiring immediate temporary accommodation. One member said ho should not sleep comfortably until “ these wretched old men were better housed and provided for.”

After adjourning to lunch at the Selwyn Hotel the visitors again entered the train, their dcsti* nation now being the Immigration Barracks at

Addington, it having been thought possible that until needed for the accommodation of immigrants, tho wards and dormitories might be made available temporarily for the old men from Selwyn.

An hour was occupied in going through tho buildings, but apart from tho fact that, as Mr March staled, they would bo shortly required

for the expected immigrants now on their way, there were several other serious drawbacks to the scheme that had boon proposed. '1 ho institution, though excellently adapted for the purpose for which it was erected, was found to be unfit for a home for the aged.

Ultimately, after some further conversation, it was decided that Mr March should early in the week visit Ashburton and report at the next meeting of the Board as to the amount of accommodation at the Immigration Barracks in that township, with a view to the removal there of the present inmates of the Selwyn Homo until a permanent and more creditable asylum is provided for them. At present the Home has twenty-one inmates, six arc over 70 years of age, and the causes of their being there rheumatism and general debi ity ; two are over 00 years of age, and suffering from general debility, one of them being blind; eight more are over 50 years of age, two of those are suffering from spinal disease, and one Wind, lame and deaf, one suffering from rheumatic gout, one case of chronic rheumatism, one of paralysis, and one of liver complaint; two more are over 40 years of ago, and both suffering from paralysis ; two are over 80 years of ago and are victims to chronic rheumatism, and Jast there is one over 20 years of age who lost both his feet. With all this uced of medical aid there is no doctor or surgeon within twelve miles of the Homo.