PARLIAMENTARY.

Kumara Times, Issue 2767, 4 August 1885, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Wednesday, July 8. HOME FOR AGED AND INFIRM. Mr Guinness, in moving the motion standing in his name, said that on the west coast of the Middle Island, unfortunately, during the days of Provincialism, no provision was made for the establishment of an old men's home. They were rather exceptionally situated in that part of the colony. Part of the coast was administered by the Provincial Council of WesLland aud the other part by the Provincial Council of Nelson. The consequence was that not sufficient consideration was paid to that ontlying part of the colony. He thought that the way the miners on the West Coast had, from the very time the coast was first settled, put their hands in their pockets and contributed so liberally towards the maintenance of hospitals and charitable institutions was sufficient justification for him in asking, on their behalf, that some endowment of money should be placed on the estimates in order to erect an institution wherein men could spend the rest of their days when incapacitated through old age or other causes beyond their control. He need only remind honoureble members that hospitals and other charitable institutions in that part of the colony had been maintained on the principle of subsidies from the Government of pound for pound, according to moneys contributed voluntarily or donations from the local bodies; whereas in other parts of the colony, in many of the large centres, the colonial revenue alone had maintained those institutions. That fact in itself was sufficient justification for the motion be now brought forward to award those people the small sum of £2,000 to start this institution. He could assure honourable members that there were many miners and others on the West Coast who had spent their best days there prospecting and trying to develop the mineral resources of the colony, but, through misfortune and accident, they had lost the best part of their days, and were now not in a position to toil and work for themselves. In the hospitals there were many whom it was impossible to cure, and there must be some place found for them in ord«r that they might be relieved of the infirmities from which they suffered. He maintained they ought at once to establish such an institution as he referred to, so that they might be able to weed out of the hospitals those cases that ought not to be there. He trusted the Government would see their way to support his motion, with the view of affording to the community on the West Coast the relief they were entitled to, after having for years past contributed so liberally towards the maintenance of charitable institutions. Motion made, and question proposed, " That this House will, on Wednesday next, resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole, to consider of an address to His Excellency the Governor, requesting him to place upon the estimates the sum of £2,000 for the purpose of erecting on some central position on the west coast of the Middle Island, a building to be used as a home for the aged, destitute, and infirm miners and settlers in that part of the colony." (Mr. Guinness.) Mr. Stout was not aware that there had arisen on the West Coast much need for a home of this kind. In fact, he thought the House should discourage the establishment of homes. It would be better to pay out of the charitable aid vote a sum per week to enable the aged and infirm to live separately with families. He thought the proposal to establish homes throughout the country was a mistake. He believed such a system would be more expensive than the plan he proposed, and that it would not be good for the people themselves. He did not think that to bring a lot of old people together in a house by themselves would be for their advantage. As the Charitable Aid Bill was to come forward soon, he would ask the honourable gentleman to postpone his motion until that measure was under consideration. Mr Seddon said several honourable members apparently wished to have this motion postponed ; but. the question was too serious. For years the waul of some refuge for the aged and infirm had been felt on the West Coast

of New Zealand. They were not providing simply for their own aged and infirm. The West Const was the latest goldfield, and men who in their youth were on the Victorian goldfields from 1851 to 1864 flocked down to the West Coast diggings in 1865. There had been no "rushes" of importance since then, so that it might he said that the West Coast community had to provide for the aged and infirm from all the Australian Colonies. He asked the Minister of Mines to hear him oat when he said that in the cause of charity no colonists came forward so nobly as miners and mining communities generally. If, at the present moment, they took pro rata the amount subscribed to charity by the whole population, and took into consideration the earnings of the mining class, it would he found that the latter subscribed £2 or £3 for every .£1 sub- | scribed by other classes of the community. If a home were once erected he bad no doubt that the miners themselves would come forward and maintain their fellows in adversity. The Premier's arguments would, perhaps, have weight if applied to the more settled parts of the colony, where there were comfortable homes or where the aged and infirm would have relatives or friends; but they were differently situated on the Coast. Many of those working there were "hatters" living by themselves; and to do as suggested by the Premier—namely, to have some one taking charge of an aged man and providing a home for him ou a pittance given by the local body or Charitable Aid Board—would not suit at all. There was a feeling among miners that would render it very unacceptable to have charity doled out in the shape of a few shillings a week, while at the same time the recipient was to remain as an incubus upon a friend. But, if a home were built to which these men could look as a refuge to which they were entitled after having worked their best during their prime, it would be considered far more satisfactory. The honourable member for Greymouth, in moving this, was simply speaking for the whole of the members of the "West Coast. If the Premier could see his way clear to place a sum on the estimates, it would be far better than dealing with it under the head of charitable aid. Mr O'Conor disagreed with the motion. Experience in the administration of charitable aid in this colony pointed all the other way. He thought the time had not yet arrived for building poorhouses in this colony, and he protested against the West Coast being the first place chosen for a trial of the experiment. They could provide for aged persons with much greater economy, and in such a way as to cu'tivate the independence of the persons whom they sought to assist, without building large establishments for their reception. It would be a very great mistake to build such places. The persons who would go into them would he devoid of spirit, who had not sufficient pride to lead them to assist in any way in supporting themselves, and who would remain in those institutions and be a permanent burden on the country. On the other hand, if assistance were given to the aged and infirm out of doors, so as to enable them to live with friends and assist in their own maintenance by undertaking light work, it would be much better in every way. He had considered this matter carefully, and he had had experience in the Province of Nelson with respect to having houses for the relief of the destitute. Both in the case of orphan or destitute children and infirm and aged he found that relief was much better administered by what he called charitable aid or out-door relief. He would vote against the motion. Motion, by leave, withdrawn.