Manamatu Herald. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1889. POOR RELIEF.

Manawatu Herald, 5 February 1889, Page 2

Manamatu Herald. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1889. POOR RELIEF.

The Premier stated in his speech the other night at Hawera, that his Government proposed circulating a bi 1 before next session, dealing with the question of poor re ief. It is a lasting shame to the colony that any such measure should have been introduced at all, but an amendment to the present Act is necessary, if it cannot be swept entirely a way. The past experience of the working of the Hospitals and Charitable Aid Acts has tended to stop all private benevolence, and to create in the minds of the improvident; that the public are bound to attend to them, whenever circumstances seem to demand it. It is not very long ago since the scandal at Auckland was exposed, by which a person owning lauded property had for a considerable time been in receipt of charitable aid. We can all point tv instances where applications have been made, by persons actually in receipt of small pensions from the Imperial Government, to give them an order for admittance to the hospital, for which they are not prepared to make the slightest refund. In the old days j such, cases never occurred. If some I one was ill, the local medical prao-

titioner attended him, and Ms neighbours assisted him, and his recovery generally resulted quicker than, it does now, where his quarters lie in a more comfortable habitation. The greatest difficulty has arisen in the working of the Act, from the fact that the applicants for assistance are generally the casual visitors to the district, and if they have not resided six months in the araa of the publio body from whom they seek an, order, to find out in what pace they ever have resided that space oi time. Thus the ratepayers are liable at any time, to have to keep in medical attendance and food any person whose sweet pleasure may prompt him to visit them, out of whose labour they profited nothing, and who, upon recovery, may chose to take himself to some other place. The Government propose, admitting this difficulty, to man c those a charge : upon the general revenue of the colony. If they take this step the Act itself might as well be cleared away, for no country can exercise more benevolence amongst its own people than the inhabitants of this colony; and rightly to, as private charity is generally more direct, is a check on imposition, and is cheaper, by saving the fearful cost which is attached to the direction of all our public institutions. Has the present Act assisted in any way in securing cheaper or better assistance to those justly entitled to it ? hy whom we mean, those who are drilling to repay the cost incurred by them. Have the hospitals at Wellington and Wanganui been worked more., successfully, not to mention more cheaply? We believe it will: be admitted that the Hospital Act was very nearly the cause of the loss of both the hospitals. In the days prior to the Act, the inhabitants took a just pride in them, and assisted them both by money and by visitors, but when the Boards "were instituted the philanthropic were elbowed away, and the management was left to theone or two members -who lived near-, est to the building. Ladies were not elected, and their presence, for a time, was repulsed, instead ' of being encouraged, in the hospital wards. What was the Board's business became nobody's business, «and in Wellington has resulted in one set of Boards going to law with another set of Boards, thus throwing the taxes claimed for the poor aiud sick into hands of the lawyers. ; Thcse Acts, were the outcome of financing on the part of the Government of the day, to increase the taxation in an indirect manner. We also hold them to be a true result of the "do as you please " policy, and time has proved them to have been anything but a statesman like measure. Very probably next session the Premier will carry his bill,because any change will be believed to be for the better, but the best bill would be one for the repeal simply of those relating to existing . Acts, and leave to the Government . and private benevolence the duty which heretofore they were able to carvy out. •