Benevolent Trustees

Manawatu Herald, 16 February 1893, Page 3

Benevolent Trustees

A sad oase came befoie the Benevolent Trustees on Tuesday. A young woman living in Melbourne was married to a young man from a New Zealand coastal town, who died, leaving her with one child. She was unable to do anything in Melbourne, and her husband's parents wrote from New Zealand suggesting that she should come to them, when she would be able to get something to do, and they could assist her, as they could not at a distance. Accordingly the widow sold up her furniture, paid up her husband's debts with the proceeds, and passage* money for herself and her child, and landed in Wellington with 8d under the belief that the town she soughtadjoined Wellington.

The result was that shi found herself stranded in the city, friendless and penniless, and on tracing with difficulty a relative of her late husband, found him in sore distress, momentarily expecting the bailiffs. In this plight, the Chairman of the Benevolent Trustees paid the passage to the town which the wanderer desired to reach. She promised faithfully to return the money. At the meeting of Trustees Mr Heaton harangued them for some time on the iniquity of the proceeding, and said that it was the girl's good looks which had influenced the Chairman. Mr Van Staveren said he was glad Mr Heaton continued his opposition, for the test of an act of true charity was that Mr Beaton opposed it. — Poat<