Otago Daily Times

Otago Daily Times, Issue 138, 25 April 1862, Page 4

Otago Daily Times

" Inveniam viam aut faciam."

DUNEDIN, FRIDAY, APRIL 25, IBG2.

A subject which sooner or later, must force itself upon the attention of the Government is, what is to. be done /to relieve the large amount of individual distress, that in so varied and mixed a population as that of Otago, must necessarily arise. During the'winter months especially, there is likely to be much suffering,, claiming the alleviation of pecuniary assistance. Persons recovering from long illnesses, or su'ffering^from affections not sufficiently severe to secure the assistance of the hospital; persons temporarily thrown out of work-; the aged and infirm neglected by their relations; wives and children deserted by their husbands and fathers; newly arrived immigrants destitute of means; persons whose constitutions are not; suited to the climate, and nismy other forriis and varieties of want, suffering, !and distress, must present themselves," and their relief cannot be left to the chance alleviations of private charity, In one shape or another, the Government must come to the rescue, and the question presents itself, in what shape should that assistance be rendered?

The principle is a sound one, of faxing the whole community for the benefit of the unavoidably unfortunate amongst its numbers. Hence in England the Pour Law Rates. ' Here, with a revenue in excess of the requirements of the country, it would be folly to have recourse to special taxation, but no one could grumble that out of the revenue derived from, and the -property of, the whole country, a portion should be set aside for the relief of the unfortunate. On the other hand, experience shows that public charities are best managed when freed from entire submission to Government control. Tn private hands with suitable committees, and other machinery for management, the best guarantee of efficiency is found, and . government assistance usually proves'to be judiciously lent in aid of institutions of this kind. One purpose whicli they fulfil, is that of affording an outlet for the exercise'of private charity to subsidise as it were, that assistance, which, as- we have said, the whole community should beready to lend. So far,: then, we have arrived at" the conclusions, that, a great deal of distress calling for relief, is likely to arise; that in one shape' oranother, the;onus of relieving it will fall upon the community as a whole, that is to say; will have to come out of the public •.'revenue ; that the most effectual form of relief would bs an institution subsidised by government, bnt with at> independent management, and with private subscriptions. An institution of the kind is about being established here .by the efforts of private and it is to claim the assistance of government on its behalf, that the present 'remarks are penned. The objects of the Institute are sufficiently comprehensive to more than include the several forms of distress we •have enumerated. These objects are stated as follows : —' " . \ 'TO KBLIEVE TUB AGED, INFIRM, DISABLED OB DESTI--1 TUTE, OP ALL CREEDS AND NATIONS, AKD 10 >[INI'ST)SR TO THII.M TUB COMFOIIT.S OF RELIGION. I. By receiving and mnintniuing," in a suitable building," such as may be most benefited by being inmates of the Asylum. ■ 11.-Uy giving Out-door "Relief in kind, to families .and individuals iv temporary distress. 111. By affording Medical Assistance and Medicine, through the establishment of a Dispensary, or otherwise. IV. By affording facilities for Religions Instruction and consolation, to_tlte inmates of the Asylum. The institution provides for the relief of the 'widest divided forms of want and distress. The wife and children, unable to procure fu.el. will not be. allowed to perish with cold ; the immigrant arriving penniless (and it is needless to' mention how pass-tMi^Oi.s !Vcv['.ent'ly expend on board-ship, every -sixpence they possess) will be able"to get a . meal- and a b.cduntil employment is- available-to-him ; the .workman temporarily disabled,.'wilLtie able to' obtain temporary relief; the convalescent will not be suffered to remain adrift on the world 'unable, from the effects of illness, to cope with its Btera necessities ; and lastly, the sufferers

from chronic incurable diseases, will be enabled to piVssTheir few remaining d;yys on earth, their pain alleviated, as far as could he, instead of being increased by want and exposure, and their religious requirements attended to. Such is the institution proposed, but unless the Government lend it assistance of a substantial nature, it is much to be feared that tlie efforts of those who are attempting to establish it will be futile. Not that there is any lack of private sympathy for the. object proposed, on the contrary, most persons applied to, have contributed towards it, but'these contributions have been of the kind bestowed on objects of an experimental nature —the success of which is not ascertained. Let the institution once avow itself a fact, and the sub-scriptions-will be increased ten, uay, twenty fold. Success stimulates encouragement, and the.Benevolent Institution has only to show itself a reality to be treated as ont» and to receive sterling testimony to its noble purposes. The promoters ask the Go. vermaent to supplement the assistance which, they are able to count upon to an extent which will justify them in at once initiating the Institution. They ask, we believe, in aid of the Building Fund, £1,000, and in aid of the maintenance, £500. In regard to the first, the building will remain a public one, so that the Governmi nt will have something-tangible to show for the money, and in regard to the second, it cannot be said that the sum is extravagant, seeing the number of ca«es with which the Institution is certain to have todeal. As representatives in some sort, of public opinion, we believe we are justified in saying that no contributor to the public revenue will grudge the devotion of the sums we have mentioned, to the noble purposes they are meant to secure. The people of Otago are not hardened by prosperity into indifference to the sharp cry of misery, or to the weak wail of helpless want; neither would they, we are assured, rest under the reproach, that in a community of undoubted richness, there was neglect shown to the claims of charity. If we were disposed to treat the matter from an utilitarian point of view, we might say that nothing induces crime so much as distress, and that in relieving the one you repress the other. We are assured, however, that it will not be necessary to prove self-interest in order to enlist, sympathy in the cause we are advocating; Selfinterest can be shown, but we prefer leaving the issue to the dictation of higher and nobler instincts. ; . , • ■-• ' fi '...-.■