CHARITABLE AID CASE.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9127, 23 April 1908, Page 2

CHARITABLE AID CASE.

The Macdonald family occupied the attention of Wanganui Police Court yesterday morning, when Mrs Macdonald’s five children—their ages ranging from four years to 15 years—were brought up under the Destitute Persons Act, with the object of commitment to a receiving home. Sergt. Bourke said that for the past eighteen months the family had been living in Wangauni with their mother —a widow —and had been receiving relief from the Charitable Aid Board. They had lately been living in an old house in the Avenne. For some time the rent had been paid by the Charitable Aid Board, but recently this was discontinued, and the owner of the house, not being able to get his rent, had removedjthe roof from the house. The family remained in ®this miserable plight for two days, till Constable Fitzgibbons took up' their case, and finding them in a condition succeeded in obtaining for them temporary lodgings in Keith street, and also provided them with food. The secretary of the Charitable? Aid Board was communicated witlC and told of the family’s condition, but he said the family bad been receiving relief, and had obtained the usual rations. Their case, he said, was an unsatisfactory one. The Sergeant thenjfdetailed the Charitable Aid Board weekly rations, which ho described as insufficient, consisting as they did of 21bs brown sugar, 41bs flour, 41bs meat, >£-10 tea, 141bs potatoes, 7 small loaves, lib soap, etc. At a fair estimate he considered this was equal to 8s 8d worth of rations per week for a family of one woman and five children, or Is s>£d per week per each child, which was equivalent to per day each, with nothing for clothing, etc. The mother, he said, was a weakly, unintelligent, thriftless woman, unable to do anything for her family. The ‘mother, who made a statement, said her husband had been dead two years. At the time of his death they were living at Tnrangarere. and the residents there got up a subscription on her behalf. The proceeds of this she had invested . in a fruit shop, but the business failed owing to her lack of business ability. She was not able to work, and had been receiving help from the Wanganui Charitable Aid Board for the months. The rent had been stopped for some considerable time, and the allowance of food provided by the Board was insufficient for the children. She had let two front rooms for 8s per week, 3s more than the house rent, and for doing this the Charitable Aid Board ceased paying her rent. Her eldest daughter had been earning 10s per week for some 11 weeks, but had been out of work for a month, and the eldest hoy had earned 10s per week for three weeks, but had f since been unable to get anything owing to being too young and small. Constable Fitzgibbons gave evidence similar to that adduced by the Sergeant. The Secretary of the Charitable Aid Board stated that the rent had been stopped as the woman was getting more for two rooms than the rent amounted to. The rooms he considered were let to undesirable characters, whom it was not right for the Board to have in a house they paid rent for. rations were distributed to the family in the usual quantify, and he thought everything necessary had been done. The Magistrate was satisfied with the necessitous circumstances of the case, and ordered the children to be sent to the Receiving Home at Kelson.