A NOBLE WORK. How the Dissolute and Destitute of Auckland are Succoured.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 103, 23 May 1885, Page 3

A NOBLE WORK. How the Dissolute and Destitute of Auckland are Succoured.

Few of our readers have any idea of the important work which is quietly carried on in our midst in connection with the Female Prison Gate Brigade, and some information respecting it should prove exceptionally interesting at a time like the present) when appeals are being made for subscriptions to carry on the mission. The most useful and effective kind of charity is that which is quietly and unobtrusively extended when there is no doubt that it is required, and in this respect the Society in question is decidedly effective. There is no office, and no secretary, and no committee of investigation, after the roundabout method that has found favour in Auckland hitherto. The system of the Brigade's operations is simple. The ladies of the committee visit the slums, where poverty and vice are distinguishing characteristics, from day to day. They do what lies in their power to alleviate the distress with which they are thus brought in contact, and where an opportunity presents iteelf of saving some erring daughter of Eve from a career of shame and intamy, it is taken advantage of. Indeed, so determined are the lady managers in their good work that not a single female prisoner is turned out of Mount Eden Gaol at the expiry of her sentence but finds one of the committee at the Gaol gates ready to assist her back to Ihe paths of respectability.

The Homo. If these frail creatures show any desire to reform, and in the majority of instances they do, they are taken to the '* Home," a neatly-furnished two-story house several doors from the Salvation Army Barracks in Albert-street. There they are lodged and fed for a probationary period. Work is found for them from day to day, and they are permitted to keep the whole of their earnings for the purchase of decent clothes for themselves. They usually appoint Mrs Hutchinson, the lady matron, their banker, and entrust their savings to her keeping until they require them. If thegirls or women continue firm in their resolve to lead better lives, situations are found for them. That a great deal of good is thus done is proved by the fact that of the G2 women taken in hand during the six months' existence of the Brigade, no less than 27 are in situations and doing well, while of those traceable not more than about half-a-dozen have gone back to their old lives. This may therefore be called a truly good work. One of our representatives visited the Home the other day, and was very much struck with the noac and cosy internal appearance of the place. Everything was clean and tidy, and had been made so by the inmates themeeivos. The establishment, although small, was sufficiently large for a beginning, and comprised two dormitories, bath-room, kitchen, and lady raatron'.s apartment.

Poverty and Drink. In tho course of conversation with Mrs Hutchinson, our reporter inquired if thore was really much destitution in Auckland. Hor reply gave him to understand that choi c was more than was generally believed, although it was not so much caused by want of employment as by drink. " Indeed," added Mrs Hutchineon, "if you could only see some of the miserable and Mretched houses that I have visited, where the children are starving and deserted by both father and mother while on their drunken sprees, your heart would bleed for the little ones. I could tell you of six or seven little children in a wretched house without a morsel of food, and nc one near them to look after them. They had only half a loaf of bread amongst them for two whole days, and you may imagine their delight when I carried them some food from the butcher's. That was in Newton, but worse cases are frequently to be met with in town. As a rule, they are all the immediate results of drink."

A Hard Case. Our reporter inquired if the Home had yet been successtut in reclaiming one really hardened case. "Oh, yes," replied Mrs Hutchinson, decidedly, and drawing our at tentiontoa woman who was passing through the doorway. She said, "that i* the worst case wo have had yet, and I have reason to believe that she has reformed." The woman in question was a portly matron of some fifty or t-ixty years, and traces of dissipation wore still plainly apparent on her countenance. "That woman," proceeded Mrs Hutchinson, "has spent sixteen years of her life in gaol, and her name is well-known among the police records. We met her at the expiration of one of her sentences, and a>? she expressed a willingness to reform, we brought her here. She has now been with us fifteen weeks, and we have no cause of complaint. We have now taken furnished apartments for her, and she goes out and earns her own living. " The woman just then came to the door of the room to make some inquiry of the lady matron, and the respectful manner in which she *poke evidenced more of affectionate attachI merit than of the atern discipline usually characteristic of homes of this kind.

Pitiable Cases. The conversation turned upon the experiences of Mrs HutchinBon at the Home and in her visitations to the by-ways of the city. One exceptionally pitiable case was rolated. "A little girl," said Mrs Hutchineon, "only fourteen' ye<*rs of age, came to mo recently and gave herself up. She had a comfort able home, but her step-mother and herself l did not get on well, and she ran away from home. For several months she had nowhere to live but in the Doman, and she slept there night after night in all weathers. At last eihe grew weary of her life, and came to the Home. We took her in and kept her for five weeks, and she is now leading a virtuous life and giving every satisfaction in a good situation," We expressed surprise at the statement that the girl had lived in the Domain for two or three months, but Mrs Hutchinson said this was nothing exceptional. Numbers of people, she added, were compelled through force of circumstances to sleep there every night, and during the short period in which the Home had been in existence she had had no less than three girls under fifteen years of age who were accustomed to make the Domain their place of residence. Continuing her narrative, Mrs Hutchinson said': " Another little girl of only thirteen years was brought here. She had no mother, and a drunken father, and had gone astray. We kept her here fir 3 weeks, during which time she behaved well and expressed regret for her past life. She ie now in a situation, and we look after her constantly."

Midnight Visitors. Our reporter inquired if girls frequently came to the Home of their own accord, and the answer was in the affirmative. " Well," proceeded Mr Hutchinson, •' only two or three nights ago, a knock came to the door soon after midnight. I asked, 'Who is there?' and the reply was, 'It is me.' I again asked, 'Who are you? 1 and the 1 amawev 4 thit tfoo w«a» 'Only * little $V

Opening the door, I found a poor little thing standing there, and took her inside. She told me that her mother had been drinking for three nights, and had turned her out. She would not have applied for shelter, only that a number of boys were following her about, and she did not know where to go, We sheltered her for the night, and next day took her back to her mother, who is, lam glad to say, now leading a sober life through the efforts of our Ladies' Committee. These cases," continued Mrs Hutchinson, "are not by any means infrequent." Shortly after eleven o'clock last night, two girls who have been leading abandoned liven came here and besought shelter. They were both under seventeen years of age, and had just come from prison. They expressed penitence for the past, and a desire ; for reformation, and of course we took I them in. They are still here, and I have j reason to believe they have seen the error , of their ways."

employment for the Girls. , Our reporter inquired if there was much difficulty experienced in obtaining eituations for the inmates of the Home, but the j reply was in the negative. Mrs Hutchison added that they usually went to people who were inclined to help them or who were interested in the work, and they readily gave the girls a chance to recover their lost positions, "Do not many of the girls fall back into their former bad habits?" was asked. " Well," replied Mrs Hutchinnon, " not to so large an extent as might be expected. The proportion of those who fall away is one to every two we reform." The good wrought by personal vieitation was touched upon, and Mra Hutchinson related how she had once gone to a house of fashionable but questionable reaoft in search of a young girl who had gone astray. She was received by a richlydressed young woman, who told a pitiable tale of her fall and subsequent downward career. Mrs Hutchinson talked kindly to her, and urged her to reform, and the result was that she took the advice tendered and gave up her infamous life. Other instances of a like nature were also related.

Succouring the Sick. Our conversation then turned upon other branches of work undertaken by the Society, and we weie surprised when we realised the variety of channels through which the charity of the ladies finds its way. " Four weeks ago," said Mrs Hutchinson, " a man came here and said there was a woman along this street very ill, I went there, and found what he had said to me only too true. The house was in a shocking state, the family were destitute, and the youngest child had not been washed for three days. I sent for Dr. Kenderdine, who said tho woman was suffering from typhod fever, and sent hrr to the Hospital. I got Mr Graham to take charge of the children. About a month ago, we picked up another woman suffering from chronic asthma, and got her into the Hospital. Her husband had turned her out of doors, and she was suffering terribly. Her condition lias since been greatly improved by the treatment, and she called in the other day to thank us for our kindness. Only last Saturday, we got a young woman of '21, who was dying of consumption, into the Hospital. She had been deserted by her husband, and was living in the house of a woman quite as ill as herself " Numerous other instances of the g"od work thus performed might be related had we space at our disposal, but sufficient has been said to show the value of the Brigade's operations in the cause of charity.

Management of the Home. The work of the Prison Gate Brigade commenced in November last by boarding out women, and on December 23rd, the present Home was started. It is governed by a Committee consisting of Mesdames Williams, Boynton, Brame, Charnptaloup, Hutcbinson (Lady Matron), Witheford, and Misa l)avey( Deputy Matron), with Mr X, Fry as Treasurer and Mr F. W. Boynton Secretary. Dr. Stock well is Honorary Surgeon and Medical Advisor. According to the rules, the object of the Home is "to reclaim prisoners, prostitutes, drunkards, to afford shelter to the homeless, and to relieve destitution. Our mode of operation is to meet all discharged prisoners at the prison gates, giving them our sympathy and proffered help ; visit the evil haunts of tho.se we seek to reclaim ; also to pick up auy who have become slaves to drink. We also apply to tho magistrate for girls at the bar when wo think gaol will only harden them. Sixty -two have passed through tho home up to last Saturday (May 9th). out of which twenty-three were fallen women. Four have gone back to their old lives of vice and misery, one transferred to Mrs Cowie's Home, one transferred to Lock Hospital to be treated, and seventeen in situations, reported all to be doing well. Out of the thirty-nine destitutes and drunkards ono has been sent to tho Old Women's Refuge, two to the Hospital, one to the Whau Asylum three restored to their parents, three restored to their husbands, ! one has got into gaol again, two are thoroughly bad, and ten in situations in the Home doing well, and sixteen not traceable. It is the Committee's object to acquire a suitable building a few miles out of town as a working reformatory, making it somewhat self-supporting by laundry and other work. At the same time the present Home in town will be retained as a receiving depOt, and for refuge purposes, and a soup kitchen. That it is at present serving the latter objects is shown by the fact that from December 22nd till May 10th it supplied 920 beds and 3,035 meals. Looking at the extent of the work thus performed, it might be concluded that the public donations have been largo and numerous, but as a matter of faot only £138 has been received from the public, and yet the Committee have a small credit balance. Help is now urgently required, and will, no doubt, be forthcoming. The work is strictly unsectarian, and will be kept so. It has nothing whatever to do with the Salvation Army. — " Auckland Star," May 18.

The breakwater in course of construction at Taranaki is rapidly progressing towards completion, although the workmen have to, contend against great d'tiiculties. Tho ship DunBcore, which is discharging oement for use on the breakwater, has had a very rough time during the last few weeks. Once she lost both anchors, on another occasion she had to put to sea for three days. The breakwater is evidently of use for small vessel*, but it does not make by any means a cafe landing, Recently the Hawea was lying inside when the sea was washing clean over the wall and falling on her decks. Ono great wave capsized several railway trucks and pitched tbe luggage which they contained right on board of the steamer. last time the 8.8. Oreti was there she could not go alongside of the shore side of the breakwater for the same reason, Anfl had to be kept steaming backward aod forwards whilst the passengers w. we landed in small boats. However, the dangers to shipping have been gvea.f-.ly derrrasort bv tho erection of the breakwater, which affords a comparatively safe anchorage for vessels, and it will moat likely prove of Qou&iderable twn*f itto the gta*.