A CASE OF DESTITUTION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1938, 3 September 1889, Page 4

A CASE OF DESTITUTION.

Al the last meeting of the Wellington; Benovelent Trustees (sayn the N. 2 Times) the ease of a woman who applied for assistance, came up for consideration A letter was read from the Rsv. B. Coffey stating that ho had visited iho woman’s house, which was situated in Lome street, when he found the woman, eviden'al ill,, lying on a colonial sofa and in very bad condition. The Secretary visited the house immediately, and found (he woman in a starving condition, with hardly any clothes on, while the only food that was in the house was a piece of butler weighing about an ounce. The woman, in reply to aho Secetary, stated that she had been in Wellington for fourteen days, and had come from Christchurch. She had been receiving aid from the Benevolent Trustees in Christchurch, and they paid her passage up to Wellington, telling her she would not be known there, bhe had two children, one a lad aged fifteen, who is unable to do any work owing to an affliction, and the other child is eighteen months old. The woman states that she lias been married, but baa not seen her htt'band for two years. From inquiries made she ascertained that he was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment at Nelson for an assault, and was serving his sentence in Wellington. The lad cmiie home while the Secretary wao visiting the house. He had got a few oranges which he had been trying to sol l . Among the oranges were several pieces of bread and a little dripping. The only piece of furniture in the place was a colonial sofa, on which all three slept. Mr Coffey It ad given the woman half-a-crown and some food. The trustees decided to support the woman in the meantime, and will instruct Dr Cahill to visit her and ascertain what she is suffering from. The Secretary was instructed to write to the Christchurch Benevolent Institution, informing them of the case, and to ask what slops they are going to take in the matter, whether the woman will be sent back to Chistchurch or else maintained here at their expense.