S.C. HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2696, 9 August 1894, Page 4

S.C. HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

A special meeting and the ordinary monthly meeting of the South Canterbury Hospital and Charitable Aid Board was held on Tuesday. Present —Messrs J. Jackson (chairman), Talbot, Gillingham, Coltman, Rhodes, and White. SPECIAL MEETING. The special meeting was called to consider the following letter and enclosures from the clerk of the Waimate County Council, dated July 25th:—“Certain suggestions have been made by the Hon. W. J. Steward, a copy of whose letter is here enclosed, towards finding funds for providing work for the unemployed at Waimate, on works in this county. I enclose copies of both resolutions passed by this council on the matter, and have the honour to request an early reply.” The enclosures were as follow ;—“ House of Representatives, June 28th, 1894. D. Jackson Esq. Sir—ln reference to my, telegram of this morning replying to yours of yesterday applying on behalf of the county council for £ for £ subsidy on the sum of £2OO voted by your council for relief works for the unemployed, I, as you are aware, lost no time in laying the matter before the Premier, and urging the case before his consideration. He pointed out that our Government has no legal authority to pay subsidy in this way, and that to grant the request, even if it were legally possible, would be to precipitate a host of similar applications. 1 can, however, as mentioned in my telegram, point out a course by which the end might be gained, and which has already been taken in Wellington in connection with the foundation of the new road known as the Queen’s Drive, viz., by the governing body devoting a sum to the Charitable Aid Board, which at once claimed and obtained £ for £ subsidy thereon, and then applied the whole sum to the work in question. Your council could follow the example by paying over the sum voted to the Charitoble Aid Board, with the understanding that the money, together with the subsidy, should be voted by the board to be expended in relief work in Waimate County, the county council to be appointed by the board to direct the administration of the funds. I think the council may successfully act on this suggestion it it think fit so to do. —I have etc., W. J. Steward.” Copy of resolutions.—“ That this council offer to pay to the credit of a cash account the sum of £2OO, to be spent in relief works in the form indicated by resolution of last meeting, on condition that the Charitable Aid Board pay in a like amount. The work to be done by this council where considered desirable, and should the whole of the money not be expended the amount left to be equally divided. And that a copy of Mr Steward’s letter be sent to the board.” “ This council having heard with deep regret from the deputation the amount of distress at present amongst the working men, it does hereby resolve itself into a committee of the whole, three to bo a quorum for the purpose of providing temporary relief for men with families, to any sum not exceeding £200; any necessary horse work in connection therewith not to be co mted against the vote, and to be subject to the Government granting a subsidy of a like amount, making in all a sum not exceeding £400.” Copies of the foregoing had been sent to members for consideration. A letter from Major Moore apologised for his absence, and expressed his opinion on the Waimate proposal. Ho saw no great objection to the board granting them the assistance asked for, provided that the council paid their £2OO to the board’s account, and that the board only guaranteed to add to it any sum they might receive from the Government, It 'would be better to ke«p the men in this way than for many of them to be thrown on the board for relief in the way of charitable aid. He was doubtful whether the Government would agree to the scheme, as in the words of Major Steward’s letter it might “precipiato a host of similar applications,” and it was rather an evasion of the spirit if not of the letter of the law. The Government would probably not object that score so much, but if it niaant drawing money out of the Treasury by a sidewind they might object, even though it was for the relief of the unemployed, Mr Gillingham thought the Government would give the roouey, as they had established a precedent, Mr Talbot doubted it. This was a request that the board should get £3OO for the county council to spend in any way they liked. There was no guarantee offered that they would go beyond their ordinary expenditure by a penny, so that the scheme might be used to save the ratepayers £209, TJ)9 Board should not allow itself to be made th 9 medium of such an unreasonable request. The oasp of the Queen’s Drive mentioned by Maj or Steward was not a paral el case at oil, as that was not a work undertaken by the local body in its ordinary course of duty. To make a similar case the Comity Council should give £2OO to an independent body on condition inat a subsidy was obtained upon it for the relief of the unemployed. If this request were granted why should not all the local bodies make the same application and get a sum of money doubled for their benefit 1 The chairman thought it should be made on condition that the money be spent on something else beside road works. Mr Rhodes was not present at the last council meeting, but ho believed he quite understood the proposal, ]t was really intended to assist the unemployed. Of course one result would be improvement of property by improvement of roads ; but the work would be selected, not for its usefulness in that direction, but for its suitableness for the men. The money would be carefully spent, and not a penny wasted. Mr Coltman said the unemployed diff.,,nl,v L. d been more severe this winter at Waimate £* ever before. The borough council speiio H l , work to 1G men, and they recognu.‘ ,fl ** lut they could not cope with the difficulty without assistance. The county connc’l were willing to assist, but they were out of funds, had a large overdraft to contend with, and had been competed to leave undone really nocossaiy works. A deputation waited on tho council, and the result was tho correspondence now before tho board. There was a groat do d of distress in Waimate, and here they were pointed out a way u£ obtaining some relief. Ho did not see that there would bo any evasion of tho law. Tho Act distinctly stated that £1 would be given for each £1 received from any local authority. There was no restriction whatever, and in their own interests they ought to accept tho proposal. Proposed by Mr Talbot, and seconded by Mr White—“ That in reply to the Waimate County Conuc :i re their offer to provide £2OO for expenditure on works within their district provided tho Government subsidise tho sum by a similar amount, and asking this board to obtain this subsidy for them on the ground of j iia being proposed to expend the amou.it

to relieve the unemployed, they be informed that this board regrets that it caunot see its way to accede to its request on the conditions laid down by the council.” Mr Talbot briefly explained bis reasons for the stand he took. It was getting money by a side wind, and he would be sorry to ask the Government for money in that way. If a local body asked for money to be spent in improving public domains or planting it would be a different thing, but a request like this was indefensible. The clause of the Act quoted did not bear upon the case ; it referred to money given to the board for the board’s purposes and the board’s expenditure, not to road works. Mr Coltman moved and Mr Rhodes seconded as an amendment —“ That this board agree to the request of the Waim ate County Council, on condition that that body hand over the £2OO in trust to this board, and that this board will then apply to the Government for a £ for £ subsidy on £2OO to be spent in relief works for the unemployed in the Waimate County ; the work to be done under the direction of the Waimate County Council.” After some further discusssiou the amendment was carried. OKOINAEY MEETING. Messrs Meason & Marohant wrote that the contract for the water closets at the barracks would be finished in about a week. A quantity of correspondence was read about charitable aid cases. The secretary mentioned a hospital debt of £27 due by a Maori. The Government had been written to, and MrParata, the southern Maori member, had been seen about it, but no reply had been received. Another Maori case was reported by Mr Coltman, who asked for relief for an aged native woman at Waimate, aged between 80 and 90. She has an interest in six acres of land at Waikonaiti but the land is valueless. He had given a temporary order. —The usual report to be obtained. An aged couple at Peel Forest were granted 3s fid per week to replace an allowance from England somehow stopped of late. It was resolved that all gifts to the hospital or barracks be acknowledged by a monthly advertisement. The members went to inspect the ceiling of the fever ward, which is insecure; a good sized piece of plaster has come down, and the greater part of it looks unsafe. Tho chairman was authorised to get the ceiling restored, engaging an architect if he deems it necessary, and calling for tenders for the work. Hospital accounts £162 9s 7d and charitable aid accounts £237 17s 3d were passed for payment, leaving about £920 in the bank. The chairman said the board would not have enough to carry them on through the year.