THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1907. THE STATE AND CHARITABLE AID.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 9000, 10 December 1907, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1907. THE STATE AND CHARITABLE AID.

The hospital authorities of Weli lington and the . citizens are .' to be congratulated upon the result of the recent Hospital Saturday and Sunday collections. Upwards of £SOO was gathered in, and this with the Government subsidy will bring the amount to which the institution will benefit up to about £l,lOO. This is good so far as it goes; it is also good to know that a great many people are ever ready to generously respond to the calls made upon their benevolence. But ,it seems to us that these calls ought not to be necessary. The principle of going hat-in-hand fojr tho support of hospitals and charitable institutions is one which, we think, ought to be abandoned for something more stable and hwaaainitarian. In this country we are following the English practice, which is defective to a degree. There are, however, difficulties in the way of dealing comprehensively with the charitable aid question in congested cities in the Old Country, which are at present practically insuperable. In a young country like New Zealand, which is very much under-populated, and, generally, very prosperous, there should be no insurmountable difficulty in providing for the sick and distressed, and as the State has started upon a humanitarian policy the solution of the problem should command the earnest consideration of its

statesmen. It is to be admitted that " the State has done a great deal in the d matter, but the whole system of pro- t viding for hospitals and charitable d aid is "patchy," and unsatisfactory, • and as a consequence the public are v called upon throughout the year to t make good shortcomings in the funds, s The care of the sick poor should de- f volve entirely upon the State, and all t should be railed upon to contribute, h under some well-defined equitable c scheme. The people should not have i collection boxes thrust under their noses at stated periods for contributions to any hospital. Many give wil- c lingly enough; many give reluctantly r —they do not like to be considered s ungenerous; others have to pass the c boxes by because at the moment they cannot afford to give, and may feel * themselves placed in an invidious * position On the whole it is the com- ' paratively few who contribute to- c wards public charities, and of these many are called upon over and over £ again for contributions during the ' year. There may be something to be ' said in favour of a system that ' stimulates the charitable instincts :of the community, but the care of ] the sick should be removed from the J precincts of charity, and should be ' undertaken by the State as a public ' I duty.