The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1883. HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1296, 6 February 1883, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1883. HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID.

Ail over the Colony a keen discussion is taking place as to the best means of providing ways and means for hospital and charitable aid, The Government offer to provide one half of the cost but the people in many instances lefnsetonccep t the responsibility of raising tlle other moiety, In practice the system which now obtains in many parts of the colony of partially supporting th eRO institutions by voluntary contributions works well, but in theory it is imperfect, Why it is asked should tho burthen of the poor and sick fall on the benevolent, and a hard hearted man with perhaps a longer purse be permitted to escape it 1 The principle of voluntary contributions has been condemned, and it only remains to consider other alternatives. One is reserves of Crown Lands, This finds favor with many but past experience proves that such reserves block and impede settlement and in the long run work badly for the community. Another proposal is to throw the entire burthen of maintenance on the consolidated fund. If this particular fund could stand the weight there would be sufficient reason for adopting the plan but everybody is well aware that the consolidated fund has even now to be supplemented by direct taxation, and throwing the entire onus of hospital and charitable aid on it simply means that there must be an augmentation of these direct levies, Practically the issue is narrowed down to this,—hospital and charitable aid must be provided for and tho provision must come out of the pockets of the public either in the shipe of local or general taxation. If we have to pay, it is far better to have local taxation, and local control than to be subject to the administration of a central department. We believe that counties and boroughs cimadministerhospitalandcharitableaid more economically and efficiently than a department having its headquarters at Wellington. If wecould escape ratesand taxes for these particular objects we might' be content to let the Government do what it pleased in the way of managing these institutions, but we are in this position that we must find the money either directly or indirectly, and under these circumstances it is better for settlers to have the spending of it. The old plan which has been pursued by the Government for some years of taking, say a thousand pounds a year out of a particular district in direct taxation and giving it back some six or seven hundred in the shape of a subsidy is neither economical nor profitable, and we should be sorry to see it perpetuated in the matter pf hospitable and charitable aid.

We recently went to oonsidernhle trouble and expense in order to give our reader a correct and reliable record of harvesting operations in this neighborhood. Satisfactory though the result of this record may be, when we turn to some of the leading agricultural districts of the middle Island we cannot but feel that we are still a long way behind in this neighborhood, In the Waimat6 district, for example, one farmer hna 3000 acres in wheat this season, which are estimated to yield from 65 to 70 bushels to the acre. On the Wdikakahi estate in the same neighborhood -thtre are 6,000 Acres in wheat and oats, and a correspondent writes us that in passing through it lie counted thirty reaping machines at work. He was informed that the wheat was expected to average 60 bushels and the oats 05 to the acre. Of course a'district like Waimale is more improved than any por. tion of the Wairarapa, and'iis soil and extent of arable land is possibly;

superior,;; Still the contrast tends to show tbnt we in the Wairarapa as groin producers are not in quite so forwaid a position as we might be, and we trust everyjear to be able to record broader anS iribre• numeroub harveßt fields till in Agrioulturaf'exlerpriee we vie with the farmers of the Middle Island.

Mr Wardell B.M. eitei at Greytown'to day. •

. The Maslerton Oddfellows hold their regular fortnightly meeting this evening Miss Best's pupils re-assemble tomorrow for the first term of the current year.

. We remind all interested in stock of Messrs Lowes & lorns fortnightly sale'at 1 p,m, to-morrow, Tho usual praotice of the Greytown Fire Brigade will be held on Thursday evening.

Tawhiao and his fallowing may be expected at Te Ore Ore about Thutsday.or Friday next.

Mr F. H. Wood announces his next monthly sjila at the Pastoral Society's Yards, Carlorton'for Friday Feb. 16th.

A batch of rabbit cases were taken through the R,M. Court at Featherston yesterday, A second batch comes on at Carterton to-morrow, and a third at Mastorton on Thursday. .

We are pleased to learn that everything is getting on well on board the,Jjady Jocelyn, and that a full Bhip is expected by the 20th Inst, More than half the estimated cargo is already on board.

We understand that the Eev James McXee intends shortly to pay a flying visit to this district. He has been very successful in his new oharge at Waihiate Since he was installed there his congregation Ins paid off more than 1300 worth of debts, and is financially in an extremely satisfactory position. The Kev Jamos McKeo is a hard and earnest worker, and we are not surprised at Ibe excellent results which apparently, have attended his ministrations.

At a meeting of the committDo of the Greytown Horticultural and Industrial Society held on Saturday evening last, it was resolved-unanimously that there be no autumn show held ibis year owing to the very dry season. The matter was being fully discussed and the general opinion expsessed was that there would not be anything worth showing. It was also resolved.—That it be publicly notified that any member who wished might have returned to him half the price of his ticket,, provided that applications be made within fourteen duys. A special meeting of the Gieytnwn School Commit lee was held on Saturday evening, when Mr Blick was elected Secretary and Mr Cuff treasurer. It was resolved.—That the committee approve of the appointment; of Mr Ward ns assistant master. Mr Fuller resigned his seat on the committee, Mr Gray was eleoted in his stead. It was resolved.— That the Board be communicated with in regard tq the necessary alterations in the head master's residence, The offer of Mrs Thompson to clean the school and light Brea when necessary at 7s per week, was accepted. Messrs Udy and Black were appointed a sub-committee to make arrangements to have the playground drained. Messrs Bey and Black were appointed visitors for the month.

At the ij.M, Court Featherston yesterday William Adam Miller of the Empire Hotel wa9 fined in one instance ten pounds, and in another five, for supplying liquors to persons who had keen placed under the prohibitory clauses of ihe Act. The prohibitory clauses of the Licensing Act seem iobe a great fai oe. A detective was sent up lo Featherston who succeeded in getting two of the prohibited ones to drink with him repeatedly, and caused tho publican who served them to be fined fifteen pounds. But it may be asked is this sufficient to check the .evasion nf the law ? Wo hear that one of the prohibited iiiits matched straight out of Court lo Roothor publiohnuse and had a drink.' A small army of detectives is evidently necessary to enforce a law of this character. Our Featherstan correspondent writes as follows" Owing t» the frequent complaints made to the police of persons under the Prohibition Act .being supplied with liquor, it was found necessary by the police authorities to send a constable in plain clothes to Featherston to put a stop to this, und owing tq facts brought out in evidence in one of the cases against Miller, tie B.M. decided to extend the order against the individual named to Wellington, also Greytown, '.Carterton, andMasterton.and to wholesale merchants as well as retail dealers,

Arthur George Fink, a boy about fourteen years of age, was charged before Mr A. Bibli, J,P., at the Masterton RM, Court this morning with two indictments, one for stealing sundry articles to the value of fourteen and nine-pence from a dwelling near the railway Btation in December last, and a second for taking articles to the value of two pounds five shillings from the same promises in January, The owners of the tenement in question are Messrs Richard Rogers and O itmell, On the application of the police the oases were reinauded till Thursday to enable a material witness to be present. A special meeting of the Carterton Volunteer.Rifle Corps took place on Monday evening, Captain Bennett, Lieutenant Crawford, and n large majority of the newly enrolled members being present. Rules and by-laws were discussed and adopted, and directed to be. printed for the informrtion of members. ColorSergeant Abrahall was elected'secretary at a salary of J!5 per annum. It was resolved that an application be forwarded to the Government fur a supnly of forty uniforms to be made out of the capitation grant in accordance with the new regulations. The usual weekly parades will he held, the drill night being alternately from Monday to Saturday, and the church parades will now be resumed.