The Wairarapa Daily. THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 1889. The Hospital and Charitable Aid Act.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3117, 31 January 1889, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 1889. The Hospital and Charitable Aid Act.

It is held by some that if the principle of large districts under the Hospital and Charitable Aid Act were aban. doued the measure itself would be wrecked, because it would become unworkable, The original idea of . having large districts, embracing areas like Wellington and the Wairarapa, was the difficulty of determining what locality was the residence of an applicant for relief. Our colonial population, especially that section of it which has a special tendency to become hard up, is extremely migratory, hence the impossibility,of assigning a destitute person to afixed locality. Unfortunately, however, country people will not view the Act from this standpoint, and object to, being linked with the big towns in making a provision for the sick and poor. If tho argument in favor of large districts were carried to f a legitimate conclusion, tho whole colony would be constituted as one area, Probably this consideration is leading Sir Harry Atkinson to favor the entire cost of permanent cases being charged to the consolidated revenue; but if, as seems to be feared, the separation and subdivision of districts were to destroy the Act, we should not be sorry, The destruction of the Act would mean the extinction of a large percentage of the pauperism of New Zealand. We admire the philanthropy which establishes old men's homes and other retreats for the aged and infirm, but we see plaiuly that many men able to earn their own living simply give up the struggle lor existence in order to take advantage of the facilities which good people place at thoir disposal, Why should : they toil and slave when a Government or. a Benovolont Society is prepared to relievo them of all care and anxiety 1 Wore the Hospital and Charitable Aid Act repealed, and the local bodies and the police authorised to intervene in cases where assistance was absolutely required, we would get on better in Now Zealand than we are now doing,