The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1892.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 4004, 5 January 1892, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1892.

Our local Benevolent Society is reported to have charge of a numerous family of ohildren, no less than forty, seven of them being in receipt of relief at the present time, No doubt 1 thero are more to follow, because when easy-going' parents find that their own necessities, and the wants of (heir offspring, can be provided for out of a public purse, they are disposed to avail themselves of the opportunity. Some two or three years ago we had considerable piactical experience of the working of our local Society, and came to the conclusion that it fostered pauperism, and did more harm than good. Wish the exception of one or twocasesotage and infirmity, thme were no pensioners on its bounty who weie not capable of doing something for themselves, but who were unwilling to make an effort towards sail help while tuey could obtain a subsistence from the Society. What is needed in most cases of destitution or apparent destitution is a labour test, and m some instances this was tried with signal success. It was found that some men who claimed assistance, and who were givdii day work in the cemetery instead of rations, soon came to the conclusion that they could earn better wages elsewhere if they had to work, and they speedily disappeared off the' book'sl of ilie Society without cojting the public a single shilling. Probably among the forty-seven children now receiving relief, there area nurtber old enough to do light work of some kind or other, Jfso, a labour test should b" applied to their cases. It is very easy to create a pauper class, even in a colony like Hew Zealand, and every effort should be made to prevent so undesirable a consummation. Our tool experience leads us to the conplusiun that a labour test is the only practical modeof checking pauperism, and we hope that wherever it is possible to apply it, some trial will bo made. The sum spent.on Charitable Aid.in North Wairarapa is inuoh larger'than the amount distributed in Wairapaga South) and there is some reason to believe that {Jja excess only creates pauperism amongst "w, and is '. of no.permanent benefit to the recipients of rolief. ' ' ,