Wairarapa Daily Times. [ESTABLISHED 1878] THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 1892. PROGRESS AND POVERTY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4071, 24 March 1892, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times. [ESTABLISHED 1878]

THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 1892. PROGRESS AND POVERTY.

BEWO THE EXTENOEU TITLE OF THE WAinAnAPA Daih, with wmdn it is IMNTIOAt,. .

Picking up, in an idle moment, a recently published pamphlet we read of General Booth's scheme and meet with this item:-" Several children have died of starvation in East Lofjdop, One was the child of aJ ew <yho had fled from Russia only to face terrible destitution in London. A master Btated that out o*l2oo children attending a board school 700 came without breakfast, and went home with yery little prospect of getting ejther dinner or tea." What a diurnal picture js. rajsed before one f of the wistful faces of that ponrseyßh hundred 1 The dinner hour is long enough coming to lad or lass who starts the day well lined with porridge, with grammar a mere stumbling block on the road to a good romp and a hearty lunch. But to one of that seven hundred, plagued with the multiplication table on an empty stomach, what a weary time must be spent in weighing that prospect of a meal,

One can hardly expect vigorous, satisfactory after-life for lad or lass thus hjnjicw>i>e.d before .ever the foot touches' tuetyddej;. te't, fitji ineu; reared in this manner, 'with a rojxijjre: of the hopeles/ wrecks of sojeiety, General Roptji asserts he will tackle the .rate pieces 4 the Colonies and found a series of-jrontuajly -selfsupporting working communities. To an experienced colonial, who has seen steady industry, self-reliance, syo, even dogged persistence brought into play before ever such an object is attainCSjl'he prospect of success for this scheme must serni more than doubtful, Were it seeking to r«iie v e the surplus population from the rural districts of England the scheme cpuld bp viewed more favourably, for it is from such districts the Colonies have derirr! 1 a large proportion of those who, with more 2 ™ success, have met nature face to face—men ii"!" 10D landing push to the country as their natural field for labor. But take to a Colony the class of people who seek the Salvation Army Refuges in the large oities at Home and plapt thorn in any part of the interior of a Colony, it does not need much loresight to predict where the majority will be found sooner or later—dwellers in the backslums of the larger towns—patrons of the ginshops, which, would, in the natural beautiful order of advanced civilisation and the necessities of the Customs returns, spring up to meet their wants-vicarious visitors to the lock-ups-importers of the old world match-selling and other strange' methods of dodging the wolf with which Dickens and rfalu have made ub familiar,

It ie pitiful to read tbat the greatest oity the world \m known is becoming the abiding place for outcasts not only from its own country but from 'all the Continent of Europe. Philanthrppy,can ,do little indeed with suoh A olpj, .copped largely of those who cannot or .will not work, or of those who haye spent the best

years of.tlieir lives in,Bomd;suoh employment as'the' making of pinheads. The mere' knowledge that London has great souled oharities only tends to attract recipients, and to seßk to relieve' the burden by transhipping to the Colonies is but to place it on other shoulders, Is civilisation indeed a failure that the roots of this incubus cannot be struck at? It is made much of that the crime percentage is on the wanebut does not detection follow guilt more certainly ? Are not the streets and houses better lighted ? Are not looks and safeguards more hopelessly perfect? Is not crime, in fact, though existent, smothered with an iron liand in these days? Could not a Jaok Skepuard get over a prison wall, ayp, with a fourteen stone lass on his back, as easily as the wearer of a new macintosh can get over a barbedswire lence? or ,a Tom P*ggm buy it king's pardon in olden days? While the' glare of the gin-palace ligh s, fur into the night, the slums of llio Modem Babylon,.the colonies can offer but a cold welcome to its victims. Let this root of the evil be struck at; and anothor generation may even see men taken from the streets of London fit to wrestle with a Rata, knotty and girthed like old-man Falstaff.

Living in a land of plenty as we do ill New Zealand, it is hard to realise the abject poverty which prevails in some of the great cities of the old world, The following piteous tale taken from the London Daily Tehgraph of Gtli January last is heartrending in its details of suffering and starvation. It refers to the child alluded to in our opening extract as the miserable, victim of hopeless destitution ;

Last evening, Mr Wynne E. Baxter, coroner for East London, held'an in« quest at St. Philip's Institute, Mile-end Now Town, respecting the death of the female child of Adolph Oushneer, a Jewish tailor, residing at 33, Spellman street, Whitechapel, on-Wednesday last. Adolph Cuslineer, the father, who, bein;' unable to speak a word of tinglish, gavo evidence through an interpreter, stated that the deceased was born on Deo, 23. Thero was a midwife at the birth, but after that he attonded to his wife. Tho child seemed well until Wednesday last, when if was taken ill in the night. He went for a doctor, but they would not. open ; the. door, 80 he returned home, when ho found the child dead. He had been in England three years, and married eighteen months. Ho had been out of work for six weeks,

The Coroner: How have you lived during that time?— What 1 had 1 pawned, and when the money wai gone ire lived how we could.

Did you know where the workhouse was?—JSo,

Didn't you know you could have relief by gointr to the workhouso ?—No. Did you know there was tho Jewish Board of Guardians ? -Yes j but I didn't go there. Why not?—l was once there last year, and they pushed' me out, so I would not go at>ain. They said f was a young man, and should work for my living. The day after the child died Dr. Dukes called at the house, and gave me a paper for the guardians, who sent me 10s,

I expect the Jewish Board of Guar* dians will have something to say about your allegation that they pushed you out J—They said a'young man, like me had no occasion to ask for relief. 1 should work,

What did the child have to eat ?-I! bid only the breast, and it would nol take to that. Had it any clothing ?—Only a napkin.

What had the wife to eat ?—She had three-ha'p'orth of milk a day, and we had a fowl which lasted us four days. I gavo lsu'd for the; fowl, pawning my trbusorstobuyit- " And she had had nothing else Brace the child was born ?—No, until after tho death, when we got 10s from the Jewish Board of Guardians. There was no blanket or. sheet on the bed. I oamo from Russia because I could not get a living there. When employed I can earn from 16s to Jlaweok. My wife could not work as she was too delicate. Mr W, P, Dukes, surgeon, of 75, Brick-lane, deposed that a message wan left at his Burgery on Thursday afternoon for him to call at 33, Spejlmanstrept. On going there he found that the deceased had been dead many hours, probably twenty or twenty-four. It was very thjn and emaciated. It was lying perfectly inked en the bed. There were some dirty thiuga on the bed, but no blankets or sheets. Tho mother was up In the room, a wretched, thin, and emaciated woman. She had scarcely any clothing on, and appeared starved. The Coroner: I suppose the room looked like destitution I— lt did. They had nothing in the place to eat.. A dirty tjlass containing some sour milk, quite unfit fur human food, was standing on the table. 1 gave them a trifle to go on with, as well as an order for the Jowish Board of Guardians.

What do you think was the cause of death MVant of care and want of food. It was ft blear caso of destitution. I think the child would have lived had it had food, but the mother was so poor and Weak she had no nourishment for it. It

was a most pitiable sight. There is a paf .ejeal'of poverty ainorljfjji the taijora just■»«», an/} I cojtinualiy jomo across Biloboases as this, iSeniatfon.j 'The father is as' near starved as can be, and when the 10a has gone he wifl be absolutely penniless, A Juror: So many keep coming hero only to starve- ■•.-:■■■'•' The Witness: Now you get at it.; I daily come across three and four families living in one room. The poverty in tho East-end ia terrib'e.

The Juror: And the cry is still they come. It ought to be put a stop to. Englishmen are driven out of England, yet fcr overy shipload going away two sbipßfuli 'of foreigners come hero. The Ouronor: Knglaud has been the ißyluni fof'ev'erybody up to now. "The Juror; Filroiknertought;nojk to bo allowed to'.land unless fhoy dan prove : that they arel capable '"oi themselves. (Hear, hear). L f 1 '''' J '^.h'e'jury retailed a 'verdict .V that! tjie deceijiied died jfrom jyarit' jjf care and | want of food oiying jolty poy'erty of t'ji.e .parents,' . ~.''', .The father was galled )p, and pbe coroner informed bim that ho must not let his wife die of starvation, but at once apply to the parish and f,o into the workhouse. If he disregarded this warning and bis wife died, he would most {.Tobably be committed for manslaughter. '."".'• ■'_ '■•'■■ ( : V A£ the cloje of tjjs pnquiry the jury, all working men, jpade a pjjllecjip- fop the poor fellow, amounting td,J2s2d. Op {|(e coroner handing this amount to him lin tpefflsd overjoyed, and 'with tears in bis eye* he soiaed tjio goroner'e °ver and over again, . ~, ,i »j«yiiuff' j

Pahiatua is said to be tho Ministerial heart of Net? Zealand. The Chronicle reports that thero aro well-grounded complaints that sly grog sellinir is freely indulged in in several unlicensed premises in Wangaiiui. In-order to punish the Dunedin Star, ihe boldest and best opposition paper published in the culony, our Liberal Ministry have given strict orders to withhold all Government advertisements of land sales. This aot is vei y o>mtemptible, and unworthy of Ministers of the Crown, In the R.M, Court, Pahiatua, yesterday, Arthur Tuckey was charged by Joseph Jessop with CBsault. Aftei somewhat conflicting evidence'the inform mation was dismissed by Messrs McCardie and Hughes, J,'s IV An inspection parade of tho Masterton Rifle Volunteers will be held this (Thursday) evening. ;

The funeral of tho late Mrs Ralph Manning, of the Lower Taueru, took place yesterday, tho remains bting interred iu the Masterton Cemetery, The Launcestoii Exhibition has closed. New Zealand exhibitors obtained four-', teen special mentions, twenty-two first prizes, sis second prizes, and six highly oommended certificates,

Mr J. Bottomley has booh returned unopposed for the vacant seat on the Pahiatua Town Board. A man named Robert Morishwaß charged in the R.M, Court, at Pahiatua, yesterday, before Messrs M'Cardle and Hughes,'J. P.Vwith stealing two head of cattle, the property of Mr John Dick, of MakurLMr Tosswill appeated for the defendant On the application of the police a romand was granted until Monday next to enable evidence to be pro' cured.

The Melbourne deck, which was opened on Tuesday, is the second largest in the world. It will accommodate) fifty-five vessels, and the area is ninoty-six acres. The framework of Mr R, Buokeridge's new hotel at Maryborough is up. The building will probably be finished about the end of May,

A young man named Mahoney has been victimising tradesmen wholesale down the Valley in the matter of sign writing, Hehasgono. The body of the unfortunate lad Perkins, who was drowned in the Ruamahunga river on Friday last, has not yet been recovered. Search parties are still out, With regard to the paragraph which appeared m our issue of yesterday; we understand that arrangements have- been made for the immediate erection of the building in Chapel-Sr, Masterton, opposite Chamberlain's Flour Mill, which is to be used as an aerated water factory by Messrs Joseph and E. 8. Dixon, and that the partnership will commence in a tew weeks' time, probably when the new premises are taken possession of, In the meantime Mr Joseph Dixon will as usual carry on his well-known business In the old-established premises in ijueen street

The following members of the Lower Taueru Rifle Club have been selected to shoot iu a match with the Eketahuna Me Club on Saturday next:—Messrs T. Brown, D. Brown, E. S. Vennell, ft Vennell, E. Meredilh, V. Wardell, E. Kibblewhit*, A. W. Vennell, T. Cawwell, JS. Chalmers and 6. liaird. The team leaves Masterton at 9 a.m. sharp, The larrikin element still predominates in Moßterton. The last act ot those respectable young men who hang about, street corners and shop doors is to pelt a Ohinose storekeeper with stones and marbles and strike a lady customer on the back. Fortunately a Justice of the Peace was in the neighbourhood at' the timo and recognised one of the offenders, who will in due course appear before the Resident Magistrate, •

There is now passing through Masterton, Mr L, Hanlon, Instructor of Fruit Growing, who at the instance'of the Lanfa Department visits different localities in the Colony,-and instructs settlers aa to the-best kind of fruits to plant and the way in which tboy should be grown. Mr Hanlon also inakes regular reports to Government and forwards're* commendations in instances where noV plants or new fruit trees s'an with advantage introducedand where the localities are specially suited for them. A little later on Mr Hanlon will re-yisit the Wairarapa, and he then hopes to delivor a series of free-lectures in the different centres of the district, Among the course will be: 1-" Fruit culture in, general throughout the colony I ', 2 ''Planting, pruning, and culture", 8-" Pioking, packing pests". To-day Instructor Hanlon leaves for Carterton and - other townships on his way baok to Wellington, and he will visit the Manawatu district before returning here. Every man has a duty to perform. Sometimes it is a pleasing duty, sometimes otherwise,- When it is a duty to pay a long standing butoher's account, or to pay a bill you backed for a friend " justto ablitre him," orwhen it is a duty to receive a visit from your mother-in-law, these are painful duties. And when our fatherly Government decide to put a duty on everything, and when a Par< liamentary majority consider it a dut\ tliey owe. to their country, and tlm electors they represent (or misrepresent as tho ease may be), to ratifyand legah?o such duties, why then it becomes a duty for the public of Masterton in paitioular and the Wairarapa in general to amil ingly pay such duties and quietly grin & bear it. They We, however, one duty jo perform and 'that 'is" jio- buy their fjraperyapd 01/ithitig a| thelJoii Marohe he cheapest and best house m for anything of the" sori;' ' "Pjie whbfj duty of man is to do (he best be can : for himself, JSlelson&Hd, '' Enpland expects every man to-do his duty, 1 ' Hooper and 0»., say, " They ejepect everyone, whether man, woman, or child young men and maidens, old folks and young folks to do their duties, by doing their duty and huying all they require in Drapery, Clothing, household fur nisings, etc, at the Bon Marche.