CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4381, 29 March 1893, Page 3

CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

Ur Buchanan's Dejeme of the Wainuapa.

A meeting of the United District Charitable Aid Board waß held at the City Council Offices yesterday morn« ing. Present—Mossrs S, Lancaster, (Chairman), W. C. Buchanan, M.H.M. H. Heaton, L.L.Harris, W,H, Bcothara, J.Petherick, White, aodF. H.Fraser.

The Ghairmnu explained that the meeting was the result of the action taken by the board at its last meeting in reducing the amount oi the Beneyolent Trustees' requisition, He was tidvised that tbo hoard had no power to make such reduction. From what ho could gather they should have passed tho requisition and then applied to the Government for their accounts to be examined, when a commission would have boen appointed to see whether tho amount was required or not. i MrL. L.Harris said ho had armed ' himself with the opinion ot the Oity i Solicitor upon tho action of tho board; ' it was as follows;-'By tho joint operation of section 85 and CO of the Hospital and Charitable Institutions Act of 1885 it is open to the United Board if it deems the amount to be excessive or otherwise unreasonable to pass a resolution expressing dissent and to transmit a copy of such resplution to the Colonial Secretary. This has tho effect of an appeal to be conducted in the manner sot out in the lith section) namely by eaoh party appointing a commissioner, which commissioner, together with a KesU dent Magistrate named by tho Colonial Secretary, would hold an enquiry, and give a final decision. 1 Mr Buchanan, who was the mover of the resolution reducing tho amount at tho last meotiug, said ho had drawn up a resolution as follow 3: —" That in the opinion of this Board the requisition of £5,676 made by the Wellington Benovolen,t Institution is excessive, and should be reduced," but ho did not see any necessity for altering the resolution passed last week. He therefore begged to movo -" That a copy of that resolution bo transmitted to tho Colonial Secrotary," Who would thereupon take the necessary action. Mr Buchanan then went on to refer at some length to a statement made by tho Rev; H. Yan gtavtren, chairman of tho Benevolent Trustees, at a meeting of that body, to the effect that a largo number of the applicants for relief came from tho Wairarapa and Manawatu districts, and that nearly everyone on the books of the Society came from the country distriots. The Rov. Mr Van Staveren also said that out of every twenty persons ia tho Home or in receipt of relief nineteen were from the oountry. Upon that he (Mr Buchanan) applied to the Benevolent Institution through one of ita members for specific inotrmation as to the names of this large number of people from tb,e Wairarapa Pißtrict, and be would now read the Mj of the Secretary. From thi?.; it appeared that the recipients of njiief from the Wat* rarapa were:—A man, his wife and

family, from Greytown, who arrived hero before last Christinas, and received two weeks' rationß j a man who had previously been working for Mr Bidwill at Pihautea, who was ia the Benevolent Home; another raan-a German- with his wife and family, who were suffering from rheuraatio lever and had been in the Wairarapa in search of work. Hewaß receiving rations. Wheniu Greytown ho(tho speaker) had made enquiries about one of the moa now in receipt of relief, and found that bofore, as he said, leaving for a better billet in Wellington ho had been for 14 montba continuously in the same employ, and now he put himsolf forward as a pauper, and as having left Greytown because ho could not find work, and the funds ol the institution were immediately expended on such a caße as that. The German, he knew, did not belong to the Wairarapa at all, but went up thereand got employment for a short time. He then came down to Wellington, and was now in receipt of relief, for all be knew deservingly, but he should not be set down as belong* ing to the Wairarapa. As to the other cnse, he had had no time to make enquiries, but in face of the faots he had stated he asked what oredifc could be attached to iho state' merits published as having been mado by the chairman of the Benevolent Institution with regard to applicants for relief from the Wairampi, TlieChairmnn expressed theopinion that Mr Buchanan was notin order in criticising the actions of tho Benevolent Institution. He would uot, however, prevent the discussion. Mr Buchanau said he thought it was bringing forward atgutnents in favour of tho course taken by the board last week, Ho tbon went on to argue that the Act of 1885 had dosatruyed private benevolenoe, and he gave an instanco of private charity in his own district-a district which it had been mi was without bowels of compassion lor any' ody, und iu conclusion suid he thought tho flattest contraction should bo given to the statements published by the Bev. Mr Van Staveren. Mr Heaton seconded the resolution, remarking that as members of the board ho thought it was their duty to try and reduce the lequisition. Mr Fraser said he could not support the resolution although he was very pleased at the just inanuer in which Mr Buchanan had defended the Wai rarapn district. Mr Harris said that he should strongly Bupport Mr Buchanan's motion, Tho Act was not so faulty if well administered, but they got people in olfic:) who administered these Acts, and yet neither directly nor indircoly paid Is out of their own poc'tets towards the rates of the oity or towards

tba maintenance of the institution. and thoso wove tbo people who gov the head and administered tbose ai faira, and were liberal because they did not touch their own pockett.

Mr Beethatn supported the resolution because it did not condemn the pooplo who administered the Aot without enquiry, The Uhairman remarked thai more blaino tban was necessary had been thrown upon the chairman of the Beneyolont Institution, If anyone was to blame the whole body was to blame, and not be (the chairman ot the Trustees) more than anybody, The Trustees endeavoured to do their best, but tbey were not infallible; ibey might be imposed upon, but they were not to be judged for that.

After some further discussion Mr Buchanan's motion was put »nd carried, Messrs Lancaster and Fraser being theonly dissentients.—N.Z.Timos,