Wairarapa Daily Times. [ESTABLISHED 1878.] FRIDAY, MAY 11, 1894. MISUNDERSTOOD.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4716, 11 May 1894, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times. [ESTABLISHED 1878.] FRIDAY, MAY 11, 1894. MISUNDERSTOOD.

SECOND EDITION

We are notsurprised that the Trustees of the NorthWairarapa Benevolent Society are j little angry with us, we only feel that in the Archer-street widow case we have been " misunderstood." We have been writing in good faith, they have been aoiing in good faith, and we know by experience how difficult is the task • of administering poor relief. At the present lime, however, the question of the" best method of dealing with cases of poverty is of the greatest interest and importance. The ordinary method is a fairly eaßyone, anditisall but universally adopted, the better method is a harder task, and few have thecourage to attempt it, The ordinary method is an economical one, hut the trouble which it entails makes it less popular. To illustrate the ordinary method we would quote oases within the experience of the Benevolent Society. A woman with a family is destitute, and a sum of say ten shillings a week is granted to lier. This assistance continues for an almost indefinite time, and. after possibly a hundred pounds has been expended on her, she is found to be as badly off as ever, and less capable than ever of providing-forher family. The better method is to devise some means by which the woman and her children can support themselves, to find suitable work for them, and if necessary to show them how to do it, to spend, if required, ten or twenty pounds right away to put the family in a position of self dependence, Now we have always advocated' in our columns this better and more troublesome way, we have maintained that weekly allowances pauperise, and we still, in Bpita of Mr i'eist, hold this .opinion. The position of the Trustees is that we,were inconsistent, beowise, while accusing them of spending too mucbj we urged them to assist Mrs Beere.But iim are not prepared to admit this, nor are-iye going to follow, the Trustees into the qaestion of, whether the woman in question was worthy or unworthy of aid. It was within our knowledge that she was striving to earn lier own living with her Bowing machine and her stooking knitting machine, and from our; own point; of view it was as a matter of economy necessary that these,' her working tools, should be' preserved for her use. When the writer was officially con* neoted with the Benevolent Society he al ways advocated cutting down weekly doles, but spending money,in lump sums to find destitute persons in any apparati which would enable tliem to get along by themselves,' This view, he advocated long before Mr Ilolmes, MrPaist.or Mr Perry, ever bad any connection with the Society, and today he simply reiterates the.principles which he laid down for. his own guidance when he was .'..Oliaijin'an of the Sooiety. some half; dozep.years ago. be a-wrong one; or may be a" right one, but lie certainly claims to'be consistent, and is prepared to verify bisistatement from the books and records of the Sooiety. But,. aswesaid.before, the administration of charitable aid is a difficult task, and we quite admit wiffi Mr I'eist that for jihose who are engaged in the work it is a thnuklesa task, Still, we believe that Mr Feist'on mfleotion would: admit. that ordinary Xtb,odß of admtoering: obaritable

«* .that ,f a better method can'be followed whiob ia not open to thh objection it ought tj he tried. We hayehad a longer practical experience than either Mr-Holme, or Mr ieistm tbia rmrlioular\rork,BDd wfl.6J.th. we are justify in saying that tbeobjeot to begained ia not the lehef of poor people by giving them «kly grants, but by placing them iMgosmon to earn, their own living. Ihe highest authority on the pauper queetion in New Zealand i 8 probably MrTregoar. In last night's "Post" he is reported to have spoken as follows:-" He was sorry to see it proposed to find food and shelter for nothing in New Zealaud,forit was like the first .step to permanent pauper-1 Ti *, ,Z would I|ke Mr W to «tudy Mr Tregear a little oa the subject; of poor relief. He will find t hat the views which we advocate, and which lie resenta in terms which are discreditable to him are held by the foremost experts of the colony, including Dr. Macgregor, the Government Jnapeotor, Probably, when Messrs Holmes and Feist have had a little more experience astnembersofaßeDe♦olent Society they w fl| recogn j ße that the lines on which they are working are not the best ones.