OUR CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3100, 28 May 1892, Page 2

OUR CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS.

The curious feature of the case reported in another portion of thin issue, which came before a bench of Justices in Hamilton yesterday, is that the old man Hall, chari<od with having no visible lawful means of support, Rtate.s that he has been in tlie colony for a period of sixteen years and that he has not been a resident for six months at any time in any one locality during that time. The 74th clause of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Act provides that any Board may grant relief and recover from the Bfiard of the district in which the person has resided at least six months next before he entered the institution from which he obtained relief; hut, as Mr Turner, the secretary of the Waikato Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, pointed out, he could not afford further relief as the man was clearly not entitled to become a charge upon the Waikato district, providing the statement he made as to his residence was correct; This happens to be just one of those exceptional cases that could scarcely be expected to be provided for under the Act. In order to verify the old man's statement about having been an inmate of the Costley Horre, the police communicated with the authorities of that institution. The following reply was reoeived:—" Charles Hall admitted temporarily into Costlpy Home April 13th ; discharged May 11th. Recovered from illness. Board consider him able to work for his living." Unless the unfortunate old man has gone very infirm since the 11th of this month, it would require a big stretch of the imagination to suppose he could do any work at all. It seems to us that if during the remnnd of eight days granted by the Bench a satisfactory arrangement cannot be come to by the authorities administering charitable aid, the Bench have no option but to commit, as it is clear the case comes under the provisions of the Police Offences Act, as mentioned in the charge, and it is fortunate for the old man that it is so. He has expressed a wish to be committed, and, when told that three months was the longest sentence, regretted that it could not be extended.