PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS.
By J. A. Torrance.
OTAGO BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION.
HE old familiar averment, "The poor ye have always with you," has formed the basis of many appeals on behalf of the poor and needy, and the stern fact of which it takes cognizance—a fact that has asserted itself in every community throughout the civilized world—has led to the formation of those charitable institutions whose name is legion. In the very early days of the Province of Otago poverty in the strict acceptation of the term was unknown. The first immigrants were by no means in affluent circumstances; they were simply a body of respectable and industrious Scotch working people who had the hardihood to launch out from the crowded home of their fathers to make for themselves a home in the Britain of the South. After the first period of inconvenience arising from the complete change from the crowded cities and cultivated districts of Scotland to an uncultivated country still lying in its primitive wildness, the pioneers had at least a sufficiency of the necessaries of life. Their wants were few, their mode of life simple, and delicacies and "appearances," such as prevail in older communities, were not thought of by them. It is true that as time passed by, and the number of immigrants increased, the young settlement once or twice passed through a painful experience. The early settlers had no foe in the shape of a warlike savage to contend with, but they had their sorrows and difficulties and dangers nevertheless. On two or three occasions, owing to the non-arrival of vessels with supplies, the worst of all foes—starvation—cast its dark shadow over the place, some of the necessaries of life being absolutely unattainable. Salt could be, and was, extracted from the waters of the bay by the homely and slow process of boiling in an ordinary pot over an ordinary fire, but flour and oatmeal could not be so easily manufactured. One colonial, writing to a friend in the Home Country, made the doleful statement, "There is but one barrel of meal in the place, and it is sold to people in trouble or for children at fourpence per pound." We would expect to find that man breaking out into loud and harsh grumbling, or expressing himself in tones of abject despair. But no, for with glorious contentment he immediately adds, "But we are all very happy!" Things, however, assumed a serious aspect, and not a few were allowing the conviction to take hold of their minds that a terrible mistake had been made. Even then the voices of the unemployed, crying for work or for bread, were heard, and the Provincial Government were repeatedly under the necessity of placing men on relief works. One gentleman, who was a resident of Dunedin at that time, avers that more than once the office of the Superintendent, Captain Cargill, was besieged by numbers of the wage-earning portion of the population; and a copy of the little newspaper of the day contains a paragraph calling for a meeting of the labouring classes to take into consideration a proposal that had been made to charter a schooner to convey them to some other settlement, where they might have a better prospect of obtaining an honest livelihood. But these occasions were exceptional, and are not indicative of the then normal state of affairs. Of course, cases of need arising from sickness or accident or death now and then occurred, but these were readily met by the kind of tacit brotherhood and the neighbourliness that then characterised the community.
Anomalous as the statement sounds, grim want, in the true meaning of the word, did not appear in Otago until the discovery of the goldfields. By that discovery in 1861 life in the province, and especially in its capital city, Dunedin, was entirely changed. Ship-loads of immigrants of all sorts arrived in rapid succession from the Home Country and from the Australasian colonies. Within the space of one year the population of the province leapt from 12,000 to 30,000; and as a large proportion of the new-comers settled in Dunedin, instances of poverty soon became so marked as to attract attention. As might be expected, some of the new arrivals—individuals and families—were penniless, and at once required assistance to save them from starvation; others were physically and otherwise unfitted for colonial life, especially digger life, with all its risks and hardships and exposure, and numbers of these required help; others, again, leaving their wives and children in Dunedin, set out for the goldfields, and some of these families were left destitute by the desertion or death of the bread-winners, and they also had to be cared for. These and other contingencies in connection with families and individuals, speedily arose, and simultaneous with the opening of the goldfields, and consequent tremendous influx of population, there were calls for the kindly assistance of those to whom the instances of distress became known.
The first public reference to the necessity for some general organization to meet the too rapidly growing poverty took the form of a letter in the Daily Times of January 6th, 1862, and signed "An Old Otago Colonist." As that letter was the first step towards the establishment of the Otago Benevolent Institution—as it was the little seed that developed into that philanthropic organisation—we think it deserves in extenso a place in this narrative. It is as follows:—
"Sir,—With the large accession to our population it will be evident to every one who considers the subject that there must be amongst us those who have arrived in the Province within the past few months a great many persons in distress from various causes—sickness being the principal. Now, Sir, I think the time has arrived when we, in prosperity, should do something to relieve the necessities of those in adversity, who in time of sickness 'cannot dig, and to beg they are ashamed.' It may be said that the hospital is available for such cases, but it is well known that that institution is of limited capacity, is always full to over-flowing, and a great many cases consequently are refused admittance. To come to the point, we want a Benevolent Society formed in Dunedin, having for its object the relief, after proper inquiry, of cases of distress. At present, supposing a rich merchant or fortunate digger desires to make an offering for charitable purposes, there is no authorised person to receive it or organized body to apply it. This, I think, is a matter in which the ladies of Dunedin and its neighbourhood could do really essential service; and, moreover, I am sure that if the case were properly put to them they would join heart and hand in the good cause. To make a practical suggestion, would it not be a good plan to have a fancy bazaar to start the proposed society? I will venture to say that it would be well supported. I enclose my name, and beg to tender my humble services as a working hand to any who are willing to assist in the formation of a 'Dunedin Benevolent Society.' Trusting that these few words will cause a move in the right direction, I am," &c.
(It may here be parenthetically remarked that several years after the publication of that letter, and when the committee and supporters of the Otago Benevolent Institution had a course of usefulness to look back upon, Mr. A. C. Strode, speaking from the chair at the annual meeting, and while giving a resumé of the history and work of the institution from its inception, incidentally alluded to a letter he had written urging the formation of such a society. As the letter of "An Old Otago Colonist" seems to be the only one that ever appeared, it is only reasonable to ascribe its authorship to that gentleman, and to award to him the merit of having been primarily instrumental in bringing into existence that organisation which during the past 25 years has ministered to the wants of thousands of men, women, and children in adverse circumstances, and provided for many homeless orphans.)
That letter quickly bore fruit, and within a month of its appearance a number of Dunedin gentlemen met with the view of giving effect to "An Old Otago Colonist's" suggestion. The movement was warmly supported by the Daily Times, which, in its issue of February 8th, 1862, said:—"With a population hastily attracted to the spot to follow an uncertain pursuit rather than a steady occupation, many must be severe sufferers by non-success. At one time, when every one knew every one, it was felt to be a privilege, rather than otherwise, to offer assistance in time of misfortune. But now, when men are mostly strangers to their nearest neighbours—when each one endeavours to jostle the others in the race after fortune's favours—the game of life has lost its unexciting "live and let live" character; it is played with absorbing interest—the wrapped earnestness of those who stake their all on the hazard of the die. We can speak from absolute knowledge of much actual individual distress existing, which such an institution as a Benevolent Asylum would assist in alleviating. Persons suffering from chronic diseases, not admissible patients to an hospital, convalescents recovering from lengthened illnesses, unfortunates deprived for a time of work and subjected to temporary distress, women deserted by their husbands and children by their parents—these are the cases which do occur, and without the aid of a Benevolent Asylum they must remain unattended to."
Two months later the movement started by "An Old Otago Colonist" took practical shape, and at a meeting held at the office of Mr. A. C. Strode on April 24th, 1862, the Otago Benevolent Institution was formed, and the interim committee then appointed at once issued an appeal to the people of the Province, and took the necessary steps to secure subscriptions and to obtain a measure of government support. The Times of the following day announced the fact, and stated that the new society was established on the most cosmopolitan principle, its objects being "to relieve the aged, infirm, disabled, or destitute of all creeds and nations, and to minister to them the comforts of religion:—
"1. By relieving and maintaining in a suitable building such as may be most benefited by being inmates of the Asylum.
"2. By giving out-door relief in kind to families and individuals in temporary distress.
"3. By affording medical assistance and medicine through the establishment of a dispensary. [The necessity for this provision was obviated by the opening of the out-door consulting department of the Hospital.)
"4. By affording facilities for religious instruction and consolation to the inmates of the Asylum."
The Times again warmly supported the movement, and expressing the opinion that "the most effective form of relief would be an institution subsidised by government, with an independent management, and with private subscriptions," and the belief that "the people of Otago are not hardened by prosperity into indifference to the sharp cry of misery and to the weak wail of helpless want," and would not "rest under the reproach that in a community of undoubted richness there was neglect shown to the claims of charity," the editorial conveying the foregoing information went on to say:—"The principle is a sound one of taxing the whole community for the benefit of the unfortunate amongst its number. Hence, in England, the Poor Law Rate. Here, with a revenue in excess of the requirements of the country, it would be folly to have recourse to special taxation; but no one could grumble that out of the revenue derived from, and the property of the whole country, a portion should be set aside for the relief of the unfortunate.… The institution provides for the relief of the widest divided forms of want and distress. The wife and children unable to procure fuel will not be allowed to perish with cold; the immigrant arriving penniless will be enabled to get a meal and a bed until employment is available to him; the workman temporarily disabled will be able to get temporary relief; the convalescent will not be suffered to remain adrift on the world, unable, from the effects of illness, to cope with its stern necessities; and, lastly, the sufferers from chronic incurable diseases will be enabled to pass their few remaining days on earth, their pains alleviated, as far as can be, instead of being increased by want and exposure, and their religious wants attended to." The writer then leaves the issue of the movement "to the dictation of the nobler instincts."
Other meetings followed in rapid succession, and at a meeting of subscribers, held on May 22nd, at the Athenæum—(then in Manse street), St. John Branigan, Commissioner of Police, in the chair, it was resolved that the Institution be governed by a President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Committee of eight, to be elected annually. At this date the financial condition of the Institution stood thus:—
| Collected by Rev. E. G. Edwards and Messrs Strode, Douglas, Oswin, and Hardcastle | £172 | 19 | 6 |
| Proceeds of Entertainment by the Garrick Club, per B. L. Farjeon | 64 | 7 | 6 |
| Government Grant in Aid of Building | 1000 | 0 | 0 |
| Government Grant in Aid of Maintenance | 250 | 0 | 0 |
| Subscriptions promised | 221 | 1 | 0 |
| £1,708 | 8 | 0 |
As yet such subscriptions as had been received were entirely from the citizens of Dunedin, but 66 lists had been issued to gentlemen in various parts of the Province.
In addition to the grants-in-aid of the building and for maintenance, the Government signified their willingness to grant a site, but ere that question was finally settled, there was vexatious delay and a considerable amount of parleying and of "hope deferred." The first offer of the Government comprised 1¾ acres of the Old Cemetery Reserve at the top of Rattray street, but the Committee decided that, while a piece of land 10 acres in extent was desirable, not less than 5 acres would suffice. On the strength of a promise from Mr. J. H. Harris, Deputy Superintendent, that he would recommend to his Executive "the placing of an amount on the estimates to enable the Committee to purchase an eligible site," the Committee called for tenders for 5 or 10 acres, not exceeding a mile and a half from the Octagon, but there was no response. The second government offer was the right of purchase of 100 acres of the Pine Hill Reserve at £1 per acre, in lieu of the 1¾ acres of the Old Cemetery Reserve. The Pine Hill Reserve, however, was, after careful examination, rejected as a site, owing to its distance from the city and the difficulty of access to it, but it was ultimately secured as an endowment. Owing to the seeming impossibility of securing a more suitable site, the Committee then signified their willingness to accept the 1¾ acres at the Old Cemetery Reserve, but only again to abandon it.
While the erection of a permanent Asylum was thus delayed, urgent cases of distress forced themselves on the attention of the Committee, and they therefore determined to lease some suitable place for a time. In this also they were disappointed, for no proprietors could be found willing to let their buildings for such a purpose. Out-door relief, however, was administered to a steadily-increasing number of applicants, whose cases were carefully inquired into by a sub-committee. At the first general meeting of the subscribers, held in the rooms of the Institution in Farley's Hall, Princes street, the weekly average number of recipients of aid was stated to be 50, no fewer than 10 children being boarded out, and the amount expended weekly in relief was about £25. The report submitted at that meeting stated that "since the formation of this Society relief has been widely distributed, and in several cases your Committee has the satisfaction of reflecting that the existence of this Institution has been the means of rescuing many unfortunate persons from the misery and temptation to which their circumstances exposed them, of turning deserted and orphan children from the paths of vice, and assisting helpless women to maintain themselves in honesty."
After further efforts to secure a suitable site, the uncertainty as to the location of the Asylum, and the inconvenience caused by the non-existence of something of the nature of a home, were at length brought to an end by the purchase, from Mr. J. H. Clapcott, of 8¾ acres on the Caversham Road for the sum of 600; and in the third year of the Institution, a wing of the Asylum building, designed by Mr. A. R. Lawson, was completed at a cost (including purchase of ground) of £3,114 7s. 2d. Of this sum £1,500 was furnished by the Provincial Government. As the years went by that wing was added to, piece by piece, as funds were provided by the Government and by public subscriptions, and now the Province possesses a Refuge for its aged, infirm, and disabled homeless ones, and also for a large number of orphan children, of which it may well be proud. The main building, a magnificent edifice, is built of bricks, consists of three stories, and when the western wing, now near completion, is finished, it will comprise 17 dormitories, capable of accommodating about 60 women; 5 dormitories containing about 60 beds for children; large sitting and sewing rooms for the women; dining-rooms for all the inmates, inclusive of the male adults (separate rooms for the sexes); hospital ward and two maternity wards; kitchen, &c.; and master and matron's and servants' apartments. The Old Men's Home is separate from the main building, and it comprises 6 wards, with 71 beds; 2 large sick wards, with 34 beds; cottage of 4 rooms, with 12 beds; cottage of 2 rooms, with 6 beds; and cottage containing smoking and reading rooms and small separate apartments for 5 men. There are, besides, the necessary outhouses, including large school-room (also used as chapel and lecture-hall), playshed, &c. Altogether, the Asylum can give accommodation to 250 inmates.
It was not contemplated by the promoters of the Institution that it should combine a home for the aged and infirm and an Orphan Asylum as well, and far less that it should take charge of criminal children. But force of circumstances compelled the Committee to receive orphans, and by the "Neglected and Criminal Children's Act, 1867, they were for a time made the legal guardians of such children as were committed under the Act. In consequence of this, and because of the lack of the necessary accommodation, and much to the regret of the Committee, a good many destitute children had to be maintained outside. This inconvenience, however, was remedied by the opening of the Industrial School at Look-out Point, whereby the Benevolent Institution was freed from the onus of caring for young people committed by magistrates. In 1873 it was proposed by a number of ladies that a Foundling Department (presumably for illegitimates) should be formed in connection with the Institution, but the overture met with no favour, and was wisely rejected. Although the poor destitute and orphan children who found a home in the Institution were not embraced in the benevolent aims of its originators, the benefits conferred upon them were, and are, incalculable, and cannot be fully known. All needful provision was made for their proper training for lives of usefulness. In a thoroughly equipped school, with duly qualified teachers, under the supervision of, in the first instance, Mr. (now Dr.) Hislop, and latterly of the Otago Education Board's Inspectors, good secular instruction was imparted; and as the children advanced in years, they were hired out to service, and until they reached manhood and womanhood a kindly control and care for their well-being in all respects were, as far as possible, maintained over them. In the fourteenth year of the Institution there were 25 lads and 13 girls out at service, while in addition, 9 boys and 12 girls had, in the same year, been adopted by respectable families. These numbers respectively have since then been largely added to.
At first, comparatively few persons required assistance from the Institution, but with marked variations their number rapidly grew, by far the largest proportion being children. The preponderance of children is, of course, explained by the fact that as a rule families left destitute, through the illness or death or desertion of the breadwinnners, were ministered to. In the third year the total number of individuals was 592 (27 men, 133 women, and 432 children), but in the sixth year it fell to 456, inclusive of inmates of the Asylum. In the following year the number (out-door and in-door) rose to 728, and increased to 1,171 in the ninth year. Two years later there was a fall to 788, but in the next year the number swelled enormously, to 1,730—more than double. In the fifteenth year there was another fall—to 1422—but in the year following the total rose to 1,551, and from that time there was a steady rise year by year until the year 1888, when the total stood at 4,002. The variations in these figures are indicative of the varying conditions of the Province from prosperity to depression, and vice versa, in common with the other parts of the Colony. Times of depression are always marked by dearth of employment, when there is a necessity for charitable assistance, more or less, to those in enforced idleness. But the extraordinary increase in the number of recipients of aid from the Institution indicated in the foregoing statement was, no doubt, in the first instance chiefly due to the importation from the Home Country of many unsuitable and undesirable immigrants during the operation of the Public Works and Immigration Scheme. Drunkenness and the desertion of wives and children were also prolific causes of family distress; and during the whole history of the Institution scarcely a report was submitted to the subscribers without strong reference being made to the shameful conduct of dissolute husbands and fathers. Disabling and fatal accidents to labourers, while the railways were in course of formation, were also fruitful in adding to the number of the destitute. It is surprising to find that in the fifteenth year of the Institution there were no fewer than 80 widows and 266 fatherless children receiving relief, and that these numbers rose in the year 1883 to 167 and 448 respectively. In the second instance however, the alarming increase in the number of recipients was the very natural consequence of the passing of the "Hospital and Charitable Institutions Act, 1885."
All things considered, the Institution has, from the first, well fulfilled its functions, and now, besides affording out-door relief (as per report for 1888, the latest published) to 4,050 persons, all told, it gives an Asylum to about 180 men and women disabled by age, disease, or accident, and some 60 homeless children, and, in addition, it provides all the benefits of a maternity hospital to women too poor to pay for medical attendance and nursing in their own homes.
Financially, the Institution from its inception had a somewhat hard struggle, and more than once, by reason of the bleak look out, owing to the many calls for assistance and the lack of funds, its conductors seriously entertained the thought of closing the door, but they nevertheless succeeded wonderfully, and far beyond their expectations. Speaking at the tenth annual meeting of the Institution, the Rev. Dr. Stuart cheerily referred to its straitened circumstances and said:—"However dark the prospect seemed, it had always happened that funds were ultimately forthcoming. In the future the Committee would, no doubt, have similar experiences, and meet with similar difficulties, but they would also, without doubt, achieve similar victories." And they did.
As already stated, the Provincial Government, in the first instance, granted £250 towards the maintenance of the Institution. In the third year the Council voted £1000 for the like purpose, with a further sum of £500 towards the support of orphan and destitute children; the Government grant, thereafter, to be £2 for every £1 subscribed. In the sixth year, however, the subsidy was increased to £3 for every £1 subscribed, but the amount was afterwards reduced to £ for £. The public subscriptions (shillings and pence omitted) varied from £172 in the first year to £1,058 in the ninth year, and from £996 in the tenth year to £3,411 in the twenty-second year. In the twenty-third year they fell to £2,462, and in the year following, when the "Hospital and Charitable Institutions Act" came into operation, and did away with the absolute necessity for voluntary subscriptions, to £512, and two years later to £448. But as the yearly cost (all expenses told) far exceeded the subscriptions and Government subsidies, recourse to other ways of raising funds was necessary. These took the form of entertainments, bazaars, and carnivals. The first movement of the kind, in anticipation of, and to further, the formation of the Institution, and which yielded the sum of £64 9s. 6d, was the Garrick Club entertainment in 1862, under the direction of Mr. B. L. Farjeon. In 1864 a Committee of ladies successfully conducted a bazaar, which, with a concert and ball by Mr. Lyster, placed the sum of £1,717 in the hands of the Committee; and in the following year a bazaar, held in the Universal Bond, realised £1,026. In 1876 the opening of Guthrie and Larnach's large buildings (since destroyed by fire) was celebrated by a Carnival in aid of the Institution, £3,000 (with Government subsidy) being the result. In 1878 a second Carnival, held in A. and T. Inglis' premises, yielded £3,448, inclusive of subsidy. By a third Carnival, held in the Garrison Hall in 1880, the Institution secured £4,594, including subsidy. Two years later another Carnival, held in Mr. Donald Reid's Wool and Grain Store, resulted in the addition of £1,826 to the Institution's funds; and in 1884, the twenty-second year of the Institution, a Committee-in-Aid, directed by Mr. Vincent Pyke, carried to a successful issue a scheme, comprising concerts, lectures, dramatic entertainments, gift auction, &c. By that effort the Institution gained £1,661.
Though the letter of "An Old Otago Colonist" was fruitful in leading to the formation of the Institution, the suggestion thrown out by the writer to "rich merchants and successful diggers," who might desire "to make an offering for charitable purposes," has, as yet, been almost resultless. The only offering on a large scale was the anonymous but generous gift of £300 in the year 1881 from a citizen of Dunedin for the support of orphan children. Three years previously, however, the Institution received the large sum of £7,515 for investment, being a portion of the accumulated profits on deposits in the Dunedin Savings Bank. For this handsome donation the Committee were indebted to the Trustees of the Bank, and to the Honourables W. H. Reynolds and Mr. (now Sir) Robert Stout, who carried the measure through Parliament. That the gentlemen in whose hands in the course of the years the affairs of the Institution were placed have wisely fulfilled their trust is evidenced by the fact that, after affording relief to many thousands of persons, and a home to many hundreds, the value of the Institution's endowments, as at March 31st, 1889, was £20,515, These comprise the Caversham property (on which stands the Asylum, Old Men's Home, &c.), the Pine Hill and Saddle Hill properties, and investments to the amount of £11,910.
While a goodly number of the colonists gave fair support to the Institution as the years went by—some, indeed, more liberally than could justly be expected of them—many well-to-do settlers persistently manifested a disposition to ignore its claims. On this point severe reflections were repeatedly made in the annual reports. Such sentences as the following have a painful sound:—"There are some very wealthy people in this Province, in town and country, who have vast quantities of land, who do not contribute towards the funds of the Institution to the same extent as people of far less means." "While many have subscribed, and do subscribe liberally, there is a large class of the community who contribute nothing towards the help of the destitute, the sick, the afflicted, and the widows and orphans." "It is to be regretted that a large proportion of the wealthy classes of the Provincial District do not subscribe, as reference to the subscription list will at once show." These are samples of the complaints made. This discreditable apathy on the part of men who ranked as successful colonists, and their unwillingness voluntarily to share the general burden, no doubt had something to do with the passing of the "Hospital and Charitable Institutions Act, 1885," under which authority was given to counties, boroughs, and road boards, to levy rates for the support of such institutions. By that Act, while, as was predicted, it increased the number of applicants, the scope of the Benevolent Institution's operations was largely extended, and it now gives relief to the poor of eight counties, twenty-eight boroughs, and two road board districts, besides providing an hospital for incurables, a maternity hospital, and an Asylum for orphan and homeless children. In this connection a proposition, made at the twenty-second annual meeting of the Society by Mr. John Bathgate (now deceased), may be noted. Deploring the large increase in the number of applicants for relief, and consequent increased expenditure (as in the previous ten years), in the course of which the outlay, all expenses told, rose from £3,030 to £7,868), he moved:—"That a memorial be framed and forwarded to the Government by the Committee, on behalf of this meeting, strongly recommending that an Empowering Act be passed, under which Elective Boards for the administration of charitable aid may be formed and incorporated in districts of convenient size, as regards area and population; that funds be provided by requisition on the local governing bodies within the area, who may be authorised to meet the same from the ordinary rates, or from special assessments; that unpaid overseers and assistants be appointed by the Boards, by whom all investigations shall be made, and relief, where necessary, distributed, as has been successfully carried out in Elberfeld (in Germany), New York, and other cities which have adopted the plan." Speaking to the motion, Mr. Bathgate said that the result of the scheme, as regarded Elberfeld, was that in five years the number of paupers was reduced from 4,000 to 1,500, and the expenditure from £7,000 to £2,600. Sketching the system, he stated that—"The town (equal in size to that of Dunedin) was divided into districts, and each had a certain number of visitors, and each visitor had four paupers to look after. The best families were called upon to serve, and they did it with the happiest results. In Elberfeld everything was scrutinised to the utmost degree, while, at the same time, a feeling of kindness and sympathy prevailed betwixt those who received relief and those who gave it. Parties receiving relief found out in abuses were sent to gaol. The system had been tried in New York, Boston, and various other towns, with excellent effect." The motion was carried unanimously, and remitted to the Committee for consideration, but nothing further came of it.
As has been already stated, at the meeting of the Interim Committee in May, 1862, at which the Institution was formed, it was decided that it should be governed by a President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Committee of eight (afterwards increased to nine), to be elected annually. In the third year Trustees were added. It goes without saying, therefore, that from first to last a large number of gentlemen co-operated in the philanthropic work for which the Institution was established. Of those who throughout a course of years took a prominent part in the work, Mr. A. C. Strode, Mr. E. B. Martin, Mr. James Fulton, and many others, are still to the fore; but others of revered memory have gone to their rest. The names of Sir John Richardson, St. John Branigan, J. H. Harris, James Wilkie, John Bathgate, and Alexander Rennie, will long be held in kindly and grateful remembrance. Formerly the Committee and office-bearers were all elected by the subscribers, but now, under the Charitable Aid Act, and under the name of Board of Trustees seven of the Committee are elected by the Charitable Aid Board, and two by the subscribers to the Institution, the Committee being left to appoint their own Chairman and Treasurer. The first office-bearers and Committee consisted of Major Richardson, President; Mr. J. H. Harris, Vice-President; Mr. Day, Treasurer; and Messrs A. C. Strode, St. John Branigan, Julius Vogel, Douglas, Rattray, C. H. Street, Casper, and Henry Cook.
.jpg)
KNOX CHURCH, DUNEDIN.
Messrs A. C. Strode, St. John Branigan, and R. B. Martin, were the first Trustees. Mr. Strode gave 17 years' service to the Institution as member of Committee, Vice-President, President, and Trustee; Mr. Martin gave 20 years; and Mr. A. Rennie, the last President under the original system, also 20 years. The office-bearers and Committee for this year (1889) are: Mr. A. Solomon, Chairman; Mr. Charles Haynes, Treasurer; and Messrs John Carroll, James Green, Michael Fagan, George Calder, W. D. Stewart, W. Isaac, and R. Chisholm. For five years Drs. T. M. Hocken and F. Richardson (the latter now deceased) jointly acted as medical officers, and thereafter Dr. Hocken held the position for 17 years, he being succeeded by Dr. W. M. Stenhouse. As the Asylum now embraces an hospital for incurables and a maternity hospital, the duties of the medical officers are necessarily much more onerous than in years past. For 16 years Mr A. Boot held the office of Hon. Dentist to the Institution, and Mr. Septimus Myers now acts in that capacity. From the first the religious interests of the inmates of the Asylum were attended to. In the first instance Bible instruction was imparted daily to the children by the school teachers, and for 17 years Mr. James McFie (now deceased) held the position of Chaplain. Upon that gentleman's retirement, through failing health, the work was taken up by the Caversham representatives of the Presbyterian, Anglican, and Wesleyan Churches. Miss Coxhead was the first Governess appointed, and since her retirement (in 1873) the office has been held in turn by Misses Wilson, Ferens, and Hilgendof, the last-named lady having only lately been appointed. Of those who have held the responsible position of Manager and Secretary, Mr. Richard Quinn (now deceased) is remembered with respect. The office of Secretary is now ably filled by Mr. A. Clulee, and under the careful management of Mr. and Mrs. Mee, Master and Matron, the Asylum progresses peacefully and satisfactorily.
THE INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL.
The name with which this sketch is headed is doubly suggestive. On the one hand, the existence of an Industrial School in any community is indicative of grievous demoralisation of a section of its people, and of their criminal disregard of the sacred interests of the children of whom they are the parents or custodians; on the other hand, it bespeaks wise and humane forethought and action on the part of the powers that be. The necessity for Industrial Schools is matter for regret; but their establishment evidences the noble purpose to rescue from a career of crime, and to train for useful and respectable citizenship, the little ones born and reared in haunts of pollution and infamy. Not only for the sake of the poor children so unfortunately circumstanced, but also for the welfare of the State, preventive measures are imperative. It is an old and a true saying that "prevention is better than cure"—and cheaper too; and even on the low and selfish ground of cost, and apart from the consideration of the benefit accruing to the country from the well-doing of those rescued, it is beyond question that—confining ourselves to our own Industrial School from its inception until now—the thousands of pounds expended in feeding and clothing and educating its inmates have saved tens of thousands that would otherwise have been spent in restraining and punishing most of them, and that the care by the State of the children of criminal parents has prevented the necessity for the increase of gaol accommodation. "They haven't a chance, sir!—they haven't a chance!" was the indignant exclamation of one who listened to the sad tale of one of the young Arabs of old Edinburgh, a boy of twelve, who had just been turned out of prison, but had no abode to go to worthy of the name of home. In this lesser and younger Edinburgh, after the opening of the goldfields, and consequent influx of mixed population, children that "hadn't a chance" attracted attention, and the State in mercy and in self-defence stepped in to ensure to them the birth-right denied them by their dissolute and criminal parents. "We laugh at the Turk," says the late Rev. Dr. Guthrie in his "City—Its Sins and Sorrows," "who builds hospitals for dogs, but leaves his fellow-creatures to die uncured and uncared for. And doing so, we forget that dogs and horses enjoy by act of Parliament a protection from cruelty among ourselves, which is denied to those whose bodies and whose souls we leave savage parents to neglect and starve. I lay it down as a principle which cannot be controverted, and which lies, indeed, at the very foundations of society, that no man shall be allowed to rear his family a burden, and a nuisance, and a danger to the community. He has no more right to rear wild men and wild women, and let them loose among us, than to rear tigers and wolves, and send them abroad in our streets. What four-footed animal is so dangerous to the community as that animal which unites the uncultivated intellect of a man to the uncontrollable passions of a beast?" As there was no law of compulsion that could reach such parents, the Legislature passed a law which deprived them of the dangerous power they possessed; and hence the establishment of the Industrial School.
The first step towards meeting the necessities of the children of the very poor in Dunedin, was the passing of a vote by the Provincial Council in 1863, for the maintenance of Free Schools; but the honour of initiating such schools seems to be due to a lady named Mrs. O'Rafferty. Pitying the children she noticed running wild in the streets, at her own cost, and on her own responsibility, she rented a small apartment in St. Andrew street, and engaged and paid a competent female teacher, Mrs. O'Rafferty herself holding the position of superintendent. She also visited the homes of the poor, and in a short time the necessity for some such provision was made manifest by the class-room, capable of accommodating between 50 and 60, being found to be too small for the number of applicants for admission and for the proper discipline of the children. Owing to the urgent need for a larger room, and the additional expense being beyond her resources, Mrs. O'Rafferty brought her scheme under the notice of the authorities, and Mr. (now Dr.) Hislop, secretary to the Education Board, having inspected her school, and reported of it very favourably, the Government granted from the amount voted by the Provincial Council a liberal allowance in aid of her philanthropic effort. Her movement also won the approval of a number of gentlemen, who formed themselves into a committee to co-operate with the Government and with her, and with other ladies disposed to join in the work; with the result that the Government leased a piece of ground in Bath street, and placed on it one of the large buildings that formed the military barracks, vacated by the withdrawal of the Imperial troops. The daily average attendance then rose to about 80. The marked success of that mission, and the call for similar measures in other parts of the town, led to the opening of a Free School in Stafford street by Mrs. Dr. T. Burns and other ladies, and to a like effort in Pelichet Bay. Independently of these schools, however, the Government made every possible endeavour to ensure the proper education of children whose parents were too poor to pay school fees—first, by empowering school committees to remit in such cases the whole or a portion of the fees; and secondly, by providing for the payment by the School Board of 10s. per annum for every child taught gratuitously at the District Schools.
But while the Free Schools were of incalculable advantage to the young people received into them, they did not meet the need of a growing class of children who had the misfortune to be under the control, and thereby subject to the vicious example, of drunken and profligate parents or so-called guardians. In 1866 there were known to be over 100 such children in Dunedin and suburbs, many of whose names had appeared in the criminal records of the province. Referring to this startling fact, Dr. Hislop, in his report to the Hon. T. Dick, chairman of the Education Board, said: "It has become a question of the greatest urgency and importance what steps are to be taken on behalf of these unfortunates. The Free Schools do not at all meet their case; for no real good can be expected from their attendance at an ordinary day school, however efficiently conducted, as long as they are exposed to the counteracting and degrading influences of wicked and criminal home or street example and associations. In fact, the presence of those children in our ordinary day schools is greatly to be deprecated, as it cannot fail to exert a most pernicious influence on the children of honest and respectable parents; and unless means are taken to separate them entirely from their profligate relatives, and to renovate and raise their moral nature, their mere instruction and progress in secular learning may be productive of evil rather than of good to the community in after years."
It was the condition of these poor children that suggested to Mr. St. John Branigan, Commissioner of Police, in consultation with Dr. Hislop and Mr. (now Sir) J. Vogel, at that time Provincial Treasurer, the necessity for an Industrial School "for the proper education and training of vagrant and neglected children, under entire seclusion from their profligate relatives and other adverse influences." As prompt action was urgently called for, a temporary erection on a portion of the Hospital Reserve at the Octagon (on which the City Council Chambers and Fire Brigade Station now stand) was at first thought of, to be succeeded by a permanent institution in some country district, where the boys might be taught farm work, and the girls be trained to become useful servants and dairymaids. The late Mr Macandrew and Sir J. Vogel entered heartily into the project. The former gentleman, just then elected to the position of Superintendent of the Province, in his opening address to the Provincial Council, said: "There are various questions deeply affecting the moral welfare of the community—indeed, I may say its future safety—which it seems to me to be imperatively necessary we should deal with at once. I would allude especially to the serious evil which is growing and festering in our midst—viz., the large number of children, the offspring of profligate parents, who may be said to be homeless, and who are being utterly neglected, or trained up to vicious habits. It appears to me that the State must in self-defence take steps to repress this evil. It will cost us much less to do so now than it will by-and-bye. I believe an Industrial School, which might be made to a large extent self-supporting, would be the most effective remedy. There is an excellent site for such a purpose at Look-out Point upon the thirty acres reserved for a lunatic asylum some years ago." The Council favourably received the proposition, and promptly passed a vote for the purpose, and also an empowering ordinance prepared by Mr. Haggitt, Provincial Solicitor. A slight hitch was caused, however, by the discovery that the powers proposed to be given to magistrates could only be conferred by an Act of the General Assembly; but no time was lost, and through the efforts of Mr. Macandrew and Sir J. Vogel, "The Neglected and Criminal Children's Act, 1867," was passed by the Assembly.
The Provincial Government then proceeded with the work. The site proposed by Mr. Macandrew at Look-out Point was approved of, ten acres of it being appropriated for the School. It was determined that the building should be of brick, but as the amount voted was insufficient to complete it, only a portion adequate to meet immediate requirements was erected. That portion—a good land-mark, as seen from the lower-ground on either side—has never been added to. As the years went by, however, and the number of children increased, and especially during the years 1874–7, when through the Public Works and Immigration Scheme, occurred a tremendous influx from the Home Country of most undesirable immigrants, more accommodation had to be provided. Temporary wooden buildings were therefore supplied. First, the building previously used as the City Hospital (which had been transferred from the Octagon to the Exhibition building in Great King street), and in 1878 the Scarlet Fever Hospital on the Town Belt; all of which were removed to and re-erected on the school site.
In January, 1869, the Industrial School was quietly and informally opened by the reception into it of a few boys and girls from the Benevolent Institution, and from that day, and from all parts, a steady stream set in of children committed by magistrates. As already indicated, the great increase took place during the years 1874–7, and from the first until now, upwards of 1800 have been enrolled in the books of the institution. At the end of October of this year (1889) there were 486 on the books. Of these, 83 boys and 43 girls were in the school, 29 boys and 12 girls were with friends under license, 180 of the youngest boys and girls were boarded out, 136 (of whom about 60 were girls) were hired out to service, three were in other institutions, and one of them in the Blind Asylum, Melbourne. All children committed to the school are detained till they reach the age of fifteen; but, irrespective of age, they can be hired out when they pass the fourth standard; and in whatever part of the country they may be, a kindly supervision is maintained over them till they attain their majority. This, as regards the boys, is done through persons in responsible positions, and, as regards the girls, through lady inspectors, who report half-yearly. The master of the school is virtually the parent of the young people, and all their business transactions are managed by him. He makes terms with their employers on their behalf, receives the amount of their wages quarterly, and these are banked in their respective names, with the names of Mr. Titchener (the master) and Mr. H. Houghton as trustees. Employers also, when remitting payments to Mr. Titchener, give quarterly returns as to health, state of clothing, and general conduct, the forms for which are supplied when accounts for wages are sent them. The writer has before him quite a pile of these returns. The topmost one, referring to a boy, runs thus:—"Health—Good, plucky, cheerful. State of clothing—Very good. General conduct—Always keeping the same—quiet, willing, honest, trustworthy, and tidy." The next in order, referring to a girl whose parentage is as bad as bad can be, states:—"Health—As usual, excellent. State of clothing—In good order, and she has a full supply of all she needs. General conduct—Very good, and she is growing up to be a happy girl, willing to learn all she can." These examples will suffice. Bearing in mind that more than one thousand five hundred boys and girls have thus been dealt with, it can readily be understood that their withdrawal from debasing home surroundings, or from a neglected life, confers incalculable benefit not only upon themselves, but also upon the colony at large. It is an interesting fact that at this time the Trustees have in their possession 200 bank books, with credit balances amounting in all to close upon £2000, belonging to lads and girls hired out, or who are still under 21 years of age. While they are in their minority the money is laid out for them according to their requirements, and when they become of age, enter the marriage state before they become of age, or embark in suitable business of some kind, the balance to their credit is paid over to them. Thus, during the year ending November 11th, 1889, close upon £700, in sums varying from £5 to £83, was paid to fifteen young men and women released from control; and during the sixteen months ending November, 1889, over £500, in sums varying from £1 up to £45, was paid to, or laid out on behalf of, fifty lads and girls still on the books, but at service. As showing the habit of thrift engendered, and the confidence of those who have been subject to the discipline of the institution, it is worthy of mention that recently a young man (a former inmate, and now in the North Island) forwarded £100 to Mr. Titchener to be banked in the usual way for safe keeping.
As already stated, the children receive ordinary school teaching up to the fourth standard; but when they are hired out, their further education is ensured as far as possible by arrangement with the employers; and when they are boarded out, their schooling is carefully looked to. Music is one prominent feature of the instruction imparted, and about thirty of the boys in the Home form a remarkably good brass band, and practice daily under the leadership of Mr. Hugh Titchener (son of the Master of the Institution). That this training is not lost upon them is shown by the fact that some time ago, when Mr. Titchener, the Master, was on a furlough to Victoria, he met with several of his former band boys. They had grown to manhood, and were in various places connected with bands, one of them actually holding the position of leader of a musical association. If, however, that constituted all the proof of the success of the institution in producing good and useful men and women, it would not be much to boast of. But there is much more important and reliable evidence. The half-yearly reports from male and female inspectors, and quarterly returns from the masters and mistresses of those hired out, have already been noted; but in addition to these, and apart from innumerable and valuable letters from the boys and girls themselves, there are thousands of communications from employers and others, all bearing testimony to progress in well-doing; and, further, from the first separate records of all the young people who have passed through the school, from time of committal until final release, have been kept. In this connection may be mentioned an incident in the life of the late Dr. Guthrie, to whom allusion has already been made in this sketch. At a public meeting, the children of his Edinburgh Ragged School were spoken contemptuously of as "scum," whereupon the Doctor, under a fiery impulse, snatched up a clean sheet of note paper from before the Duke of Manchester, the chairman, and exclaimed with ringing eloquence, "This was once 'scum'—once foul, dirty, wretched rags. What is it now? In it—now white as the snows of heaven—may be seen an emblem of the material we send out, and of the work our school has achieved and is achieving!" As in the case of the old Edinburgh Ragged School, so in that of the young Edinburgh Industrial School—the results have exceeded the most sanguine expectations of its promoters. The writer has at hand a large number of returns of children found in the most unfavourable circumstances in different parts of the country and committed to the school. A few taken at random may be cited:—Emma H., 9 years, and Stephen H., 7 years, committed in 1868. Found in an infamous home, while mother in gaol. The girl now married and doing well on the West Coast; the lad an industrious and respectable workman. 2. James P., 8 years, illegitimate and homeless, committed in 1868. Working steadily, and has at present £18 to his credit. 3. Louisa, Eliza, Ellen, Eva, and Ada W., aged respectively 9½, 8, 7, 5½, and 3½ years, committed in 1868. Deserted by father, and mother an abandoned woman and in gaol. All except the youngest now married, and all living worthy lives. 4. Jessie and George M., 9 and 10 years, committed in 1869. Found in an infamous house, in which they were brought up from infancy. Father a convicted thief, and mother an abandoned woman. Jessie now married to a respectable man in good business, and George pursuing his way most creditably. 5. Henry and Robert R., 8 and 4 years, committed in 1869. Mother a transported convict, and father also a convicted thief. Henry and Robert have grown to be good men. 6. Isabella, Eliza, James, and David W., 10, 9, 5, and 2 years, committed in 1870. Found homeless and neglected. Father an elderly and sickly man, and mother drunken and of abandoned life. Eliza is well married, James is also married, and all are living worthy lives and prospering. 7. Edmund W., 10 years, committed in 1869. Convicted of theft, and said to have been for three years trained systematically to thieving. Has £14 now to his credit; doing well. 8. Anne F., 12 years, committed in 1870. Convicted of theft and vagrancy. Married and received balance of her earnings, about £20; doing well. 9. Thomas G., 11 years, committed in 1874. Convicted of theft. Father a transported convict, and mother also a notorious thief. Is now a farmer in partnership with his brother, also a former inmate, and both living industriously and respectably. The balance of Thomas's earnings, amounting to £15, was handed to him when he took up the land. These illustrative cases, taken indiscriminately from a mass, show conclusively (to quote the words of Dr. Guthrie), "the work which our school has achieved and is achieving." It of course goes without saying that some of those who pass through the school fall into evil ways, and when such an instance occurs, there are always people thoughtless enough to see in it evidence of the futility of the institution as a reforming power. If, however, a moment's consideration be given to the vile surroundings from which the children are plucked, the horribly immoral and drunken scenes daily and nightly witnessed by them, the blasphemous and obscene language that continually falls upon their ears, and which they learn to utter, the unholy impressions made upon their minds, and which can never through life be effaced from memory, and the impure and criminal habits they are led to form from their earliest years—when all this is considered, apart from the law of heredity, the marvel is that instead of the number of lapsed cases being under 10 per cent., it is not over 90 per cent.
The work of organising the truly philanthropic institution thus so successfully conducted, was entrusted to Dr. Hislop and Mr. St. John Branigan. The latter gentleman was also appointed Inspector of the school, and upon him devolved the duty of framing the regulations that have operated so beneficially to the "inmates." Upon his removal to Wellington in 1870 he was succeeded as Inspector by Dr. Hislop, who held the position until he, too, was removed to the seat of Government in 1878. Though Dr. Hislop then necessarilly retired from that office, his connection with the school to the present time has been uninterrupted. By the transference of all the Industrial Schools of the colony from the Department of Justice to that of Education the control of the Caversham institution devolved upon him, as Secretary for Education; and since his return to Dunedin in 1886, he has with his former warmth discharged the duties of Official Visitor. Mr. Branigan, also, upon his return from the north, laboured with deep interest and sympathy on the school's behalf until he was laid aside by his final illness. The "Times," of September, 16th, 1873, speaking of his connection with it, said:—"Mr. Branigan may be regarded as its founder. To him belongs the honour of suggesting its necessity, of having carefully nursed it in its infancy, and of having mainly contributed towards bringing it to its present admittedly high state of efficiency." It was his official return, given in his capacity of Commissioner of Police, that "revealed in all its hideousness and loathsomeness" the evil to be grappled with.
The school, up to the present time, has been fortunate in having as its Masters two gentlemen eminently possessing the special qualifications for the work. Mr Britton, chosen by Mr Branigan, was the first appointed, and until his death in 1876, after a short illness, the institution made steady progress under his management. In his obituary notice it was stated that he "found the place a bleak and barren waste, and left it a well sheltered, pleasant, and richly-cultivated garden. With him, as with other devoted men, the ruling passion was strong in death. During his short and painful illness, the concerns of the institution and the interests of its youthful inmates were ever in his mind, and it may be said that he died with their names on his lips." After seven years' service in that capacity he was succeeded by the present Master, Mr. Elija Titchener, who has shown himself to be a man of a kindred spirit, and under his superintendence the institution has expanded to its present dimensions. Mrs. Britton, the first mistress, was a true helpmate to her husband, and Mr. Titchener has also had earnest coadjutors in his wife, the second and present mistress, and in two of his sons, at different periods head teachers of the school. From the first, Dr. Burns of Dunedin has honourably held the responsible position of medical officer. Mr. Collie was the first teacher, and since his removal to Burnham, where he died, that office has been filled successively by Mr. Neish, Mr. James, Mr. John Titchener (who, while yet a young and promising man, died in harness), Miss Christie, and Mr. Hugh Titchener, who now does earnest duty, and also acts as Bandmaster.
H.M. GAOL.
A good many years ago an Otago up-country journal very warmly congratulated the district it represented on the evidences of progress afforded by the erection of two new buildings, one of them being—a gaol. It did not seem to strike the writer that the progress indicated by the addition to its structures of a place of incarceration for evil-doers was scarcely a matter for gratulation, but one rather to be deplored. Unfortunately, wherever civilised communities are formed, there in due course the "progressive" gaol becomes a necessity. In the first days of the Otago settlement there seems to have been no urgent call for a prison, but as the years went by and the population slowly increased, breakers of the law forced the question of the establishment of a place of penal confinement on the attention of the authorities. At first, however, the culprits were nothing worse than jolly runaway sailors, with a slight occasional sprinkling of petty offenders, mainly through drink. There appears to be no means of knowing what Dunedin's first gaol was like, but it is probable that the second was a fac-simile of the first, possibly slightly enlarged. At all events, the first prison could not have been more simple and primitive than the second. The first official reference takes the form of an intimation in the Provincial Government Gazette of February 4th, 1854, that £75 had been voted as gaoler's salary for the year, and £60 for prisoners' rations. On December 20th following, the appointment of Mr. Henry Monson to be gaoler was announced; and on the 27th of the same month the Gazette stated that the gaoler's salary was raised to £50 for the ensuing half-year, with £65 as the appropriation for prisoners' rations and contingencies. That the first prison was constructed on the assumption that all prisoners would be as docile as lambs, is evidenced by the fact that nothing of the nature of strong rooms or solitary cells had been thought of. But the need for some such accommodation apparently made itself felt, and accordingly we find His Honor the Superintendent, Captain Cargill, forwarding the following message to Parliament:—"On the urgent requisition of the sheriff and the gaoler that two cells should be added, with some little extension of the accommodation for the gaoler, so as to include a lock-up (presumably for refractories), a press for his stores and rations, and a place for the wheelbarrows and tools when not in use, and deeming the same to be reasonable and necessary, I recommend a further appropriation for this purpose not exceeding £20." This gaol was short lived, as on October 22nd, 1855, it was destroyed by fire. One interesting circumstance connected with this event deserves mention. At that time there was but one prisoner, and, prisoner though he was, he made strenuous efforts to save the building. He did not succeed, but he was saved from further confinement, the remainder of his sentence being remitted in consideration of the service he rendered. The erection of a new gaol was at once set about, but pending its completion, a portion of the Immigration Barracks in Princes street south was used as a temporary prison.
Whatever appearance the first gaol presented, the one that succeeded it was not, as an architectural structure, of a character to awaken admiration; nor, indeed, is the present one. It was a one-storied timber building about 24 feet long by 16 feet wide, with a row of narrow open bunks, immigrant-ship fashion, running down each side, and an open passage between the rows, entrance to the bunks being effected endways. Into this dormitory light was meagrely admitted from the Bay side through two or three small windows, with thin perpendicular iron bars, fixed on with screws. At the outer end of one of the rows of bunks were two closed-in solitary cells, or strong-rooms, if the word strong can in this connection be applied to ordinary planks of wood and to a wooden door. Seeing that, in many instances the world over, massive stone walls and iron doors have failed to prevent the escape of men of the Jack Shepherd class, it goes without saying that the matchboard cells of the old Dunedin Gaol were altogether inadequate to frustrate the efforts of even less desperate men bent on regaining their liberty. More than one broke out and escaped, only, however, to be recaptured; and one man, known as "Hobartown Jack," to whom a fellow-prisoner had passed a tomahawk through between the window bars, was only prevented from chopping the frail thing to pieces by a superior force overcoming him. This tiny and slim erection, which was suggestive of the idea of a travelling wild beasts' menagerie, stood on the present gaol site. Adjoining it was a yard about 60 feet by 40 feet, and both the prison and the yard, with the gaoler's residence, another small wooden edifice facing Stuart street, were surrounded by a paling fence six feet high, and with the rails placed inside. Without the aid of the rails as steps, however, any man of ordinary stature who objected to the deprivation of his liberty, could easily have hoisted himself over such a wall. The gaol lengthways faced the bay, the water of which washed up to the foot of the fence. On the opposite side of the street was the gaol garden (the ground now occupied by Findlay and Co.'s saw mill), and there the few prisoners reared vegetables for their and the gaoler's use. Making all allowance for the annoyance caused by occasional disturbing characters, life in that prison seems to have been, like the place itself, simple and primitive in the extreme. It has been currently reported from the early days of the Province, that the inmates of the gaol, with their custodian, formed a very happy family, and that Mr. Monson was wont to freely send numbers of them into town on errands, and even sometimes to grant them permission to take a stroll, with the warning, however, that if they were not back by lock-up hour they would not be admitted. Such was Dunedin gaol as late as 1858. But it was not destined to continue,—that is, as the Dunedin prison—though for several years afterwards it still served the purpose of a dormitory. The increase in population, and in the proportionate number of prisoners, necessitated the erection in 1860 of a larger and stronger prison—the stone building that now forms the western portion of the present gaol; and shortly afterwards the debtors' prison, was built—the iron building that now forms the eastern end facing the bay. (In the year 1874, when the Abolition of Imprisonment for Debt Act was passed, this portion of the gaol ceased to be a debtors' prison, and it was then turned into a dormitory for female prisoners). The additional accommodation was not provided too soon, for in the following year (1861) the goldfields were discovered, and then hordes of all classes poured into the colony from near and far, and among the newcomers were too many of a decidedly criminal stamp. Then also was formed the large and efficient police force, under the superintendence of Commissioner St. John Branigan; and so well did Mr. Branigan's men cope with the evil-doers, that in the space of twelve months the new gaol, as well as the old building, was crowded to such an extent that the then commodious chapel had to be used as a sleeping place. The contrast between the gaol of 1855 and that of 1862 may here be emphasised. In the first-mentioned year, when the prison was destroyed by fire, it had only one prisoner; in 1862, with all the large additions, the accommodation was altogether too inadequate—seven years' "progress" with a vengeance. But the tide turned, and—also through the vigour and watchfulness of Mr. Branigan's force—many of the criminal newcomers found Otago to be an unfavourable field for their operations, and deeming discretion to be the better part of valour, they gradually, upon their release, betook themselves from the colony, to the relief of the colony and of the gaol.
The stone prison was too manifestly not built with a knowledge of what a prison should be. The ground floor is faulty enough in all conscience, and difficult to work, but as regards the upper storey, if the designer had intended to place all power in the hands of the prisoners, and to make their control a work of immense difficulty and continual source of danger to the officers, he could not have succeeded better in his purpose. It is a perfect labyrinth—cells within cells, and corridors within corridors. There are a few single cells, in four small groups, as widely apart from each other as the walls of the building will allow; but for the most part the cells are absurdly large, and were made to accommodate as many as eight, ten, twelve, and in one instance even sixteen men, in double tiers of bunks (one above the other), placed lengthways against the four walls, and to get to the single cells it is (or was) necessary for the warders, in discharge of their nightly inspection, or in the case of the sickness or sham-sickness of a prisoner, to pass between the tiers with their occupants. It will thus be seen that the internal construction is such as to afford every facility for conspiracy and sudden attack, and to place the officers at a dreadful disadvantage. The marvel is that the institution has existed so long without any very serious thing occurring, especially in the desperate days of '61–3. But, of course, no gaoler in his senses would place known dangerous men, or even doubtful men, in circumstances so favourable to themselves. Of late years the danger has been very much reduced by the removal of the double tiers of bunks, and the erection of iron gratings with locks. Still, as a gaol the building is extremely defective and inconvenient; but no doubt it will ere long be superseded by a prison formed on sounder principles, and more worthy of the name.
In the years 1870 and 1879 large accessions were made to the inmates of Dunedin gaol by the arrival of two batches of Maori prisoners from the North Island, the first being Waikato warriors taken in the field, the second the disturbers of the peace who knocked down the settlers' fences at Parihaka. The Waikato men were a fine, noble body. They conducted themselves with amazing good humour, and joined heartily, as if in competitive spirit with the white men, on the works in various places. They were treated with great kindness and leniency, and everything possible was done to lessen the bitterness of their imprisonment and enforced absence from their homes. So soon, however, as it became evident that the deprivation of their liberty was telling on their health, the Government promptly released them, and conveyed them back to their native hills. It is a pleasing fact that subsequently these men refused to take up arms against the Government, and the Waikato tribe have remained friendly ever since. The Parihaka men, a mixture of pure Maoris and half-castes, and who partook much more of the mischievous larrikin than of the noble, patriotic warrior, were also treated with special leniency, and after a short incarceration, they, too, were liberated and sent to their homes.
For several years also a few lunatics were located in the gaol, where for want of proper facilities they were a source of annoyance; but when the Lunatic Asylum was opened, they were removed to more suitable quarters. One amusing incident connected with lunatic life in gaol may not be deemed out of place in this sketch. One insane man, ordinarily a happy-souled being, but who, like many other insane persons, could show method in his madness, was peremptorily told by an officer to clean his (the officer's) long boots, and to "do them well." The officer's tone seems to have grated on the man's spirit, but he quietly answered, "Yes, sir, I'll do them well." In due course the boots were returned, shining to brilliancy. Forthwith the officer inserted his right foot, and, after it was down half-way, and with his fingers in the straps, and drawing himself together for the grand effort, he sent the foot home with a jerk, when lo! the member went right through, and away went the sole flying to the other side of the yard, while the perpetrator of the vengeful practical joke, with arms akimbo, stood against the wall leeringly watching proceedings. Close examination revealed the fact that the sewing or wooden pegs of both boots had been artistically cut, only two or three slim threads being left to keep the soles in their places! As the brushing of officers' boots was not government work, the owner of the tops could do nothing but growl.
From first to last much valuable work has been done by the prisoners, under competent overseers. In point of importance and magnitude the removal of Bell Hill ranks first, and, barring a small portion on the south side let by contract, it was reduced by the prisoners. It is difficult to give to those who never saw the hill an idea of its size and appearance, but it may be stated that from the level of Lower High street, behind the First Church and Manse, it rose to the height of 76 feet; from where the Garrison Hall stands it rose about 60 feet; from the plateau of the First Church (which stands 33 feet high), it rose 43 feet; and from Dr. Hocken's property it rose 35 feet; and (roughly) its base extended from Stuart street in the north, to the City Hall (late Lyceum) in the south, and from the telegraph posts in lower High street in the east, to the further side of Princes street in the west, and in that direction a portion of the hill still stands. The mountain may be said to have been literally cast into the sea, as the larger portion of it was used in reclaiming land from the bay. It was of volcanic formation, and much of it consisted of bluestone boulders, which were split by the prisoners and sold at 6s. and 7s. per load. Of that stone the Garrison Hall and the Princess Theatre were partly built, and it was used in the erection of many other buildings in the city. The work of removal was a long and tedious one, extending over a period of about 18 years. It was also laborious, and fraught with much risk, not only to the workmen, but also to the buildings, by reason of the proximity of the hill to the city. Nothing of a serious nature, however, occurred. It may here be appropriately mentioned that in 1877 the merchants of Princes street north paid a high compliment to the Department by giving to one of its officers—Sergeant Outram, who for fifteen years superintended the hill works—a testimonial, in recognition of the care and tact displayed in so conducting the dangerous blasting operations that no injury whatever was done to their premises.
Next to the removal of Bell Hill, the chief works accomplished by the prisoners up to the present time, comprise the formation of the road across the northern part of the bay, and which connects Anderson's Bay main road with the Lower Peninsula road; the widening and stonewalling of the Peninsula road all the way to Portobello, and for a considerable distance beyond that township; the Port Chalmers and Deborah Bay coast road; the road across the Bay from Forth street to Logan's Point, and on through some heavy cuttings to Ravensbourne; the opening up of the southern end of Maitland street—another hill literally cast into the sea, and resulting in a large portion of land being reclaimed from the bay; removal of the Octagon Hill, ten or twelve feet high; formation of large portions of Cumberland and Castle streets, into both of which the water of the bay in places penetrated; levelling the Girls' High School ground; and filling up and forming (with construction of large stone sewer underneath) Upper Smith street, which connects Stuart street with the Girls' High School—a large work because of the great depth of the gully; formation and drainage of the Hospital grounds, and planting of the hedge and erection of the fence all round the block of five acres; formation of the Boys' High School Rectory ground, and the road leading from the Queen's Drive to the rectory; extensive works at Caversham and the Industrial School; formation of the Maori road, which connects the higher portion of Dunedin with Mornington; formation of the Jubilee Park, &c., &c. The heavy and dangerous cutting in Pitt street was also begun by the prisoners, and for twenty years, the Botanical Gardens have been kept in order by a party of men being daily told off for the purpose. The more recent important works are the formation of the breakwater and the mole at North Otago Head, and the erection of the fortresses at Lawyer's Head and Tairoa Head—the latter, a large work, being still in progress. In a number of these works the Maori prisoners took an active part, and the Maori road, leading to Mornington, was entirely formed by them, as its name indicates. Such extensive and important operations required very efficient overseers. Of those who took a leading part and spent longer or shorter periods in the service, the following may be mentioned:—Mr. Joseph Young, now farmer, Portobello; Mr. James McIntosh, now in the Customs Department; Mr. John Outram, retired; Messrs Strong and Duncan, both deceased; Mr. MacNamara, retired; Messrs Ferguson, Flannery, and Prictor, all now in the Prisons Department in the North Island; and Chief-warders Poynton and Armstrong, now in charge of the large works at Taiaroa Head, and the former of whom superintended the breakwater and mole at the North Head.
While the various undertakings engaged in are necessarily entrusted to competent men, the great responsibility attaching to the works rests upon the chief officer, the gaoler, under whose supervision operations are conducted, and this, with the management of the prison and its inmates, and, in addition, the duties entailed upon him as Probation Officer, and the vast correspondence connected with all the branches of his department, makes his office to be no sinecure. Mr. Henry Monson, the first gaoler, was followed in succession by Mr. John Stoddart, Mr. James Caldwell, and Mr. S. C. Phillip, who is now in command; and the trying position of matron has been successively held by Mrs. Stoddart, Miss Heard, and Mrs. Shirley—the last-named lady being now in harness. Until 1877 Dunedin gaol was under the wing of the Otago Provincial Government, but on the abolition of the Provinces it, in common with the other gaols of the colony, was transferred to the General Government; and upon the appointment of Captain Hume as Inspector of Prisons it was placed under the one general and uniform system then adopted. Besides the Chief Inspectorship, the gaol is under the supervision of visiting justices and two official visitors. Upon the former gentlemen various powers are conferred, and among them that of adjudicating in special cases of discipline; but the latter gentlemen—Messrs. J. Matthews and William Simpson—only visit the prison and freely converse with the prisoners when they see fit, and report to head-quarters from time to time. The inmates have thus, through the visiting justices and the official visitors, ample opportunities for making themselves heard when they deem they have cause for complaint. The visiting justices are: Mr. E. H. Carew, R. M.; Captains Baldwin and Thompson, Dr. Hislop, and Messrs E. B. Cargill, John Logan, W. L. Simpson, G. G. Russell, W. P. Street, G. Fenwick, W. Elder, and J. R. Mason. Dr. Williams was the first visiting medical officer to the prison. He was succeeded in the capacity of Provincial Surgeon by the late Dr. Hulme, and since that gentleman's decease the duties of the office have been assiduously discharged by Dr. R. Burns. Mr. S. Smith, subsequently minister of the Congregational Church, Port Chalmers, was the first Protestant chaplain to the Gaol, and he was succeeded by Mr J. A. Torrance, who has held the position for over twenty-one years. The Rev. Mr Ronaldson also visits on behalf of Church of England inmates. For many years also good old Father Moreau, who is held in respectful remembrance by all who knew him, discharged the duties of Roman Catholic chaplain, and when he retired, the work was taken up by reverend gentlemen connected with the Roman Catholic Church in Dunedin.
THE HOSPITAL.
Though Dunedin Hospital ranks first in importance and usefulness among the city and provincial philanthropic institutions, and while the number of persons who have passed through its wards and received the benefits it confers exceeds by far the many who have been connected with all the other institutions put together, yet little can be said of it, and its story is soon told.
The principles on which the Otago settlement was founded were a guarantee that the sick poor within the bounds of the Province would not be neglected. At first, when the settlers were few, and when there was no migratory population, there were none who could in the general acceptation of the term be designated "the sick poor." Nevertheless, ere the Province was two years old, steps were taken towards the establishment of a hospital. But the action was premature. Possibly those who initiated the movement deemed it wise to make provision for any emergency of the nature of an epidemic. At least one immigrant ship, the "Moultan," was ravaged on the way out by the fearful scourge of cholera; and although in such cases the vessels and passengers were kept in quarantine until all traces of the disease had disappeared, some general accommodation for convalescents might be required. But whatever were the circumstances that prompted the authorities, in 1850 the subject was formally brought under the notice of Governor Sir George Grey, while he was on a visit to the young settlement, and he granted the sum of £250 out of the Otago Customs duties for the erection of a small hospital in Dunedin. As already remarked, the institution, so far as actual need was concerned, was in advance of the times, for more than two years passed before any physically sick patients occupied its beds. Towards the end of that period, however, the building was made the home of three insane persons, and subsequently it was divided between the physically sick and the insane—the former, of course, ultimately preponderating.
The first hospital, built in 1851, was located on the site on which the City Chambers stand, on the south-western corner of the Octagon. For several years all requirements were comfortably met by small extensions; but when the gold diggings broke out in 1861, and immigrants poured into Dunedin, the demand for much larger accommodation very soon became urgent. Towards the end of 1862 extensive additions were made, and while these were in course of completion a portion of the Immigration Barracks in Princes street south was used as a temporary hospital, under the charge of Mr Wm. Dryburgh, who is still in the service. Like all institutions that have grown from small to large compass, the buildings that formed the hospital at the Octagon were disjoined and irregular. In 1866 they consisted of a one-storied wooden building, containing 25 beds; another, containing 16 beds; one three-storied wooden building, with 72 beds; two two-storied buildings, with 32 beds each; a stone building, with 11 beds; a maternity ward of timber, with 12 beds; besides operating room, mortuary, entrance lodge, and superintendent's residence—all separate. All these buildings now do duty in various places, most of them at the Industrial School at Look-out Point. The mortuary, however, still serves its purpose at the present hospital, and the stone building, now converted into a shed, remains on the ground behind the City Chambers.
In 1865 the question of the disposal of the Industrial Exhibition Building in King street, which had served the purpose for which it was erected, and was then standing idle, engaged the attention of the Provincial Council, and on the 6th of May of that year the Council, on the motion of Mr. (now the Hon.) W. H. Reynolds, decided that the building should "be appropriated for the purpose of an Hospital, the annexes to be purchased from the Royal Commissioners, if obtainable at a reasonable rate, and that measures be taken to put the building into a proper condition for an Hospital." The absolutely necessary alterations having been made, the Hospital was transferred from the Octagon to its present position in 1866, and in the months of August and September the difficult task of removing the 124 inmates was successfully accomplished. Previous to this, the insane patients, who had increased to about 20, had been located in the Lunatic Asylum. With all the alterations, however, the King street building was ill adapted to the purposes of an Hospital; but in the course of years since then, it has, by the outlay of large sums of money, undergone great improvements, and as a curative establishment been brought to a high state of perfection, in spite of its architectural defects.
In 1887 a much-felt need was supplied by the formation of two children's wards, with twelve beds; but to make way for them the removal of the maternity ward was necessitated. The latter is now in the Benevolent Institution at Caversham. In the same year another important addition was made by the erection of a large and fully-equipped operating theatre, at a cost of £1600; it is a substantial and handsome structure. As a medical school, Dunedin Hospital, with its operating theatre, is invaluable. Large numbers of students daily walk the wards, and receive from the honorary medical and surgical staff lectures based on the great variety of cases dealt with; and already several medical gentlemen trained in the University and in the Hospital are in practice in the colony, while a goodly number who elected to finish their course in the universities and hospitals in the Home Country were fitted by their well-grounded elementary training here to acquit themselves with marked success. Further advancement, in the shape of a gynecological ward and of a Nurses' Home, have for some time been under consideration, a considerable sum of money having been subscribed for these purposes; but in respect of these matters there seems to be a lack of unanimity, and, judging by newspaper reports, a disposition on the part of some of those concerned to make the money the nucleus of a fund for the erection of an entirely new Hospital on the most approved principles.
Since the Hospital was established in 1851 its management has undergone several changes. Dr. Williams, a city practitioner, was its first medical officer, by appointment of Sir George Grey; but after a short period of service he was succeeded by Dr. Hulme in the capacity of Provincial Surgeon, which position the latter gentleman held up to his death in 1876. A visiting committee was also appointed in the first years, and that system of inspection was continued until the transference of the Hospital to King street; whilst independently of the visiting committee, the successive Superintendents of the Province ever took a direct and active interest in the institution's welfare. The control of the Hospital, however, was in the hands of Dr. Hulme. In 1863, owing to the tremendous increase in the number of patients, and with the view of relieving Dr. Hulme of the great responsibility attaching to the general affairs of the institution, the experiment was tried of entrusting the general management to a Superintendent; but it did not give satisfaction. In lieu of an independent Superintendent, therefore, a Secretary was appointed, and, with that officer resident in the Hospital, the control reverted to Dr. Hulme. Mr. Marcus Hume was the Secretary then placed in office; and in the year 1876 he was succeeded by Mr. Burns, now in charge, and under whom the principal improvements in the building and grounds have been carried out. Another change occurred in 1876, when the Hospital, with all other Provincial Government Institutions, passed into the hands of the General Government, who appointed a managing committee, of which Mr. A. C. Strode was for several years chairman; and upon that gentleman's retirement and removal to England, he was succeeded by Mr. Henry Houghton, who, after devoting in the course of the years much of his time to the interests of the institution, still holds that honourable position. A further change took place in 1885, when the Hospitals and Charitable Aid Act was passed, and since then the Hospital has been in charge of Trustees, annually elected by voluntary subscribers to the institution, and by the contributing bodies within the Hospital district. Prior to the passing of the Act of 1885, patients from all parts of Otago were freely admitted; but as the Act makes each district responsible for its own poor, payment for invalids received into the City Hospital from outside districts must now be guaranteed.
There has also from the first been great fluctuation in the number of inmates. While for over two years after the Hospital was opened not one sick person sought for admission, in the years 1862–3, when large additions were made to the building, the wards were filled to overflowing. In 1866, the year of removal from the Octagon to King street, the number fell to 124; but several years afterwards, when free immigration was in full swing, another enormous increase necessitated the addition of two large temporary wards in the annexe, and the conversion of small rooms in the main building into sick chambers, and even then every bed in the Hospital was occupied. Now, however, one hundred is the daily average. This reduction in the number of inmates is of great advantage to the Hospital, not only on the score of economy, but chiefly on sanitary grounds, as it enables the authorities to keep two wards in turn empty, which, while unoccupied, are throughout their length and breadth and height cleansed and disinfected and repainted. By this system the Hospital is kept in as thorough a state of purity as it possibly can be.
Until within recent years the Hospital was from force of circumstances made in part to serve the purpose of a home for incurables. As there was no place for the accommodation of such unfortunates, they had to be retained as patients, and in the course of the years their numbers increased considerably. This inconvenience, however, was obviated by the erection of the Old Men's Home at Caversham, to which the hopelessly infirm and disabled were gradually transferred, and the institution in King steeet is now wholly what it was intended to be—a curative establishment.
The Hospital stands in the centre of a block of five acres, and on each side are extensive, well-laid-out gardens, with gravelled walks and abundance of seats. The one on the south side is the exercise ground for such of the male patients as are not confined to the wards; the other on the north side being reserved for female patients. A portion of the latter also forms the playground of the young people in the children's wards. Besides the comfortable seats under the shade of the trees, wheel-chairs are provided for those who are unable to walk, but whose condition permits them to go out into the open air and sunlight.
Among the Hospital facilities for the comfort of the physically suffering is a covered-in ambulance, with bed on rollers and seat accommodation for an attendant. This vehicle is available in the case of accidents or for prostrated invalids coming from distant parts of the city or suburbs, or from the railway station; a telephonic or telegraphic message to the institution being the only notice requisite to ensure its being sent where required.
A good many years ago, the opening of a public dispensary in Dunedin was contemplated; but the necessity for such an institution was obviated by the establishment of the Out-door Consulting Department as a branch of the Hospital work. At first the House Surgeon was the only out-door consulting doctor; but now cases of a general nature receive his attention, while as experts, Dr. Batchelor attends to diseases peculiar to women, Dr. John Macdonald to diseases of the skin, Dr. Lindo Ferguson to eye, ear, and throat complaints, and Dr. de Zouche to the ailments of children. This charity is of great advantage to such of the sick poor as can remain in their own homes; but as it was much abused by persons in fair-to-do circumstances availing themselves of it, all applicants must now, to the satisfaction of the authorities, certify to their inability to pay for medical advice and medicine.
While in the aggregate those who in the course of the year receive gratuitous out-door advice far exceed the in-patients in number, the out-door branch of the Hospital work is, of course, the least important. The real work lies in the wards; all the in-patients being under the care of an Honorary Medical and Surgical Staff of nine gentlemen elected annually, with the addition of the resident House Surgeon and his assistant. This system, which ensures careful consultation and all proper treatment in serious and intricate cases, has with good results been in operation since 1876. The gentlemen constituting the present Honorary Staff are: Drs. Batchelor, Lindo Ferguson, J. Macdonald, Maunsell, Coughtrey, Gordon Macdonald, Jeffcoat, and Ogston. Recently another honorary office was created by the election of Dr. William Brown to the position of Honorary Consulting Surgeon in connection with the Hospital, he having, when he retired in 1888, been senior member of the Honorary Staff.
While in the early days the Hospital was placed under the control of Dr. Hulme as Provincial Surgeon, he had under him a House Surgeon, in the person of Dr. Yates (recently deceased), who held office until the year of Provincial abolition. Since Dr. Yates's retirement the House Surgeonship has been held successively by Drs. Tighe (who died while in the service), Roberts, Davis, again Roberts, Fleming, Barclay, and Copland. The last-named gentleman is now in office, in conjunction with Dr. Earnest E. Fooks. Dr. John Brown, recently retired, held the position of dispenser for over twenty years, and that duty is now discharged by Mr. Frederick Akhurst. Mrs. Jessie Reid was the first matron, she being succeeded in 1877 by Mrs. Burton, now in office. Mr. S. Smith, afterwards minister of Port Chalmers Congregational Church, was the first chaplain to the Hospital; and Mr. J. A. Torrance, after 21 years' services, now holds that office. Recently, the Anglican Church in Dunedin appointed the Rev. W. Ronaldson to visit patients connected with that persuasion. For several years Father Moreau, a gentleman universally respected, discharged the duties of Roman Catholic chaplain, and since his retirement the work has been carried on by the reverend gentlemen connected with that church in Dunedin.
THE LUNATIC ASYLUM.
Insanity too soon manifested itself in the young settlement of Otago, and it is a remarkable fact that this, the worst of all the ills that flesh is heir to, first appealed to the sympathies of the people and engaged the attention of the authorities. As stated in the previous sketch (that of the Hospital), when the Province was only two years old it was humanely determined to establish an Hospital, in anticipation of physical disease or injury, but it may be taken for granted that the possibility of mental disease appearing—or, at all events, so soon appearing—in their midst, was entirely foreign to the thoughts of the early settlers. The Hospital, as a place for the physically sick, however, was premature by two years, but it was fortunately in existence, and, in the first instance, it served the purpose of a Lunatic Asylum. Before two years elapsed after its erection it became the home of three insane persons, under the care of Mr. Barr.
This question of insanity has all along been a serious one to Otago, and indeed to the whole of New Zealand, not because this kind of malady has prevailed here more than in other places, but because of the shameful extent to which weak-minded and mentally impaired persons have been deported from the Home country by their relatives or others, and shunted on to the colony. Even now, notwithstanding the mortality that in the course of nature has taken place in the Asylum, there are friendless men and women who arrived long years ago, and who still bid fair to live for many years. As a matter of fact, the inmates of the Asylum live long. They are well housed, well fed, well clothed, are kept scrupulously clean, generally speaking they are free from care and worry, they are not subject to the risks connected with free life—the risks of accident or of disease by infection or exposure or excess, the work done by those of them who are capable of any service is of a healthful kind, and the careful nursing of the sick and really suffering is all that could be desired, and beyond what the outside world is aware of. In a word, all that makes up daily life in the asylum tends to long life, and, as a rule, death is the result of old age, or epilepsy, or other disease originating in the brain. All this is as it ought to be in the case of hapless beings who, from whatever cause, have been deprived of their reason; but it is nevertheless matter for regret that a prohibitive law was not from the first put in force that would have prevented heartless people in the Home country from freeing themselves of family burdens at the expense of the Province or of the colony—not to speak of the cruelty of ruthlessly sending the weak-minded or mentally afflicted away from all family connections and home associations to the extreme ends of the earth for the mere selfish purpose of getting rid of them. Taking into account the number of those who from time to time have been cast as helpless burdens upon our shores, and the cost of their maintenance throughout all the years, the expense so wrongfully imposed upon the colony must in the aggregate have been very great.
As time went by the three unfortunates located in the Hospital were added to, and in 1862 the number of insane men and women held in restraint was between twenty and thirty. A few were domiciled in the gaol, but most of them were in the Hospital. There are citizens of that time still to the fore who will remember the entertainment given by a Frenchman, an insane inmate of the Hospital. He was an excellent vocalist and had a superb voice of great volume, and was wont daily to walk the grounds and ring out his melodies in his own language to the pleasure of passers by. The unsuitability of both the Hospital and the Gaol, however, and the impossibility of ensuring in these places the proper treatment of the mentally afflicted, forced the question of the establishment of a Lunatic Asylum upon the authorities, and it was decided to erect a temporary home on the ground now occupied by the Boys' High School, the intention being to build the Asylum proper on the site at Look-out Point, upon which the Industrial School now stands.
The first Asylum, or rather the nucleus of the first Asylum, was an unpretentious one-storied wooden building. Dr. Hulme, in his capacity of Provincial Surgeon, was its first medical attendant, and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Drysdale the first keeper and matron, but a year afterwards they were succeeded by Mr. and Mrs. James Hume, and to Mr. Hume was given the title of Superintendent. During his eighteen years' service the Asylum was extended to the right and to the left and far backward on to the Town Belt. The site chosen for the temporary Asylum consisted of eight or nine acres, minus the portion of the Belt encroached upon, and it was added to by the purchase of the adjoining property (one acre) of the late Mr. George Smith, with the building upon it called Park House. In the latter paying patients were located. With the exception of the Park House block, the ground was a wild and rough waste, and it was only by dint of eighteen years' steady, plodding labour that it was brought, into the condition in which the Boys' High School authorities found it when they placed the school there.
Though a layman, Mr. Hume, who from his youth had acquired an extensive experience among the insane in the Home country, was well fitted for the work entrusted to him. He retired in 1882, when the Lunacy Act then passed made it imperative that large asylums should be under the control of Resident Medical Superintendents. Under his rule the institution grew piecemeal until it reached the dimensions it assumed at the time of its removal to Seacliff, the great increase in the number of patients to over 300 being unquestionably, in large part at least, due to the free immigration system, or, rather, to unscrupulous immigration agents, who, for the sake of the £1 per head, recklessly sent crowds of human beings out from the Home country, without any regard to their fitness mentally, physically, or morally.
The work accomplished by the patients while in the Asylum in the city was considerable. Under the direction of competent warders they levelled the very broken ground, for the most part erected from time to time the additional buildings required, and formed the large cricket and football park, now partly used by the High School boys and partly by the public. The formation of that flat necessitated the removal of a hill fourteen feet high and the filling up of deep gullies. They also formed a 2-acre garden and a large bowling-green, the first ever made in Otago. By them the road leading past the old cemetery to the top of the hill, which was in a very dangerous condition, was put in order and strongly and securely fenced, this work being suggested by the destruction of a horse and vehicle, which rolled from the road into the great gully below. That fence still remains. In addition to these and other works of a public nature, the patients formed the road leading from the Town Belt to Melrose, in connection with which there were some heavy excavations, and in recognition of this service the residents of that township generously imported from Melbourne and presented to the Asylum a billiard-table costing £120. That table is now in use at Seacliff.
In common with other Provincial institutions, the Lunatic Asylum passed into the hands of the General Government in 1876, when the Provinces were abolished; and just about that time Dr. Hulme died, after twenty years' service. Dr. Hulme was then succeeded by Dr. Alexander, and subsequently Dr. Macgregor, now Inspector-General of asylums and hospitals, was appointed to that office. After holding the position of Matron for three years, Mrs Hume died while in the service, and she was succeeded by Miss Ferguson, who retired in 1882 to assume the matronship of Ashburn Private Asylum, established by Mr Hume (in conjunction with Dr. Alexander), when he was superseded by the appointment of a resident medical superintendent.
The reserve at Look-out Point, which, as already stated, was the first position determined upon for a permanent Lunatic Asylum, having been given over to the Industrial School, the Government had to cast about for some other suitable place. It was no doubt desired that the Asylum should be within easy reach of the city, but to that the high price to which land had attained was a bar. A better site for a home for the insane can scarcely be conceived of than the high table-land in the Waikari district overlooking the city, bay, and ocean beach. But the existence of the reserve at Seacliff settled the matter, and, of that reserve 500 acres were allotted to the Asylum, and the remaining 400 set apart for the Industrial School and an intended Reformatory, the latter on the lines of the Redhill institution, near Birmingham, founded by the brothers George and Charles Sturge, of the Society of Friends. As, however, the removal of the Industrial School to a place so far distant from Dunedin has been strongly opposed by an influential section of the citizens, and as with the growth of the colony the inmates of the Asylum are bound to still further increase in number, it is not at all improbable that the whole of the 900 acres will eventually fall to the institution now on the ground.
When the Seacliff Reserve was decided upon as the site of the permanent Asylum, a working party of fourteen men was sent out in August, 1878, to prepare the way. They were located in a house quickly run up on a knoll at the south-east corner of the Reserve. Shortly after beginning operations they came upon the remains of a large Moa, which were handed over to Professor Hutton, then in charge of the Museum. The main trunk railway line running past Seacliff was not then opened, and the Reserve was a dense, trackless forest. In this connection mention may be made of an amusing incident. One day, before a break had been made in the bush, Mr. Hume and Mr. Alexander Cairns, who had been appointed Inspector of Works, visited Seacliff to examine the ground, with the view of forming a general idea as to suitable positions for the several buildings. The desirability of possessing themselves of a pocket compass, however, did not occur to them, and the day was close and sultry. They entered the bush at a spot nearly opposite the railway station, with the purpose of traversing it right through to the further end. For over three hours the two gentlemen, who were by no means of light build, forced their way through the prickly scrub and tangled lawyers, and over fallen trees, and across and through marshes, and then, exhausted and out of breath and drenched with perspiration, to their relief, but with a feeling the reverse of that of exquisite satisfaction, they emerged from the labyrinth, only to discover that they were not more than thirty yards from the spot at which they had entered!
Shortly after the first party began work in the bush, what is now known as the Upper Building, and which was intended to be the farm steading, was erected by Mr. Mills, contractor, then of Waikouaiti, under the inspectorship of Mr. Cairns, of Dunedin. Upon the completion of this building in 1879, it gave accommodation to a second party of 60 males and a number of females, with their attendants. The Seacliff section of the institution was then termed the Branch Asylum, and from the first it was placed in charge of Mr. John Macdonald as manager, and Mrs. Macdonald as deputy-matron. In the following year (1880) another building, to accommodate a third party of 60 men, and so constructed that it could be taken down in blocks and be put together again in the form of cottages for warders, was erected by the patients, under the direction of Mr. David Reid, carpenter, who is still in the service.
No one can form from the present appearance of the surroundings of Seacliff Asylum anything like a correct idea of the condition of the place when, and for a long time after, Mr. Macdonald took charge, and of the severe nature of the work that devolved upon him and his fellow pioneers. The Reserve, as already stated, was a dense, trackless forest, and the bush had to be felled, and the trees and scrub removed, roads made, watercourses formed, and the ground grubbed. As no road metal was available, in winter and in wet weather the grounds around the buildings were a veritable Slough of Despond, and, for about four years, in the rainy seasons the only means of access on the public road was a corduroy path formed of rough logs, and extending for about half-a-mile. All this is changed. Firm metalled and gravelled paths are now the rule, well-laid-out gardens have been formed, many acres have been brought under cultivation, and with all that is yet to be achieved, the work of the institution can be proceeded with with comfort. Mr. Macdonald, who with his co-labourers bore the heat and burden of the day, is, after the long period of 25 years' good service, still connected with the institution.
The main building, which can accommodate 500 patients and 50 of a staff, was commenced in 1879, and its erection occupied three years. Mr. R. A. Lawson was the architect, and Mr. J. Gore the builder. In architectural design it is said to partake somewhat of the form of Balmoral Castle, and its cost, all told, including the meat-house and laundry (separate buildings), attendants' cottages, the reservoir, &c., exceeded £100,000. It is 568 feet in length, by 228 in width at the broadest part, and the tower, in which there is sufficient space for a clock, and a large circular opening on each of the four sides for the dials, is 160 feet high. The spaces for the dials, 11 feet in diameter, are of course at present boarded up. In front the building rises three stories, and in the back part two stories. As seen from the Heads, or the Ocean, or the Waitati Cliffs, it is a very prominent land-mark. The Recreation Hall, which is also used for Divine service, and is capable of accommodating between 800 and 900 persons, has a large stage at one end, and a tastefully-formed gallery at the other end. The principal stage-drop is a fine view of Dumbarton Castle from the sea, the work of Mr. Willis, the well-known scenic artist. The dining hall, equal in size to and directly under the recreation hall, is a handsome room. The large day-rooms throughout the Asylum are carpeted or matted, as far as possible a homely appearance is given to them, the walls are profusely hung with pictures, and strong padlocked screens securely fixed in front of the fireplaces effectually protect the patients from fire. From the windows of the rooms on the second and third stories a magnificent view of the Heads and of the Ocean out to the horizon is obtainable. The airing courts are large, and each has a verandah running the whole length to shield from rain or from the sun's heat, while in the centre of each is a large, circular flower-plot. The Medical Superintendent's quarters are still in .jpg)
DUNEDIN FROM THE JUNCTION.
the main building; but it was from the first intended that his residence should be on the knoll at the south-east corner of the estate, on which stood the small house erected by the first working party sent out.
For a time a good deal of anxiety was occasioned by the shifting of a portion of the northern end of the building, caused by the moveable nature of the ground. The faulty portion, however, has lately been taken down and re-erected of lighter material, and it is believed all danger of further damage is now at an end.
As already stated, the upper building first erected was intended to be the farm steading, while the second one put up by the patients was meant for temporary use. But they still serve as dormitories, the steading being now on another and more easily accessible part of the ground. Among other recent additions is a well-advanced handsome block of workshops, formed of bluestone, and which will do away with the frail shedlike structures that have for a number of years done duty.
While the institution at Seacliff is understood to be the asylum for the insane within the Otago and Southland districts, among its 500 inmates are patients from northern asylums, parties having on two or three occasions been sent south to relieve the over-crowded condition of these lesser asylums. In respect of their insane, Otago and Southland are no doubt on a par with other parts of New Zealand. But there seems to be an impression, at least among some of the public, that the number of the insane in the colony, as compared with the same unfortunate class in the Home Country, is unduly large. As a matter of fact, in proportion to the population, and as gauged by the number of inmates of our asylums, insanity in New Zealand is less prevalent than in the Home Country. While that in itself speaks well for the colony, the fact already alluded to must be borne in mind—viz., that many of our asylum inmates, though sane when they arrived in the colony, were, from their mental calibre, unfitted for colonial life—men and women who, if they had remained in their homes and with their friends, and continued in their easy-going mode of life, with all its old familiar surroundings, might (and in most instances at least would) have got on well enough in a way; but landing here among strangers and placed in the midst of forceful conditions of life such as they had never been accustomed to, and with the necessity laid upon them to rely upon their own resources, they earlier or later broke down under a pressure too great for them. Indulgence in intoxicants is rightly said to be a large factor among the causes of insanity, but it is not unreasonable to assume that in the first instance the hard struggle for existence and the nomadic, comfortless life in which many homeless and friendless men in the colony have been involved, leads to that intemperance which completes the mental wreck. Even now, after the lapse of the years that have intervened since free immigration ceased, the number of men absolutely adrift in the colony is appalling, and in many instances they find their way into asylums, where they are cared for, or prematurely and as strangers end their lives in the hospitals or benevolent institutions, with none of their kith or kin present to cheer them in their last days and hours, and with no one save the Chaplain or other minister to follow their remains to the cemetery. If during the operation of the immigration scheme something like a proper system of selection had been adopted, many of the unsuitable persons brought to the colony would have been allowed to remain at Home, to their own and the colony's advantage. Still further, it has to be borne in mind that many of our asylum inmates, such as epileptics and silly, useless, but harmless creatures, would not in the Home country be ranked as lunatics or be placed in asylums. To a large extent they are retained in their homes, and when they cannot be managed or maintained by their own relatives, the poor-house becomes their home, and they consequently do not appear on the lunacy list. Here, however, many such are committed to our asylums and rank as insane. All things considered, therefore, in the matter of insanity New Zealand compares favourably with the British Isles.
Reference has already been made to the change Seacliff estate has undergone since the pick and the grub-hoe were first brought to bear upon it. In addition to the extensive gardens, and lawns, and paths, and water-courses that have been formed, a very large portion of the forest has been cleared, and the many acres under cultivation are steadily increasing in number. Ornamental trees here and there dot the ground, and long belts of such trees, which in time will be extended, line the southeasterly end. It is pleasant to see on Sundays groups of female patients, in their attire for the day, promenading the tastefully laid out plain in front of the main building, with the far-reaching landscape and seascape before them, or lolling enjoyably on the lawn, or, with book in hand, quietly seated on the rests. From the centre of this lawn a high flagstaff rises. In the general work of the institution and in the clearing and cultivation of the land, a large number of the patients are daily employed, not by compulsion, but by kindly inducement. Apart from the parties of males engaged in the fields, and the women serving in the laundry, kitchen, &c., all directly under the eye of male and female officers respectively, there are men who, in various kinds of asylum labour, and without any surveillance beyond that of the general superintendency, work to good purpose. Yet if they were out in the world on their own account, they would not only be aimless and useless members of society, but in some instances be dangerous to themselves and others. The regularity also, and the precision and efficiency, with which some of them attend to their respective charges are really amazing. While there are drawbacks unavoidably arising from the congregating of so many of the insane in one establishment, there is nothing connected with Seacliff Asylum to justify the common expression, "the horrors of a lunatic asylum." It is a home, as far as such a large institution of the kind can be made a home, where everything possible is done for the welfare and recovery of the unfortunate people on whose account it exists.
Dr. Neill was the first medical superintendent appointed. When he took office the asylum was in a divided condition—partly in Dunedin and partly at Seacliff, and under him the final transference took place. Upon his retirement he was succeeded by Dr. T. R. King; and upon that gentleman's removal to Auckland Dr. Truby King, the present superintendent, took charge. There have also at different periods been five assistant doctors: Drs. Elliott, Nelson, Macandrew, Money, and Jeffreys. There is no assistant now, and the charge wholly devolves upon Dr. Truby King. Mr. F. R. Chapman is the local inspector, and Mr. J. P. Maitland the official visitor. Mrs. Huston succeeded Miss Ferguson as matron, and that office is now held by Mrs. Grundy. Mr. S. Smith was the first chaplain, and since 1868 that post has been filled by Mr. J. A. Torrance.
Note.—In the foregoing sketch reference is made (page 225) to the formation by the Asylum patients of the large Football and Cricket Park adjoining the Boy's High School, and which necessitated the removal of a hill 14 feet in height. As a matter of history, it deserves to be noted that on that hill were located the barracks of the soldiers, sent from Auckland on account of the rush of population into Otago, caused by the discovery of the goldfields. At that time Mr. St. John Branigan was engaged in the arduous work of organising the Police Force; but as his arrangements were not sufficiently advanced to ensure the preservation of peace and order, a detachment of the Imperial troops, stationed at Auckland, was sent to Dunedin by request of Sir John Richardson, the then Superintendent of the Province. So soon as Mr. Branigan's department reached the point of full working order, the military were withdrawn, and the buildings vacated by them were used in the additions made to the Asylum, but the house occupied by Major Ryan, who commanded the troops, still exists, and is now the residence of Mr. Weldon, Inspector of Police.
ASHBURN PRIVATE LUNATIC ASYLUM.
This useful Institution is the only one of the kind in New Zealand, and it is for the whole Colony. It is situated in the Waikari District, some two miles in a south-westerly direction from the outskirts of Dunedin. It is a lovely spot, and there is nothing in the cheery-looking block of buildings and picturesque surroundings to suggest the idea of a home for the insane. That it is the residence of some retired gentleman in very comfortable circumstances, is more likely to be the conclusion of any onlooker ignorant of its purpose. It was established in 1882 by Mr. James Hume and Dr. Alexander, upon the retirement of the former gentleman from the Superintendency of the Dunedin Lunatic Asylum. It is managed by Mr. Hume, who has had more than 43 years' experience of Asylum work in the Home Country and in the Colony, while Miss Ferguson, previously Matron of the Government Institution, presides over the female division, and Dr. Alexander is the medical attendant. It is licensed under the Lunacy Act, and is subject to the rigid inspection of the Inspector-General of Asylums, who visits when he thinks fit, and examines the patients, and also the buildings in all their parts, and the books, &c., and reports to the Government. It is also visited by Mr. F. R. Chapman, the local inspector, and Mr. J. P. Maitland, the official visitor, and, though a private undertaking, it is, in common with the general asylums of the country, subject to all the provisions of the Act.
Ashburn Hall has accommodation for 40 patients—22 on the male side, and 18 on the female side, and at present it has 33 inmates. Since it was opened, on October 23rd, 1882, there have been 122 admissions, and last year (1888) the discharges equalled the admissions. In important respects it differs from the Government Asylums. There are no airing courts, no high palisades, and no locked doors or gates, those who can be trusted being allowed freely to go out and in and to roam over the grounds, while patients who require surveillance are accompanied by attendants; and attached to the institution is a comfortable waggonette, in which on fine days the inmates are taken out for drives. Every endeavour is also made to interest the patients in some kind of healthful recreation or employment, in-door and out-door, instead of them being allowed to wander about in absolute idleness; and thereby their attention is drawn away from their own troubles, and their thoughts turned into rational channels, and sleep induced, and, it may be added, recovery facilitated. Altogether, the buildings, the arrangements, and the surroundings, are in a marked degree adapted to the mentally afflicted. In the nature of things, public asylums cannot provide such advantages as are ensured at this institution. With reference to this the Inspector-General, in his report to the Government, dated April 16, 1888, says:—"It is becoming more and more evident that at present the Government cannot undertake to provide separate wards, specially furnished, and having special attendants and other advantages, for such persons who are able to pay a sufficient price. In Seacliff the attempt had been made for some years to provide, by means of special attendants, for persons whose friends were willing to pay for them; but it was found impossible to make any real difference in their treatment and surroundings, and there were so many indirect evil results to the organisation of the staff, that the efforts had to be abandoned. Ashburn Hall is admirably adapted and managed with a view to provide for all such cases; and as long as the Government Asylums are compelled to over-crowd their wards with poor and helpless people, and cannot even find proper accommodation for them, persons who can afford it, ought, if they require exceptional treatment, to be sent to a Private Asylum."
Ashburn estate consists of 94 acres. With the exception of the level part immediately around the buildings, most of the property is slightly undulating, but the hilly part on the north side rises to a considerable height, and the natural bush on that slope has an exceedingly beautiful effect. A large proportion of the estate is under cultivation, the produce being consumed in the establishment. The pleasure grounds, with upper and lower garden and orchard, are extensive and tastefully planted with ornamental trees and shrubs; the paths and avenues are well gravelled and lined with flower-plots; comfortable seats are stationed in all directions; and the lawn-tennis court, bowling-green, and skittle alley (now in course of formation) are at the free use of the inmates. Facing the entrance to the grounds is an extensive up-raised lawn and terrace, with balustrade in old English style of the time of Queen Anne, and on the lawn a fountain is shortly to be placed. In the centre of a lower lawn fronting the terrace a high flagstaff has recently been erected, and arrangements are now being made to illumine the place by means of electric light placed at the cross-trees of the flagstaff, and in connection with the electric light a water-mill of 12 horsepower, used for cutting chaff, &c., is to be utilised. From the Asylum buildings an expansive view is obtainable, including the Peninsula and Ocean Beach and the ocean beyond.
The estate derives its name from the Ashburn stream, which runs through it. On the higher ground the stream flows into two ponds, in which the trout sport and leap, and then the water sweeps in cascade form down to the flat, the ever-rushing sound being far from unpleasant. The water is also led to the building in sufficient abundance to supply all the requirements of the establishment, and the force is sufficiently strong to bring the water to bear, by means of the hose, on to the highest parts of the buildings in such an emergency as fire. In addition to a plentiful supply of fire-hose, fixed fire-escapes are so placed that the building can be emptied of their inmates in two or three minutes.
Inside the buildings, as outside, there is really nothing, apart from the eccentricities of the occupants of the rooms, to indicate that Ashburn Hall is a home for the insane. As has already been said, altogether it has the appearance of a country seat, of which comfort and refinement are the chief characteristics, and with a home farm attached to it. This Asylum, it should be added, is also designed for the accommodation and treatment of dipsomaniacs.
It deserves to be noted that the spiritual interests of the inmates of Ashburn Hall are not overlooked. The Rev. R. R. M. Sutherland, of Kaikorai, holds the office of chaplain, and by him services are conducted and visits made.
THE FEMALE REFUGE.
From the nature of the work of this useful institution, and the class of persons it befriends, all details connected with it cannot well be minutely stated or enlarged upon. For that reason its committee of ladies have from the first quietly and unostentatiously, but steadily and nobly, laboured on "without observation," not seeking the praise of men, but the good of those for whose well-being they banded themselves together. It was opened on the 3rd of June, 1873, and from that day to the present time many young women and girls have for longer or shorter periods, and with varying results, availed themselves of its shelter; and now, after eighteen long years of such labour, it is gratifying to find the chairman of the Charitable Aid Board publicly saying, as late as November 21st of the present year (1889), "that the Female Refuge is self-supporting; that he is of opinion the endeavours of the ladies in connection with the management are deserving of the highest praise; and that he hopes they will be stimulated to still further efforts for the good of the inmates." For twelve years the Refuge was maintained by public subscriptions, a subsidy from the Government, and the proceeds of the laundry work of the inmates, but since the passing of the Charitable Aid Act in 1885 it has been under the wing of, and (as far as was requisite) been supported by, the Charitable Aid Board. The Home, capable of accommodating twenty inmates comfortably, is situated on the highest part of Forth street, has a half-acre of ground attached to it, and commands a fine view of the upper part of the bay, the Peninsula, and the Pacific Ocean beyond. The records of this institution form very sad and depressing reading. Notes of all who in the course of years have been inmates have been carefully kept—properly, short biographical sketches, faithfully noting failure when there is failure, and modestly noting success when there is success. Many of these sketches end disappointingly, some very sorrowfully, while here and there gratifying examples of recovery to a permanent better life are cited. The Hon. Mrs. Holmes, Mrs. Chapman (widow of the late judge), and other ladies, have from the first, or in the course of the years, been identified with this truly philanthropic and Christ-like agency, and in its noble work Miss McDougall (now laid aside by illness) and the late Miss Lambton took a very active part. There is good reason for the earnest hope that Miss Morrow, the present matron, will long hold office, as in her the young women and girls under her care have a wise and sympathising friend, who spares no effort to help them out of the sea of trouble into which indiscretion has led them.
THE DUNEDIN WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION.
This institution was formed in May, 1885, and was the outcome of a visit from Mrs. Leavitt, the world's missionary from the American Women's Christian Temperance Union, and who was sent out to form unions and branch-unions wherever possible. Its object is the total suppression of the liquor traffic, and to that end its committee of ladies strive to influence Parliament by petitions, by helping at elections to return men favourable to the prohibition cause, and in all possible ways to arrest intemperance. Its place of meeting is a large building named Leavitt House, at the foot of Albany street. The building also serves the purpose of a boarding-house for females who desire privacy and quiet; but it is mainly, and to good purpose, used for gospel temperance work, and for juvenile free educational classes of various kinds. These comprise male and female night classes for instruction in special school subjects (see Dr. Hislop's article on "Education"), and industrial classes for both sexes—the boys being under the superintendence of Mrs. George MacKenzie, of Leith street, and the girls under the direction of Mrs. James Miller, of Athol Place. At the industrial classes the girls are taught plain and fancy sewing, the boys are exercised in carpentry and cabinet work, and both boys and girls are instructed in all sorts of useful ornamental work, such as leather, cork, and shell picture frames brackets, flower-baskets, &c., &c. In the course of the weeks and months the articles are stored up, and periodically a bazaar is held, at which they are displayed for inspection and sale, and a remarkably good and enchanting display they make. Not only do the lads and girls receive the money realised by their own labour, but prizes are also given to those who excel in the different branches of industry; and in connection with all the work engaged in, the minds of the young people are persistently, and in all interesting ways, imbued with religious and temperance principles. When it is stated that the great majority of the boys and girls thus taken in hand would otherwise spend their evenings in idleness or in horse-play on the streets, it will readily be understood that the ennobling influence brought to bear upon them, and the benefits conferred upon them, cannot be over-estimated. So far the ladies of the Christian Temperance Union, and especially Mesdames McKenzie and Miller and their assistants, have had their reward. Numbers of boys and girls possessing force of character and ability, and full of animal spirits, and who for want of friendly control and guidance were in danger of drifting into wild and dangerous courses, have had heir interest enlisted in the work of the classes, and their better nature brought into active exercise, with gratifying results.
But there are other branches of the Union's work. The Sailors' Rest, at the wharf end of Rattray street, is one. It is a fine building, and in it good reading matter and refreshments are supplied—the former gratis, and the latter at moderate prices—and all seamen in port are free to spend their leisure hours and transact their business (such as letter-writing, &c.) in the comfortable rooms provided for them. The rooms are also used on the Sabbath evenings for religious services, and all the affairs of the "Rest" are under the direction of a sub-committee of ladies.
The Tahuna Park Temperance Refreshment Tent is another branch of the Union's work. Annually the Agricultural Show is held in this Park, and for the sake of exhibitors and visitors good temperance refreshments are provided—it is said with very satisfactory results.
The most recent development is that of the Young Women's branch, known as the "Ys" (an American term of abreviation) who have made themselves felt by their successful effort to establish a Cabmen's Shelter. It is situated on the eastern side of the Cargill Monument, in Custom House Square, and in it good refreshments are supplied at moderate terms.
The membership of the Union numbers (November, 1889) 150, and its chief officers are Mrs. J. Fulton, Hon. Mrs. T. Dick, and Miss Glasgow—President, Secretary, and Treasurer respectively. The "Ys" have a membership of about 50, and are presided over by Mrs. Sawell, junr.
DUNEDIN YOUNG WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.
This institution is linked with the name of the late Rev. Dr. Sommerville, of Glasgow, and, like many other useful organisations, it had a small beginning in the shape of a suggestion casually thrown out by that gentleman on the occasion of his evangelistic visit to Dunedin in the year 1878. The suggestion was received with approval, and steps were promptly taken to carry it into effect. To avoid mistakes likely to arise from inexperience, and to ensure a sound basis, it was deemed advisable to obtain the services of a lady possessing a practical knowledge of the working of such societies, and to that end Miss Thomson, (now Mrs. W. Downie Stewart,) then resident in Melbourne, was invited to visit Dunedin, and give the promoters the benefit of her experience. The arrangements were soon brought to a successful ssue, and the Dunedin Young Women's Christian Association was established on the 2nd of August, 1878. The late Rev. Lindsay Mackie, minister of the First Church, manifested a deep interest in it from its formation, and to him it is indebted for much practical sympathy and counsel. The late Mrs. John Bathgate was its first President, and she continued an earnest supporter till her death. Upon its first Board of Management other influential ladies had a place—Mrs. (Rev.) Upton Davies, now in England; Mrs. (Rev.) Lorenzo Moore, now in Nelson; Miss Jarrett, now in America; Mrs. Coombes, now in another part of New Zealand; Miss Lambton, now deceased; and Mrs. Blackadder, who is still one of the Association's most earnest workers. Recently an effort was made to establish a "Lambton Library" in connection with the Association, in commemoration of Miss Lambton's long years of philanthropic labours in the city.
The Association was opened in Queen's Buildings, Princes street, but a month later it was removed to rooms in Rattray street, where for ten years it did good work, and towards the close of the year 1888 it took possession of the fine building in Moray Place formerly owned by the Young Men's Association. Its object is to benefit young women of all classes, and generally to engage in Christian effort. Its stated organisations comprise: the coffee, tea, and luncheon room for young women in business (last month, October, 1889, the number who availed themselves of it reached to 1,934—a goodly number for one month, certainly); the hospital weekly flower mission, much appreciated by the patients, and in connection with which, illustrated Scripture cards and leaflets are distributed, and words of cheer given; a Sunday Bible class; members' meeting for Bible study; mothers' meeting; a fortnightly social meeting for young women; and a fully equipped mission Sunday school, under the superintendence of Mr. D. R. Eunson. During the years of assisted immigration, a sub-committee was told off regularly to visit the Immigration Barracks to befriend the new arrivals generally, and to render all needed assistance by counsel and practical aid to friendless girls. In this department of its work the Association rendered service of the highest importance and value to many young strangers. It also during two periods employed female missionaries, or Bible women—Miss Nevison (now in Scotland) and Miss Campbell—but lack of funds necessitated the relinquishment of this branch of work. By its removal to the premises in Moray Place its work has been increased in every department, and its expenses proportionately. Still, with its membership of 267, financially it is in the satisfactory condition of being self-supporting; and when the efforts of the Board of Management to clear off its debt of £500 (already reduced from £600) are crowned with success, it will be free to extend its sphere of usefulness, and to resume the female missionary work in the city. As a society quietly and effectively, but unobtrusively, working for good, it deserves well of the people.
THE KINDERGARTEN ASSOCIATION.
This is the youngest of the Philanthropic Institutions of Dunedin, and its formation dates back only to the middle of the present year (1889.) There was room for it, as the children for whose welfare it operates were not embraced in the aims of the organisations already in existence. No doubt, the Kindergarten system of education, so successful in many other places, would sooner or later have been in operation here, but as a matter of fact its introduction into Dunedin is due to the accidental circumstance of Mr. Mark Cohen having, in the course of last year, received a communication on the subject from Mrs. Sarah Cooper, the foundress of the system in San Francisco. Mr. Cohen readily enlisted the sympathy of the Rev. Rutherford Waddell, and through that gentleman the warm interest of Mrs. W. H. Reynolds was secured. That lady, with her characteristic energy, perused the literature on the subject; and having satisfied herself as to the merits of the system, she accepted the responsibility of initiating the movement in Dunedin. She was joined in the effort by a number of ladies, several of whom had had large experience in teaching the young; and Sir R. Stout, Mr. James Allen, M.H.R., Dr. Wm. Brown, the Rev. A. C. Yorke, the Rev. James Gibb, and other gentlemen, gave earnest support. Advantage was then taken of the presence in the city of Sir W. Fox, who, by request, gave an address on the working of the Auckland Association; and in February of this year a public meeting was held in the Town Hall, at which, with other gentlemen, Bishop Suter, now the Anglican Primate, spoke favourably of the system as he had seen it in operation in America. Curiously enough, the Bishop, previous to his visit to the States, was strongly opposed to the system, but what he saw in the course of his travels converted him to it. Subsequently, Mr. W. S. Fitzgerald, Rector of the Normal School, also delivered a lecture on the subject to the Dunedin branch of the Schoolmasters' Association. The result was the establishment of the Dunedin Kindergarten Society on thoroughly unsectarian principles. After casting about for a suitable field in which to begin operations, the promoters decided upon the neighbourhood of Walker street; and the Rev. Mr. Waddell and Rev. Mr. Yorke having offered the free use of their school-rooms, Walker street Mission House (Mr Waddell's) was accepted. On the 10th of June the Kindergarten School was opened with 14 children, and now, after six months' quiet and steady working, about 60 are on the roll. The object is first to gather in children of six years and under, the offspring of poor parents, and whose mothers, in many instances, are out at work during the day to earn the necessaries of life for their families; and, secondly, to instruct the little ones in all interesting ways adapted to their tender age. The method adopted may be characterised as systematic play, and it comprises object lessons, marching, keeping time with feet, hands, and voice, singing, training of the memory without cramming, drawing, woolwork, &c. The discipline is, of course, strict, but kindly and winning. Samples of the work done by the young people are now on view in the Industrial Department of the Exhibition, and it is marvellously good, and said to be quite equal to that accomplished in the like schools of the northern cities, The value of this training, as compared with the baneful influence of days spent without restraint or guidance on the street, and as a preparation for ordinary school work when school age is reached, cannot be over-estimated. Admission is free, and the children are supplied with pinafores while in school. Miss Wienicke, who has had a large experience of Kindergarten Schools in Germany, is head teacher, and she has three assistants. The school, however, is managed by a Committee of ladies, who have the support of an influental Finance Committee of gentlemen. Mrs. W. H. Reynolds is President of the Association; the Vice-Presidents are Mrs. Belcher, Mrs. A. S. Paterson, and Miss Bathgate; Mrs Marsden Smith is Treasurer; and the offices of Secretary and Assistant-Secretary are held by Misses Kelsey and F. Wimperis respectively. Though the work is entirely dependent on voluntary contributions, the success which has attended the Walker street School, and the generous support given by friends, have determined the Committee to establish similar schools in other parts of the city as soon as practicable.