“ THE SLUMS OF SYDNEY.”

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3339, 4 October 1911, Page 5

“ THE SLUMS OF SYDNEY.”

—. .... ' THE REV. MR HAMMOND’S FINAL ADDRESS. The Rev. R. S. B. Hammond delivered his final address in Gisborne to a crowded audience at His Majesty s Theatre last evening- The Yen. Archdeacon Williams presided. His subject was “The Slums of Sydney,” and the lecture was profusely illustrated by lantern slides. /, In opening, the speaker said that his purpose was to show: them parts of the slum areas in which lie had worked—the great moral swamp areas —for which alcohol was meet responsible. The first two illustrations served to show, firstly, the disregard a great many peop.o had for their felljows in suffering, and, secondly, a part of Surry Hills, in Sydney where the lecturer had found the people knew little of churches. The day. had come, he said, when these who would not go to olvurcli were those to whom the Church must go. Passing on, ■ thei lecturer dealt with the abnormal • number of hotels to be found in the slum areas of Sydney* ■ and what they meant in his opinion to those areas. Referring to the slums amongst which he carried on his work, the Rev. Mr. Hammond said- that when lie. stepped out! of his vestry he found, himself in a magnificent thoroughfare nine feet wide and. fronted with rows of house’s packed closely together, having neither back or side entrance, and in some cases providing shelter for three or four families. One of his agents had called his attention. to a four-ricomed house in which there was a. family living in each room and one of these families kept a boarder! At considerable, length the speaker - discussed the work of his mission, and told many interesting stories of his experiences in the work. Reverting] to the question of liquor, lie* said when people got married they said l they were pulling in double harness, but he was of opinion that when a man stopped to take a pull at a bottle he was not pulling at the* load. Touching in turn on the great amount of wife desertion that was going on in the slums and the best means of checking this, the speaker went on to relate* that a magistrate of the juvenile police court had told him. that 'DO' per cent of the , children who passed through his hands did so because of the' intemperance of one or other of their parents. _ Pictures were then; shown of the rescue. homes set up by the speaker in his work in the slum areas, and the Rev. Hammond said that these' were real homes—not doss houses and they vyere of infinite value.in the reclamation of the drunkard- One of their homes could accommodate 12 men and the men who came in must come for a fortnight. At the end of that fortnight they were asked, “If you get a job will you stay another fortnight and pay 13s 6d a week?” Tliev had their concert on Tuesdays and a meeting among themselves on Thursdays. . This was, said the speaker, a. sort of breathing space when, men enhld spit on their hands and take a fresh grip of life. The speaker then went on to tell his auditors many stories cf reclamations and the successful lives . into which tliose reclaimed had converted their energies, and concluded his personal tribute'to the memory of the late Mr. T. E. Taylor. The wonderful thing about Mr. Taylor, be said, was that he was loved 1 ■ best -where he was best known. Tie hoped that 'many people ' would put their names to the subscription lists, and thus make it possible to erect a monument to theiri departed .leader^ The Rev- Mr; Hammond was accorded ai heaitv vote of thanks, moved by the Rev J. Pattison and seconded by Mr. -T. C. Field'.