COOK ISLANDS ADMINISTRATION.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1107, 21 April 1911, Page 2

COOK ISLANDS ADMINISTRATION.

Sir,—lii your issue of to-day appears a letter from one Bernard S. Story, M.D., 1'.11.C.5., which is a most unjustifiable and unfair attack upon a private practitioner, Dr. C. SI. "Dawson, of Uarotouga. As Dr. Dawson is absent from New Zealand, and unable to defend himself, I, as a personal friend of many years, propose doing .so. In the first place, Dr. B. Story evidently, judging from the tono of his letter, knows nothing personally regarding Dr. Dawson, having to rely on tho contents of a private letter from his brother, Dr. A. Story, Acting-Chief Medical Officer at Karotonga, for material with which- to attack Dr. Dawson. He states that the latter no doubt resigned from his position as Chief Medical Officer as a protest against tho utterly inadequate salary paid to him as Chief Medical Officer, and expected to be reappointed at aii increased salary. This is entirely a mis-statement of facts. Dr. Dawson'resigned for the good and sufficient reason that he could not get the necessary funds expended on tho hospital and necessary sanitary work, whilst at the same time the Resident Commissioner could find funds-nearly expend for his owii comfort on the Residency. That explodes fallacy No. 1. Dr. Story goes on to state that on Dr. Chesson's appointment Dr. Dawson returned to Karotonga and started practice among the few whiles, expecting that, with the private practice cut off, no doctor would retain for long the position of Chief Medical Officer, and the Government would be forced to beg Dr. Dawson to accept it at his own figure. This is most misleading, a.nd onlv contains a small quota of the true facts. When Dr. Dawson returned to New Zealand, ho was repeatedly written to by. both whites and natives, 'asking him to return and start in private practice, and voluntarily ottering him a guarantee. The New Zea'land Government, appreciating Dr. Dawson's good work amongst the native?, and his 'ability, offered him the position <:f Medical Officer at Nine. This he declined, and decided to comply with the request of many whites (not "the few whites," as Dr. Story puts it), and a large number of natives, and returned to liarotonga as a private practitioner. The natives were so pleased at his return amongst them that they showed their appreciation in a very tangible form by presenting to Parliament of New Zealand a petition signed by no fewer than 1100 natives—being tho ''large majority of the natives on that island-asking that Dr. Chesson should be recalled, and Dr. Dawson reappointed Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Dawson did not seek, and I have no hesitation in publicly affirming that'lie would" not" accept, that position under the present Administration. Dr. Dawson was not dissatisfied with 'the remuneration paid him when ho held the official position, as he well know that the Administration could not afford more. His whole and sole object was to have the hospital, completed, adequately furnished, and supplied with the necessaries that any new hospital should contain. Dr. Dawson is not a mercenary nor an avaricious man, but his great desire was to uphold tho traditions and dignity of his profession in relieving distress,' and tl'.-; monetary part of the matter was quite a secondary consideration. I therefore consider it very petty nnd paltry for a medical practitioner like Dr. B. S. Story to impute such an ulterior motive to a fellow practitioner, namely, that Dr. Dawson had gone down with a fixed extermination to drive out Dr. Chesson, and, having done so, for mercenary purposes, put the Government in a hole and compel it to appoint him (Dr. Dawson) at his own figure. Dr. B. S. Story, it will be noted, slates that as a fact'; ho does not even take the precaution of suggesting it, or assuming it, but endeavours to place the worst possible light on the action of a brother practitioner, Dr. Dawson. I. think that fallacy No. 2 is exploded. Dr. B. S. Story also stales a clique of these whites pay Dr. Dawson .£l2O per annum, and they try to make, it ihot for tho Commissioner, and "we never speak as. wo pass,, by." , :: This ;.. .utterance, I also think, ('..calls for condemnation. Who is likely ,'to mislead the public into thinking that tha.t'is ( 'the sole. remuneration that Dr. Dawson'is receiving? If he had beeir fair to Dr. Dawson he would also have referred to the income from his private practice amongst the natives, who number over 2000. 1 don't know Dr. Dawson's private income, no more than I do Dr. B. S. Story's, and I should think it a piece of impertinence on my part to endeavour to ascertain the income of the latter gentleman,, much less to publish it. I do know, however, that Dr. Dawson's income is far and awav" bevond that paid to the Chief Medica'l Officer (£8 per week) or that paid to the ActingChief Medical Officer whilst acting as locum tenens (reported to be thirty shillings per clay). A reference to a "clique" of these whites,'is" in" doubtful taste, as the word "clique" is almost invariably used in an offensive way, and as the whites consist of many of the best whites and people of culture whom Dr. B. S. Story has never met, it is particularly offensive to be styled a "clique" of whites by an individual who is unknown to thorn. Fallacy No. 3 exploded. Dr. B. S. Story states that he thinks that you, Mr'. Lditor, might leave out tho "three urgent cases"—they're the red herring. That, sir, is tho crux of the whole cause of complaint against the present Administration and the Hospital authorities. The correspondence published by you on 15th instant—the DawsonSmith correspondence—shows quite clearly that it was Dr. A. C. Story who declined to admit the three urgent cases to the Hospital, one at least requiring an inimediato operation. . His brother, Dr. B. S. Story, of Hastings, says this is a red herring. The public are not likely to tako this strange view of it. Dr. B. S. Story states that "The Hospital is not yet ready for tho admission of patients," etc. This one statement shows how utterly ignorant Dr. 13. S. Story is regarding Cook Island matters, and how fallacious and unreliable tho rest of his statements on the subject must be. So much for relying on secondary statements. 1 shall now provo this Hospital question to the entire satisfaction of Dr.. 13. S. Story. The "Cook Islands Gazette," of April 9, 1910, officially declares, under the hand of Mr. J. Dman Smith, Resident Commissioner, ."that 1 the old Hospital has been closed and the new Hospital opened." If that is not a notification to the residents of the Cook Islauds that "the Hospital is ready tor the admission of patients," then 1 do not understand the English language. If Dr. B. S. Story still has any doubt on the subject I will provo it by the words'of the Commissioner, 'uii February 1, 1911, the Commissioner wrote to Dr. Dawson, in reply to a letter from tho hitter asking the direct question, "Will you inform mo if tho Hospital is ready to receive patients for surgical treatment?" and, if not, when it will be. These arc tho exact words of the Commissioner! "As far as I am aware, the Hospital is ready to receive patients for surgical treatment." Have I satisfied Dr. B. S. Story on this important point? If not, ho is beyond convincing. Tho concluding reference to my friend Dr. Dawson 1 decline to comment on, as it is beneath notice, and is the utterance of one who is completely ignorant of the subject upon which he has attempted, and dismally failed, to enlighten the public. 1 quite agree with the views of Mr. Stanley Rankin, appearing in another letter in tho same issue, that the Hospital question should at once engage the attention of a Royal Commissioner.— 1 am, etc., FA-RESIDENT. April 20.