MERELY A MIRAGE?

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1387, 13 March 1912, Page 3

MERELY A MIRAGE?

4 . OTAKI HOSPICE. OUTKI'OKBX C'ONDMMNATION. Serious double as to whollier l.lio Olaki Niiimluriiim is doing wluil is claimed for it were expressed by .Mr. 11. It. (lardeiior at tin- meeting ut Ihe Charitable Aid Hoard yesterday. Mr. (inrdener thoiighl thai Hie hoard should be informed of the condition of Inn piilicnls wlin passed through the wtnnlorinm. At prcsenl all that was known iilmiit the institution was that certain patient* were discharged from lime lo time as "able lo work." Members, of the board were informed llml. these people, were able t| work when Ihev left, the sanatorium. \>ut they knew nnlhing of how the pntietils fared laler. Only two or three patients had entered tho institution from liis district, and all of I'hem had died. II was just possible that the treats meal- received by the patients was not having (he good results that was claimed for it. and, in view of the fact that .E.'10.000 or X 10,01)0, had been spent on the plnce, the board had a right to know more about tho patients after they left it. Each patient entering the satalorium cost about ,£l.lO, if proper account was taken of capital cost of buildings, or about JEM, omitting this. Ho did not belicvo that tho sanatorium was doing the good work that members had been led lo believe. Ho was not sure, either, whether tho institution was being conducted as it ought to be. Ono patient had been in it for 20 months, and others had been in it for various periods, ranging down to six months. Ho thought that it was intended that it should bo an educational sanatorium rather than a hospital. Ho understood that patients wero to bo treated thero for threo months or so, and that they wero then to bo sent away to treat themselves bv llio methods they had learned in tho sanatorium. Ho would move: "That, tho names and last addresses of thoso patients that have been treated and discharged from the Otnki Sanatorium be forwarded to the Health Department with a. request that, their inspectors mako inquiries as to tho present condition of thoso that have left the sanatorium, and report to the board at a future date." Mr. AV. Tompsitt seconded the moiiou. Mr. Van Staveren pointed out that the motion could do no good. The board had had tho very same question under consideration eighteen months ago, and it had then been ma do clear that the board hud no power to do moro than recommend the matter to tho Government for consideration. He hoped that tho time would conio soon when there would lie legislation to deal with the position, but now thero was none, and it was, therefore, useless to pass tho motion. The motion was carried.