PLEASNTRIES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1472, 21 June 1912, Page 5

PLEASNTRIES.

STIRRING UP LOCAL FEELING.

HON, Or. W, AT IT

OorreßEondenU ':&&ss■:'>*''' Wanganui, Juno 21.

w WVliDriJin-Taihape., on..Friday last, rlio ■nott'iV.G.wW.' Rvisscil- was, asked- to';- visit ::TaihapoiHcspital- niidSboos-tho'.'slate of ; thihg's;?^llo: ; wns ; ,.siirpriscd;-to find" 1 tho grounds- .in'; aSverjv untidy 'mid' neglected ■ .statoiWdS lio,"wcnt' to {market" oyer tho wholp 1 ; anaiiy:,'wiyiiig, (according ■io ■ tlio '.. .Taihanci;."."i'ihics")'thai; tho -.M'angnnui ''llospita'4.Board(tdid not know its' busi-

»;Tho; Minister'was''accompanied"'in' his "inspection, by Mr.H. D. Bennett, of Tai-' Jinpei'jr'a; member of the Hospital Board who says the abovo paper outlir.nl tho 'treatment'meted out by the board to tho ■Taihapo district, and hinted at the need "pfv a separate district or'of being attached tofrl'a'merstoii.;. ■>.'*.. '''■'.

i's-.Tho Minister hinted, at .a magisterial :'iiiqiury.'.-.-; The. Department is-taking ue- . ijion, an;inciuir.v;by Parliament, and vnr-,,' rious.other, reprisals are on. the board," tho " 'sequel.,being a''receipt bytho' board of" a-:telegram from tho .Minister complaining of the state of affairs and asking that immediate steps bo taken to rectify them. ■ ■This' telegram, and the Taihapo paper's articlo ■-'wero considered at "yesterday's ■ meeting of. tho board which promptly .' ■"went to'-market" a 150..;

'.'■ The chairman (Mr. W. Ritchie) was the ■' ■ firstt io : voice'' his 'indignation at what _ ,he termed "the last straw, of ilbiviiright. - ' . presumption ■ and impertinence." 'When ahospilal for Taihapc- was first mooted it -,was strenuously opposed by tho majority ''.of, the board on the grounds of cost, and ; they; only agreed to the establishment on ' a. distinct'; understanding that,, it .was,,(p. , ..be. a cottage hospital and. nothing more. , The people up there, however,, wore cvi- , '.dcntlyvery generous and subscriptions (locked in and, after a fine building had .been; creeled;'residents of the township ■promised to' find .£IOO a year for_ five .years towards the upkeep--of the insti■tution •and. also to sign "jointly and severally." .What had been Hie result? There '.' was 1 no 1 ..'.£100 a year,''no "jointly and seycrn'ily," t ,an(l. the subscription towards tlie building' had. not been up. to OiC .marl;.' He. predicted that, had the he* .'pital-never bron established, they would have born' .£lOllO to the. good. He thought,. , : Uia(. tho remarks of iho Minister and Mr, 1 'Bennoll were, verv unjust and considered that; beforcMhry talked of the board notcarrying out. its shave, they should "stump lip" Ihe.ll'aOa,' which they, had .promised,, , or its «'!inivalenl.: : lle did not blame the. ,I'ocalV committee for tho slate, of., things, ~, hut.one man.who had manipulated it, and that:was the chairman (Air. IT. D. BeitlicttKwho, .'although he had complained, to the had time and .' instruction-- fiom the board io have, Iho •' ground.-? and gale-; put in order, but had never, done so. "The telegram from tho Minister," said Mr. Ritchie, "is a direct insult to the hoard. He did not think that they should tolerate such a. thing. I'f "Taifiaiio'wiint'c'il-'to have'a show placo . I hey,should keep the promises which they, 'had' inad-j- to-thc board. , Other members of the board, including tho Mangawcka ami Rangitikei representatives',"spoke in similar terms, blaming Mr. Bennett and saying that the board's directions to the Taihapo committee had not- been, .carried out. . . , '_

Finally'it was resolved that a. committee, he appointed to draw up ,v reply, to the Minister.'. '' '

■ At: tiro samp meeting of the hoard Mr. H. D. Bennett telegraphed asking leaveof absence. Tho hoard refused'on- tho ground that Mr,'Bennett had'not attended 25 per cent of tho meetings sud. by so doing,, was guilty of injustice hoth to tho hoard and to,tho district y-.-hieh ho' represented, which latter practically disfranchised him.' It was alsti stated that another Taihapo member had also ..been : !ax in his attendance. , . '■■&:■-..,