OUR HOSPITAL SHIPS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2585, 6 October 1915, Page 6

OUR HOSPITAL SHIPS

STATEMENT BY THE GOVERNOR ■By Telegraph.—Press Association.. Hamilton, October 5. Speaking at a banquet. at Hamilton to-day His Excellency the Earl of Liverpool referred to the commissioning and furnishing of the second hospital ship. When, he said, the Maheno was fully equipped it was found that the amount required had been oversubscribed. Shortly afterwards tlo New Zealanders in England decided to equip a hospital at .Walton-on-Thames for the accommodation of New Zealand wounded, who up till that time had been scattered through various hospitals in the British Isles. The New Zealariders in England subscribed very largely to this and Lord Plunket, the president ,of the fund, cabled an appeal to His Excelilenc.y for assistance. Having a substantial amount in hand from the Maheno_ fund; ho considered himself justified in forwarding the sum to this kindred object.

Then came tho request for a second hospital ship. Towards this he did not intend to ask the people of . tbe Dominlou to subscribe, though, f of course, he would hot refuse money sent to him for this purpose. The difficulty was not in getting thein to give, but to keei} them from giving. When the second request' came he placed the matter before the 'leading Mayors of the • Dominion and was fully satisfied that the people who liad contributed towards the Maheno were fully with'him in helping the W r al-< ton Hospital. I ' He had asked the Mayors of the four, leading cities to put any money tbey had to spare from other funds towards making up the amouut he had given to the Walton Hospital, and tie amount had been made up all but £6000. He was not going to appeal for'further xunds because'it was necessary to pre-, serve the resources of the country in case th,e ,war extended over a long period. . ' •

It was jet possible that further New Zealand hospitals would have to be established, and that the Walton Hospital would require to be considerably extended. _ It-.might not be constitutional to say but lio did not- believe tlie p Gop] (3 should be ontirely dependent on ..the State for everything; it- was desirable that._ human sympathy should bo fostered in cases like the present. .Germany was an, example of a machin-ery-made State', where the people depended entirely upon the State in .everything, and. the result was . that one of the wheel went wrong the whole machine was put out of action. - -

He heard last week from Lord Kitchener that the Maheno would reach England about October 13she would remain there a week and would return to New Zealand about December 12. The ship would require -.to' be thoroughly by that' time and will also have to' be recommissidned.