HON. G. W. RUSSELL ON THE WEST COAST

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 304, 12 September 1918, Page 9

HON. G. W. RUSSELL ON THE WEST COAST

H) ' REORGANISATION OF THE SUBSIDY SYSTEM. / By Telegrarh—Press Association. Hokitiha, September 11. Tho Hon. G. W. Russell, Minister of Internal Affairs and Public Health, inspected the hospital at Greyiuouth this morning,' and subsequently niet tho Hospital Board. He afterwards -motored to Kumara, and met a number of the townspeople at tho Town Hall. In reply to the welcome extended to him, Mr. Russell referred to the memorials about the building of the late Mr. Seddon, and eulogised his carper. He said that Mr. Seddon had united the forces of Liberalism and Labour, and had thus been ablo to carry out many requirements which had loft a permanent mark on the history and progress of the Dominion.' The Minister sympathetically referred to the recent death of Captain Richard Seddon in action in France, and at his request the audienco rose to their feet as an expression of their sympathy • with Mrs. Seddon and her family, and as a tribute to tho memory of the late Captain Seddon. Mr. Russell referred to the necessity of a reorganisation of the subsidy system as regards local government bodies and hospital boards, in order to assist the development of sparsely-populated and unsettled districts such as those upon the West Coast. Ho intended to brinp; bofore Cabinet proposals which if given effect to would make subsidies payable more according to tiie interests of districts than according to their wealth. He regarded flat subsidies, which made no discrimination between settled and unsettled districts, ns unjust, inequitable, and not calculated to assist tho development of tho outer districts of tho Dominion. Mr. Russell is to take , part in the farewell to the members of tho Fortysixth Reinforcements at the Town Hall, Hokitika, this evening.