The Dunstan Times. FRIDAY, MAY 1, 1874.

Dunstan Times, Issue 628, 1 May 1874, Page 2

The Dunstan Times.

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 1874.

Beneath the Rule of Men entirely just the pen is mightier than thes word.

Since the winter of 1863 the resources of the Dunstan District Hospital have not been so severely tried. It is not the inclemency of the weather this time that has filled its wards with poor suffering humanity, but incipient disease, peculiar (we must hope) to that particular portion of the district in which it has unfortunately made its appearance. For nearly two months past the inmates of the Hospital have averaged between twenty-two and twenty-four, most of them feverstricken patients from Cromwell and its immediate neighborhood. While deeply sympathising with the affliction which has befallen our neighbors, and feeling a pleasure in doing anything to relieve them in their sore trouble, we, at the same time, must remind them that their contributions towards the maintenance of the Hospital amount to almost nothing for the current year. Because the people of Cromwell desire to establish a hospital for themselves, it is most unreasonable that they should expect us to support so many of their sick when they are in a position to do so themselves. We are quite willing to do our part, and will not Hindi from doing our utmost: still we can draw no other conclusion but that it is most unfair that we should be compelled to bear the whole brunt of the difficulty, while others look smilingly on and withhold that assistance which the dicta' es of humanity should render imperative. There may be want of a hospital at Cromwell, or (here mav not; but surely local jealousy should not go so tar as to prevent our publicspirited neighbors subjecting the Clyde portion of the district to the cost of maintaining and nourishing their sick, while they stoically look en, with folded arms, keeping their money in their pockets, to start a rival hospital when the epidemic which afflicts them is over. At the commencement of the present financial year, there was a credit to the Hospital of 128?. 7s. Id., together with subscriptions to come in to the extent of 807. This, at the time, Was most satisfactory to the subscribers, who, however, little contemplated the heavy demands that would be made upon its resources, or that the Cromwell subscribers would |discontinue their subscriptions. It must be apparent to every one that, unless extraordinary means are adopted to increase subscriptions, the Institution will become seriously indebted. The present demands upon its resources cannot possibly.be met by the present rate of income; and, unless the Cromwell people contribute their share of the working expenses, there will he no other course to pursue but an appeal to Government or close the doors of the Hospital. We never before heard of a mining community being ungenerous, or shutting their ears to the call of their suffering brethren, and we can hardly bring ourselves to believe that the Cromwell people will be the first to break through this golden rule of the Gold-fields, more especially when from their division of the Dunstan District this unlooked for calamity has overtaken one of our most valued institutions. Until the present financial year, no section of the Dunstan District lias contributed mure to the support of the Hospital than the residents of Cromwell; and and we firmly believe that, had it not been for the unfortunate spirit of loca

rivalry and jealousy which seems so chronic to all small communities, such might still bo the case. We had hoped that Cromwell was a step ahead of self-aggrandisement at the expense of its neighbors, which is the bane of Now Zealand society. The Dunstan District cannot support two hospitals, and nothing his occurred to warrant the establishment of a second With a hospital at Cromwell neither that nor the one at Clyde could be efficiently supported ; and the end would be that patients, instead of being locally treated, would require to be sent down to Lawrence or Dunedin. Ho - ®’ much better it would be if the rival interests of the Dunstan District were to mutually agree to assist in its collective development than carrying on an insane war of mutual obstruction.