The Globe. MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 1879.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1530, 13 January 1879, Page 2

The Globe. MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 1879.

The representatives of the local bodies in North Canterbury havo affirmed the dosirability of local management of hospitals and charitable aid with the proviso that the necessary legislative provision is mado. They havo further virtually [declined to undertake tho work in question without such provision; at least wo prosumo that that will bo the practical effect of the resolution stigmatising that course. Further, tho representatives have by resolution oxpressed their disapproval of the voluntary aid principle. It may be taken for granted that their resolutions will cause small satisfaction to the mind of the Colonial Socrotary when they reach him, and it will bo curious to observe what will be his next step towards divesting the Central Government of all responsibility on tho subject of Hospital and Charitable Aid management, The fact seems to be that Colonel Whitmoro has becomo imbued with idoas similar to those which prevail in the minds of some of his colleagues. Thoy evidently mistake their position as responsible Ministers, or at least are inclined to think that their responsibility begins and ends with their own consciences. As for a Legislature, thoy rogard it apparently as a superfluity, its interference with their administration as impertinent, and its objections to Ministers superseding tho law-making power, and becoming tho only law to themselves, as wholly unwarrantable. This was illustrated particularly in tho Tapanui contract, in the promises mado to Tawhiao, in tho impounding of the Canterbury land fund, and in a largo number of the minor acts of the Ministry. It will be illustrated if it shall be found that tho colony has boon committed to any liability in regard to tho proposed direct stoam sorvice with England. In tho present case it is illustrated by tho proposal to establish Boards for tho purpose of administering public funds and managing public property without the sanction of the Legislature. It is true that such a Board is now in existence, but not oven tho Ministry t homsolvos have regarded that as boing other than a temporary creation, and as such it has acted. It would have boon more satisfactory if the speakors at tho conference on Friday had pointed out tho prociso nature of tho legislative provision without which they hold that no efficient management of the hospitals and charities coidd be provided. Goneral positions such as that affirmed by the meeting are very liable to misrepresentation, and their assertors to be set down by tho thoughtless or hostile as simply obstructives. At tho samo time it does not appear that anything was said on Friday which indicated that those present wore not quite as dosirous as Colonel Whitmoro to arrive at i\ satisfactory solution of the vexed question which they wore mot to discuss, or that thoy would have been indisposed to outer heartily upon any reasonable scheme which might havo been proposed to them. What thoy were not disposed to do was to uudertako a definite responsibility, or pledge their principals, the local bodies, to undertake it without a definite power to carry it out. The local bodies, at their former conference, got as far as to enunciate the main principles upon which, in thoir opinion, tho hospitals and charitable aid should bo iidministered, and there was, no sign on Friday that thoy had in any way recoded from their previous expression. On the former occasion Colonel Whitmore wrote approviuggenorally of the views put forward by (ho representatives of the several governingbodies. But this happened before the session, and big Government suffered the session to goby without taking any. steps whatever to obtain the sanction of tho Legislature to the views of which thoy had approved.' And vot it is

quite obvious that in some respects it is absolutely necessary that legislative provision should bo made. For instance, the power to agree upon a scale of contributions as between tho various local bodies may possibly exist under tho powers of such bodies to make contracts. But tho power of any representatives of those bodies to sue jointly for non-fulfilment of such agreement is highly questionable, for tho reason that tho Municipal and Counties Acts do not contemplate the appointment of any such representative body. Consequently if one or two of the local bodies chose at any time to recede from their agreement, or took a huff at anything that might bo done, it would bo quite compotont for them to upset the whole organisation. Supposing oven that tho Government were good enough to gratify tho vanity of the representatives when appointed and publish their names iu a "Gazette" notice, as they have done upon pressure by the present Board, such notice has no mysterious force to legalise that which is illogal, or confer powers which have not been conferred by the Legislature. On these grounds, supposing even that tho question of tho source of the funds to bo administered wore sottlod, and that it wore agreed that tho burden should be borne on the rates of tho sevoral local bodies, it would bo absolutely necessary that the basis on which their contributions should bo calculated should bo fixed by law, and that tho body to which they were to be paid should have a corporate existence, however it might bo constituted. So also in order that the Board, or whatever it might bo called, should have power to sue well-to-do patients who might havo taken advantage of the Hospital but declined to pay for tho accommodation provided; so also for entering into agreements with surgeons or contractors for supplies, it is indispensable that the Board should have soino legal status as a body, which neither the appointment of individual members by tho sevoral local bodies concerned, nor ap- • pointment by a Government without tho sanction of law is able to confer. As to tho modo in which the funds for these purposes should bo raised, tho conference of Friday did not enter seriously upon tho question further than to state that in its viow there was ono way in which they clearly should not bo raised. Some members indeed expressed the opinion that tho whole charge should be laid upon tho consolidated fund, but no resolution was passed, and wo think the meeting was wise in not giving any distinct opinion upon a matter outside of that which they wore called upon to discuss. As to tho voluntary systom, those who are at all acquainted with Christchurch at the presont time, or who keep their eyes open for opportunities of assisting the needy, will admit that there is always ample scope for tho exorcise of benevolence of that kind, entirely apart from any Government institution or possible scheme of public relief. We have reason to boliovo that tho amount of voluntary aid at the present time given to distressed people and families in Christchurch is very considerable, and the diversion of this into the stream of public charity would not, so far as we can see, bo productive of any bonefit, while there would of necessity be a great risk of its being less effective for good so far as it wont, and the recipients would bo deprived of that active sympathy from the donors which at present acids greatly to tho value of what is given. That there are objections to every systom which can be proposed must be freely admitted. But on tho whole we think reliance on tho voluntary system alono would bo the most objectionable, both for the reasons above stated, and because of the uncertainty of tho source of supply. As to tho consolidated fund proposal we confess that to us it appears to havo very little to recommend it. Tho reasons for this viow may, however, be properly reserved for further discussion, when wo may also refer to two schemes which havo novel-, so far as wo are aware, been disdiscussod or oven suggested in Now Zealand.