THE GLOBE. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1882. THE HOSPITAL BOARD.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2449, 10 February 1882, Page 2

THE GLOBE. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1882. THE HOSPITAL BOARD.

Theee is a grim sort of humor in the letter written from the Colonial Secretary’s Office to the Hospital and Charit&hle Aid Board, which was read before the Board at its meeting on Wednesday. The Board had forwarded a copy of a resolution which had been passed by it to the effect that it was advisable that the Chairman of the Hospital staff should have a seat on the Board. The Colonial Secretary possibly sees no harm in the chief of the medical staff being on the Board, indeed he perhaps thinks that there is a certain appropriateness in his being there. But, on the other hand, he is puzzled by the consideration of the enormous dimensions to which the Board might grow in time. He sees that Dr. Prins and Dr. Turnbull are both on the Board at present. Dr. Prins was made a member of the Board a few weeks ago because of his position on the medical staff. Dr. Turnbull was put there a few years ago for exactly the same reason, and has evidently established a precedent that he did not originally hold his office ex officio but for all time. Dr. Prins has naturally an equal right to use the same reasoning which has been so successful in Dr. Turnbull’s case. Ho may, in fact, consider himself fixed for life. But, thinks the Colonial Secretary, “if these things be so where is there any finality P ” Ha consequently instructs his secretary to say that “ the Government cannot undertake to appoint the chairman each time a new appointment is made by the staff, and indeed consider the Board sufficiently numerous as at present constituted.” Tha public will, we think, quite agree with tha Colonial Secretary, although regretting the necessity of such a conclusion. It would appear must desirable that the head of the staff should hare a direct voice in the regulation of matters connected with the Hospital, but, at the same time, if persons will cling to their posts after tha reasons for their being appointed have passed away, it is absurd to think that a plethora of chiefs of hospital staffs is to pervade in the constitution of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board. There is apparently no hope that if four or five of them were to find themselves there that the one longest on the list would gracefully retire. J’y suis ef j'y rcstc is the motto which our old friend Dr. Turnbull has evidently adopted, and however much the imagination of the Colonial Secretary may quail before an imaginary picture of a Board consisting of retired chairmen of tha hospital staff, there is no reason for believing that tho oldest inhabitant of that place of honour would retire into tha cool shades of private life to spare the feelings of the gentleman at the head of the department. The Colonial Secretary is an astute man, and thinks prevention is better than cure. Experience and Dr. Turnbull have knocked tho romance out of him, and have made him sternly practical. THE EXHIBITION. The nows received by tho mail by Mr. Twopony with regard to the exhibits to be procured from Europe and elsewhere is of the most encouraging description. All tha countries celebrated for art and manufacture will bo fully represented. Italy, Austria, Switzerland, France, and Germany will send those particular goods and articles of vertu for which they are so celebrated. Outside of Europe, Japan and India will contribute the produce and.

the carvings, shawls, &c., which have from the earliest times sent merchants to the far east. Turning to the English productions, nothing can be more satisfactory. As regards china, tiles, Ac., all the most eelebratod of the British factories will exhibit, while other branches will be equally well represented. With respect to machinery, it is particularly pleasing to note that there will be a grand display. The machinery portion is_ to bo twice as large as that at Adelaide. Seeing how interesting this department is to the public, this news will be very welcome. All is very clear sailing except that, as Mr Twopeny reports, the applications for space from the North Island and Otago are not so numerous as they might be. No doubt that gentleman will rouse up our southern neighbors on his projected visit to Dunedin, but it would be annoying if the North Island were not adequately represented. As regards produce, the North Island is the complement of the Southern one. Parts of the former are semi-tropical, and strangers could not possibly gain a thorough idea of the extended and various resources of this colony unless both islands were to exert themselves in sending all that the land can raise. Wo trust, therefore, that our Northern friends will throw some more life into their endeavours to send down a thoroughly representative collection of natural produce. It is certainly to their own interest that they should so. If they wish to attract a good class of immigrants, as they are always professing that they desire to, they cannot do better than to show to the numbers of strangers that will bo present at the Exhibition an array of what they can do and what they can grow.