The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, JANUARY 20th, 1925. MISTAKEN ZEAL.

Hokitika Guardian, 20 January 1925, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, JANUARY 20th, 1925. MISTAKEN ZEAL.

The Westland Hospital Board is proving over zealous in regard to the moiety or gratuity allowed old age pensioners from their monthly State allowance. When the Board was in financial straits lately, the members thought it wise to curtail the gratuity of 15s monthly to ss. 'I his, it was understood, was a temporary arrangement to tide over the financial year, and with other economies avoid making a fresh levy. There has been a good deal of public discussion on the matter, and it might have been left nt that, but the Board at the jast meeting went the length of

re-opening the subject, and authorbed letters to he written to the pensioners and their relatives which rather overstrains the position, and does not leave the Board in a light, altogether favorable. The Board appears to he bent on entrenching itself behind the ‘‘legal ’ position. We do not know that any legality was involved. The pesition was governed, hv the spirit of man to man, and the desire to do the best possible for those in distress. The public, lunch as they resent the increasing cost of hospital maintenance, least of all object to any small extra charge IVr comforts for the old people. To seek to justify the Board’s action on legal grounds is therefore quite beside the question, and belittles the Board’s standing in the mntler. Equally so is the Board mistaken in its zeal to suggest as its letters to the pensioners do, that the legal stand is taken because of wlint is described as the “disloyal" part pbi.ved by the inmates in approaching tin Member for Westland. It is the custom to approach the Member where there is the occasion to interview or intervene with a higher authority, and the inmates should not he punished, nor be punishable because of that act. The old chaps have their idiosyncrasies and they should be borne with rather than use an official letter couched in strong terms to attempt to correct them for the offoi t to safeguard their position. Nor do we feel ihe Board lias dime the right thing in writing to relatives and suggesting in cold terms that their parents or other connections are receiving charitable aid. That term does not apply to the pension. The late Air Seddmi who was responsible for the introduction of the pension, was careful always to emphasise that it was not charitable ai . nor a dole—it was for the aged hv right, ft is not in keeping will i the fitness of things to thus find the term revived. It would appear that the Board is disposed to go too far in a matter which might well have been left at rest seeing that in less than three months’ time the financial period of stringency will have passed, and the Board can so shape its levy that no suggestion of injustice can be made in respect to the comlort of the old folk. The Board must know, without taking legal opinion, that relatives of pensioners are liable lor their upkeep if unfortunately they have to go to a public institution. The Board could take action in such cases where it could succeed without the procedure it lias followed. The whole action appears to be mistaken zeal to cover up n position which, out of regard for the feelings of those concerned, might well have been left in abeyance. ‘I ho old folk are in the evening of their days, and they will not appreciate the publicity thrown upon them. The members of tiie Board individually, we are quite sure, will regret the revival of the matter publicly, for they have shown always a desire to do the right tiling for the inmates. It is a. pity the matter has been taken up in the manner it has, for we believe the Board members must feel that the position has been strained unnecessarily and in the end can serve no good purpose. The instructions of the Board have been carried out evidently in ail over-zealous manner.