THE HOSPITAL COMMITTEE.

Kumara Times, Issue 495, 29 April 1878, Page 2

THE HOSPITAL COMMITTEE.

[to the editor.] Sir —In your issue of a few evenings since, a writer has made statements j relative to the late committee, and j other Hospital matters, and of which j I am compelled to say that they are I neither accurate cr generous in their | application and although appearing ; in what may be termed the funny column, they deserve some notice, from the unfair position given to what I complain of. A statement has heen made, that the late committee resigned j fiom the fear of meeting an increase j of debt of £3O. I may be allowed to j state that the committee did m>t j resign on any such grounds, it is simply untrue to say so. The committee did resign, because it would not undertake the responsibility of having a local Hospital built, and that in addition to other duties; carried out for the last ten months, and further front ex-pe-ience and other calculations th.»t money ■snißcient would not be seen i red for its proper maintenance in the future-! aiKlvuntii time prove otherwise I hold that the position tak»n up by the committee is both a sound,and h tenable one, Thp committee as insinuated; were not afraid Of £'j(j i M . debtedn'-ss, as they had already given instruction's to the .Secretory tp write for the Government equivalent toc.ntributions. The committee have faced great ey difficulties, and overcame them tood find in all justice and fair play it can be claimed, it has worked well to the hist, an<l for services so given it is not in good tiste to misconstrue anvtlwng done or said for -ho purpose of ridicule. And again the st-iteu cut is made that £7OO stands' good tor a start under the new s stein. This is qui'e true, but what of its expendi- ! ture, say £6OO for building ami | furnishing, and there remains" £IOO ' of a balance, ami 1 venture to assert, that the last named .sum will be ' absorbed, and uiuiv to the back of it

before Kumara Hospital is v fit to receive patients. For the present I shall not further trouble you, the question is still a large one for the public to deal with, awl give its best consideration to ; and beino- a subscriber myself, you will admit privilege of comment.—Yours, &c, Observer. [We publish " Observer's" letter ; but do not know in what light the public will regard the statements of a ■writer who takes it upon himself to say " I state the Committee did not resign on any such grounds," but shrinks from giviag the authority of his own name. Ex cathedra assertions of this sort should be made only from some recognized authoritative source. As against " Observer's" letter there is the speech of the Chairman of the late Committee when placing the resignation of himself and fellovv-committseuien in the hands of the citizens in public meeting as- ■ sembled —Ed. K. T.]