The Chrønicle. LEVIN. THURSDAY, JAN. 24. 1918.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 24 January 1918, Page 2

The Chrønicle. LEVIN. THURSDAY, JAN. 24. 1918.

: Referring to our comment upon the Palnierston Hospital Board's £55,000 building scheme, the Fox ton Herald says: "The Chronicle, need have no \fear as to the Board not knowing 1 Its mind on the amount required : 'for capital expenditure in order i 'to bring the district hospital up i (■(> requirements. The building Jtcheme has received special con. • /sideration for months past. Conferences between the superintendent of Hospitals, Minister for Public Health, leading architects, and medical men have been held. A subcommittee has been \it work gathering information* all sources for some considerable time. But details of j the work have not, imfortunate:l.v, been set out in detail through •the press., Hence misgivings in ; 'certain quarters not. conversant I 'with tlie_ facts. The Horowhenua ; delegates, when they approached the Board and asked to be merg. Ed into the Palnierston District, were told that- the contemplated expenditure on expansion would total over £50,000. r. There was no objection arised by the delegates. The whole scheme, which is of a comprehensive nature, may take from ten to twenty years to complete. An application has been made to the Public Trustee for £50,000, and the money will be lifted as required, and posterity will bear its fair share- of the burden instead of levying upon contributing bodies. The Board decided to apply and make sure of the full amount which will be required. The Government will not tallow the Board to play ducks and drakes with the money, >and will only ■sanction the most essential ad-

ditions< The public can rest assured that the Board is taking; every precaution to safeguard their interests so far as the hospital and its administration is concerned."

Our Foxton contemporary's explanation is informative but it is only reasonable to expect that these facts should be disclosed at tlie meeting wlien the scheme was discussed. The Herald admits that these details "have not, unfortunately, been set out through the press. Hence

misgivings in : certain quarters not conversant with 'the facts," How the paying' public is to become "conversant with the facts'' if they are not put on record, our contemporary does not explain, and but for the comcidence that the editor of the Herald is a member of 'the Board—a very keen and outspoken t member, by the way-—we should probably 'fit-ill be in the dark in regard to these expensive proposals.: Sure- ! ly these details ought to come from the chairman of the Board ;in a, statement of policy. Such | a course would disarm criticism, 1 and after all, is only what is due to those who will have to bear the I financial burden- The Palmer, j ston Board, however, seems to be ■ : determined to continue to deserve - the distinction of being the mos • unbusinesslike in ~A T ew Zealand > 1 -— L

Our attention lias been drawn' to the fact that a wrong impression is conveyed by the wording of the official police return reflating to the oiiencp described thereon as Absconding from industrial schools." Under this heading the number of youths who actually leave the schools is combined with the number who abscond from service after they liave been licensed out. Jt is thus made to appear that escapees from the schools are abnormally high. A 1 \Vera7 - oa. for instance, in 1917 the absconding s are in the police returns jis 52. Actually they were only .38, the other cases occurring amongst boys who had been licensed out. Even -38 escapees in a year might seem an undue propor. j t.ion from a single school, but as a. matter of fact it is only fair to state that 2.3 of these occurred in (lie first, quarter of 1917. A new system was then introduced at Wera.roa and since then there has been a steadily diminishing record of truancy. In the second quarter the number was 0, in the third quarter 5, and in the last three months ,4. In justice to the local institution these facts should be made known, and as a matter of general practice the Department should distinguish in its return between the two classes of offence.