THE HOSPITAL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4848, 5 October 1876, Page 3

THE HOSPITAL.

TO THE EDITOR OP THE NEW ZEALAND TIMES. ; Sib, —The Wellington Hospital is essentially an institution for the benefit of the public. It receives patients hot only from the town but from the country districts outside, the sufferings of the patient being often increased, from the distance to be traversed. The in-;' mates are 1 visited by ministers of the Gospel; ladies, who to their honor be It spoken, devote some of their time and means to the relief of suffering; friends of the patients, and others. fEvery facility 'should' therefore be afforded to j enable persons as above described to attend, 'and to that end a hospital should be' situated, subject to the site being healthy, in a centralnbsition. The f Wellington • Hospital is at present situated'in on a

reserve set apart for the purpose) and yet without a remonstrance the public is about: to per-,: mit : the removal 'of the hospital—that ! is to) say, the sale of the present site, and ,the.erection of a new hospital—to a remote end of .the town) where it will, be out of the reach of. ministers, lady visitors, and others, , and where consequently the , inmates,, will be deprived of the benefit of much consolation and alleviation to their sufferings, and for what corresponding benefit ? To convalescents the value of a position where they can see and be seen is of great importance ;' and I opine that the, principle of selling reserves set apart in a wyr colony for public purposes, is bad, and, that such sales should not be allowed. It reminds; me of the fable of destroying the goose that, laid the golden; eggs. See what enormous , wealth „has accrued,, to hospitals in England from the increased value of their endowments, and,consequently how largely their powers for usefulness have been increased, and yet, with land rapidly rising in value, we propose rashly selling endowments to spend the proceeds on buildings, . I trust before it is too late action will be taken both to, preserve the hospital in its present site and to prevent the sale of reserves that whether for hospitals or colleges will ultimately prove of great value, and that for the sake: of present convenience the future will not be so utterly sacrificed. : It would be better to pay a forfeit to the contractors of the proposed new hospital than to alter the site of the institution. If there is no other means of deciding the question,- I submit that the Mayer should call a meeting in order that the sense of the public may be obtained.—l am, &c., A Resident. Wellington, October 2.