The Telephone. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, SATURDAY, APRIL 12.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 105, 12 April 1884, Page 2

The Telephone. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, SATURDAY, APRIL 12.

The other day we took advantage of the Murchie-McKay controversy to call attention to what appeared to us, and to many others, a remarkable state of affairs with respect to the administration and management of the Hospital and its funds. That the remarks which we then made should give offence in certain quarters was not at all surprising to us; inasmuch as it has long been our experience that to single out and hound to the death, any helpless or unfortunate unit who might be entirely or securely isloated from any chance of retaliation, and so fair and safe quarry to “ wet a beak on,” is sure to be cheered and applauded by those who are too low in the scale of humanity to feel magnanimity or pity; but to attack and expose any real abuse, or corrupt principle in which Hypocrites and snobs are concerned is to cause a regular jackdaws parliament amongst those who look upon honest labor as degrading and straightforwardness and honesty as a crime. The cringing oily hypocrite is soon found a congenial tool and taken to their hearts, whilst-manly independence is loathed and spurned. Yet these are the very class which never fail, when occasion requires, to pose before the public as “the working man’s friends,” whilst there is nothing on God’s earth which stinks in their nostrils so much as a honest man of any sort, but especially a honest working man; but thanks to educational influences that hackneyed and shallow rote is nearly played out. These remarks may seem somewhat broad, but we care not so long as they are truthful. Whilst there is in other quarters such a display of sham anxiety to expose all abuses by grasping at shadows which flit across the paths of a few schemers, we will be content for the present to take this real substance in hand with a view to correction. In our last remarks on the same subject we gave the income of the year at £1,354, exclusive of patient’s fees. The amount received under this head was £lOO ss. Bd., making a total of £1454 ss. Id., including the £3OO Barker-McDonald donation, but excluding the £3OO Government subsidy which, if added, would give a real total of £1,754 ss. Id. for the twelve months. We have s : nce been informed that 91 patients have been admitted during the same period—a very large and remarkable increase over the former year, which, according to the Government return, was only 58. Accepting this total of patients, and deducting the £6OO, we find there is still £1,154 ss. Id. left for current expenses of the year, a sum equal to nearly £l4 for every patient admitted. Now we have only one means of arriving at anything like an approximation of the average time these patients remained in the institution, and that is by taking the wardsman’s monthly report. In doing this it may be as well to state that like all other matters in connection with this Hospital they are somewhat remarkable in their way, as, although the management go to the expense of printing tabular report forms, with colums for dates, discharges, diseases, deaths, &c., &c., they aie utterly ignored, perhaps as being too troublesome, and a piece of blank paper would serve the same purpose under the present rule. The proof as to whether our former remarks were consistent and correct or not, will be best judged by the perusal of our report of the last committee meeting on Wednesday. On the accounts being brought on for payment, the grocery invoice of Teat and Friar was remarked to be unusually heavy—£l2 15s. 9d. for the month—a remarkable sum when it is remembered that there was only one patient (Solomon Black) in the Hospital. On a more minute examination of the items it was seen that no less than twenty-nine dozen of eggs were charged, and ether items in proportion. The next remarkable bill was Mr. Aislabie’s butcher’s bill, which contained a long array of figures for roast-beef joints, chops, fore-quarters of lamb, veal, pork, sausages, mutton, and an astonishing quantity of tripe. Thinking the matter might prove both interesting and instructive to our charitable readers, we totalled up the various items and found that no less than two hundred and seventy-one pounds of meat was charged for from the Ist to the 31st of March, or a quantity equal to nine pounds per day—one dozen eggs and 91bs. of meat per day for one sick man ! No wonder Mr. Booth had to go and take his depositions at the Hospital. Was this No. 1 scale of diet ? Now, we feel perfectly justified in asking whether this inquiry would have arisen had we not have made the previous remarks calling attention to the enormous cost of management? Well might Mr. Matthewson remark that something must be radically wrong, and forthwith move for an investigation. While complimenting this gentleman for his prompt action, we sincerely hope that he will leave no stone unturned in endeavouring to set matters right, and that he refuses to be led off the scent by any consideration for interested parties. There is no use mincing

matters, and we have little hesitation in ing distinctly, that ample evidence already exists of absolute dishonesty on the part of some person or persons, and collusion on the part of others, and we think simple justice requires that the service of the police should be called into requisition with a view of assisting in the investigation which is to be held on Wednesday next. And now let us give one word of advice to the committee. Do not attempt, through any mistaken notions, to smother up, or suppress this matter in any way, for if they do it will cause more harm and injury to the institution than though this wholesale system of plunder was left to continue without let or hindrance ; but if, on the other hand, they make the investigation thorough and complete, they will not alone deserve the thanks of the public at large, and render a service to society, but will also dispel the evil opinion which has long been forming as to the mismanagement of the funds of this institution. The matter has now assumed such a phase that, before the public can be called upon to donate another shilling, not alone must this affair be fully cleared up, and justice satisfied, but we must also have some proper statement shown whereby we can see what each patient costs per week for the time he is an inmate. We cannot help thinking that if this were satisfactorily done some very interesting facts would be brought to light. At present these matters are shrouded in mystery, and although an ostentatious display of balance-sheets are sometimes made we have no opportunities aff oi ded us of testing the items therein summarised. We hear that the immediate effect of the announcement to hold an enquiry into these matters will cause the resignation of certain parties who are somewhat interested in this question ; but this will not suffice. If dishonesty can be brought home to anyone then all must agree with us that they are deserving of the severest punishment the law inflicts, inasmuch as they have dispoiled the sick, the poor, the needy and the suffering, and have abused the noblest instinct with which man is endowed, viz,, pity for the suffering and help to the afflicted —in a word charity—and are as much deserving of the cat as any wretch who grossly outrages humanity, while breaking the law of the land. We await, with much interest, the result of next Wednesday’s inquiry, as there can be little doubt but what the future existence and welfare of our branch of one of the most useful institutions which modern civilization and humanity has ever founded is entirely at stake.