HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 130, 26 February 1887, Page 2

HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID.

The following is a copy of Mr J. B. Whyte's letter, to Pinko County Council, referred to in our report of last Saturday's Council meeting : Hamilton, Feb., 10, 1887. Mr Chas. Tuck, Clerk to tho Piako County Council. Dear Sir, — I duly received yours of the 27(h January, enclosing a resolution passed by the Bruce County Council, expressing approval of it, and asking me to support legislation in the direction indicated by it.

In view of what was said at the meeting of your council nnd of what is now going on in the new Waikato hospital district, I think it advisable to reply at BOine length, in fact, I deom it my duty to do so. The importance of the subject demands it. It is also imperative that I should look at this question from a colonial as well as from a local point of view. As regards the resolution itself, I may say that, so long as cases existed similar that of Piako previous to last session, legislation somewhat upon these ( lines was necessary ns a desperate remedy for a desperate disease. Then Piako found itself bound to a district to which it was not kindred, either as regards the occupations of it's inhabitants, or the conditions under which they lived. Nearly all Piako's property was rateable while the bulk of that of the rest of the district, being mining property, was not rateable. Piako's contribution to the joint funds was therefore most disproportionate and unfair. Piako's representation upon the Thames Hospital Board was also most inadequate. Then tbe head quarters of the district were not reasonably accessible to the inhabitants of Piako. These were the reasons which enabled me, so very nearly to succeed in my •efforts to form Piako into a separate district, and which afterwards induced the House to consent to its incorporation "with the new district of Waikato. How, however, happily, all that is changed. Piako is now joined to a .kindred district with which it is connected by rail, and its representation on the new board is fair. Under these •circumstances I cannot conceive any case in which it is likely to suffer injustice, as all must suffer alike if things are mismanaged, and all must be equally blameworthy. Speaking generally, there is a very strong feeling in Parliament against reducing the area of districts, and thus increasing their number, and in this I think Parliament is right Ido not think that small hospital districts would be found to work well. Certainly any increase to the number ill this provincial district would not be permitted by the legislature, and to attempt it here would, in my opinion, be unreasonable, impolitic, and would inevitably lead to re -absorption by the larger adjacent districts. One of the main principles laid down by the Act was, also, seeing that the population contributed to the support of the poor nnd sick, through the consolidated revenue, property also should contribute directly, it proportion to its rateable value. It was held that such districts as Cheviot, for instance, which is .almost entirely owned by one man, should not escape by paying the same amount as one man who was landless. This principle, whether entirely scund or unsound, was affirmed by a large majority of the Huuse, and would certainly prevent the adoption of such legislation ■as that proposed by the Bruce County Council. As regards the distribution of charitable aid by each local body, I fear that the personal pressure being thereby too minutely localised, eouM not be resisted, and would lead to larger expenditure. Before concluding, however, I deem it my duty to make a few remarks upon what I conceive to be the responsibilities of the new hospital district as now constituted. Ido this because lam reluctantly driven to the conclusion that neither the settlers nor their representatives fully realise these responsibilities or fully understand their position as it is, as compared with what it was. It is, I daresay, quite true that things might be permitted for a few years to drift, and that we could contrive to go on with a very slight expenditure either upon an hospital or upon charitable aid. Every reasonable man, however, must admit that we must, in fairness, bear our share of the burden of the sick and the poor. It was against having to bear more than our share of this that the late hard, but happily sucessful battle was fought in the House. In that battle, however, it was said by our antagonists that we were not fihting for fair play but simply in. order that a lot of landed proprietors might be enabled to evade their resyonsibilitie<s as part of the community. I regret to say that to some extent the conduct of the new board goes to justify this taunt; and in so far as your resolution and the remarks of its mover and seconder bear in that direction I must; signify my disagreement with them. I take it to be our duty to remember that the new district contains nearly 12,000 people — that is about one-eighth of the population of this provincial district — and that therefore one-eighth of the burden ot the sick and needy must fall upon it, and must sooner or later be accepted by it. No one can deny that (although our sharo of them may be hard to trace) the poor and sick do drain into the large centres of population, where only, hitherto,|Hospitals and Charitable Institutions existed, and we havehad to pay for them, although, perhaps, we were not fully aware of it, owing to the fact that the money was taken from us indirectly. For the last two years it has cost us fully £6000 a year, but as half of that amount was given direct by the Government, and the other half was taken out of road subsidies, which we were not permitted to handle, we have never fully realised the fact that after all it was our money and came out of our own pockets. That, of course, could not havo lasted much longer, ami a special rate was inevitable. Perhaps, if a special rate had been levied, and an equal- amount of ynonl taxation taken off something elsn,

the people of this district might then have more fully realised their true position as it was as compared with what it is. Then £6000 a year was spent it Auckland and at the Thames quite heyond our control. Now, by contributing, say, £1 000 out of subsidies, or from any other source, another £1000 may be obtained from the Government, }toth to bo spent within the district and under our immediate control With this comparatively small amount we may now get along very well if we face our responsibilities manfully. If, however, we decline to do this we may rest assured that we shall not be ' permitted by the rest of the colony to evade these responsibilities long, but will sooner or later be absorbed by the larger adjoining districts. Then, as heretofore, ' we shall be compelled to pay more than ' our fair share, and have little or no con- ■ trol over the expenditure. ; There is also another view of the ques- 1 tion which appears to have been lostj sight of, and it is this : The immense benefit which a properly equipped hospi-1 tal, however modest it might be iv other respects, would confer upon a community such as this, where many have no comforts or proper nursing within their reach. Many a poor soul has drifted into decrepitude and the grave for want of somewhere to go to in time where he .or she could be properly treated and nursed. Nearly all of them, moreover, were both willing and able to pay for all they received. My opinion is that all should use the hospital who need it, and those who can pay must. By this means a J properly conducted instiution would be largely self-supporting, and at the same time the feeling of receiving charity would bo removed. Now we as a rural community are exceptionally happily situated in not being tacked on to any lurge town, and in having the control of our own sick and needy. I therefore earnestly hope that we may show ourselves worthy of the trust which has been confided to us, by performing the tiew duties which now devolve upon as manfully and efficiently, although, of course, not extravagantly. I wish to say in conclusion that I have ventured to write thus fully, because I could not help thinking, by their recent actions and utterances, that some, at least, of our leading settlers hud failed to grasp the situation, and that serious harm must ensue before very long, if cheeseparing were mistaken for economy, and self-interesfc for duty. It appeared to me that some one must speak out, and I therefore undertook that usually thaniclesa task. — I am, yours faithfully, J. B. Whyte.