THE COTTAGE HOSPITAL

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4398, 15 April 1909, Page 3

THE COTTAGE HOSPITAL

To the Editor.

Sir,—l read the leading article in your issue of Tuesday, 13th inst., advocating the need of a Cottage Hosj pital at Te Aroha with keen interest and great pleasantry. The necessity for such an establishment in our midst was forcibly brought home to me again this very day. There is across the river a little sufferer who will be removed to the Hamilton Hospital in the course of a day or two. Why should his people be put to the expense of this journey, the anxiety of being parted from their child at a critical time, and the patient himself to the danger and inconvenience of a journey by rail, when all this could be avoided by the establishment which you advocate. The amount you speak 0f—£1,200 —has, I understand, been on the Estimates for years, and relieving the Minister from the anxiety of having so much to his credit should be a comfort to him, and if expended as voted, a benefit to Te Aroha. Your paper deserves the thanks of our town and the countryside at large for the staunch support you have given the question. We hope our member, Mr Herries, will take up the matter on the lines suggested by you. —I am, etc.,

P. Cleary St. Mark’s Vicarage, Te Aroha, 14th April, 1909.

To the Editor,

Sir, —Capt. Montgomery’s letter in your issue of the 3rd April, on the very interesting subject of the longneeded Cottage Hospital for Te Aroha, is certainly to the point, ns all, I am sure, must fully accede and at the same time consider deserving of the strenuous and unanimous support in every way, and by every one in the town and districts of this pretty, salubrious, but much neglected Te Aroha, irrespective of “ creed.” “ cast,” “colour ” or means (financial or political). That such a very essential and vital necessity should have been allowed so long to remain in abeyance, does most undoubtedly reflect very much to the discredit of the good and generous people of Te Aroha, an aberrunce that should be obliterated by immediate and legitimate activity, without any further quibbles, arguments and delays over the site, etc., as has taken place before, which very probably, has had a great deal m- re to do with the non-existence of the Cottage Hospital at To Aroha than the actual want of funds, as I believe Government would with little or no demure, have provided the extra money above the amount available at nresent had the absolute necessity of the lb spital been pressed home by the unanimous and incessant application of the people of this d.stiict. Tint such has n t been done beyond a few spasmodic attempts on the pait of some of the more interesieu and energetic of the townspeople, L due probably to that inherent modesty and shyness and dislike to trouble and inconvenience to others, so characteristic of the British Race. It certainly be attributable to any want of true benovelence or sympathy in the affliction and misfortunes of our friends or strangers, for the charitable and kindly disposition of the people of this place and the surrounding districts are proverbial and too patent, to all visitors and outsiders to need any expatiation not forgetting, however, the old adage : “ that self praise is no recommendation,” or presuming to pose as self-abnegation personified. We draw the line severely and take exception to being considered so easy-going, easy satisfied and selfishly obtase to our own individual protection and interest in the matter of the provision of a cottage Hospital as has been said of us, for blink the fact as we may, there is no ignoring the truth, that the providential escapes from serious injuries and sickness we have moieorless, realized in the past, may not be ours individually or collectively a day longer, hence stand very much in need of the shelter and advantages of a Cottage Hospital, when very probably in excruciating agony as is generally the case in all seiious accidents, such as have taken place in and around Te Aroha during the past few years.—l am, etc..

W. H. P.

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —No writer so far presumed to take exception to my views on the Dreadnought offer, published in your issue of the Ist. I will proceed and endeavour to illuminate my particular tprn of reasoning. It is a common expression amongst men that there are two sides to every ques'ion, two or more views to take of any proposition, great or small, and with a proposition carrying with it such important issues as the one under review it is most desirable, if only in the interests of the human mind itself to probe and analyse the subject thoroughly. The first great objection to the consummation of the proposed gift, is the very important one tli it if the Parliament of New Zealand endorses the unconstitutional action of their Premier, in permitting him'to tack To or SO,OOO a year on to the taxations of the country at any time the fit takes him, whatever it may accomplish in sustaining the Empire across the seas, their Empire is for ever gone, and a tacit acknowledgment is made that Parliamentary control is unwise in Imperial questions, and that our ambitious Premier should assume the position of dictator, and so reduce the House of Representatives to the level of the Russian Dumas. Having pondered the question myself a few years back, I can easily see how beautifully the public yeast is at work. The Government of New Zealand possess so much control over so large an amount of property within the state as to be almost inimical to public expressi;n - the Railways, tourist resorts, lot of experimental farms, advances to settlers, insurances, coal mines ; they somehow draw the line at butchers’ shopsaud breadbaskets, more by good luck than anything else, but a definite move to taking over absolute control. like this offer of a Dreadnought, needs to be thoroughly sifted before it is endorsed.—l am, etc., H. J. Hawkins.