The Daily News. MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1903. HOSPITAL FOR STRATFORD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 230, 26 October 1903, Page 2

The Daily News. MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1903. HOSPITAL FOR STRATFORD.

* The refusal of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board to consent to the application for hospital accommodation at Stratford is a matter for regret. It is now ovßr ten years ago since a site for a hospital was S9t apwt at Stratford, and the movement for the erection of a suitable building to deal with urgent cases, and cases of accident has been steadily growing ir> strength. It is not necessary to go into a history of the movement beyond saying that as a result of the decisive defeat which tha Stratford people met with at the hands of the Board, the movement has assumed a new and, to our mind, most regrettable form, i.e., a demand for separation and the establishment of a new district, We have never yet been able to understand the selfish and shortsighted policy pursued ; in many matters affecting the country districts by many in New Plymouth, and we are sorry to see our local evening contemporary supporting the narrow-minded attitude adopted by the majority of the Hospital Board at its last meeting. In an article in its Siturday evening's issue, it goes to great pains to fitly contradiot statements made by the advocates of s Cottage Hospital at Stratford. Our contemporary entirely misses, what we consider, the vital point of the whole question, viz,, the folly of increasing the ieeling of irritation which the action of the Board has caused, The policy of New Plymouth should be to assist in every possible way to build up and encourage a self-reliant policy throughout, the country districts. Instead of looking with a feeling of jealousy on the efforts of the inland towns to build up public institutions and become selfcontained, New Plymouth should play the part of the beneficent mother and help forward those efforts in every possible way.' As we jaaye pointed out on maDy previous occasions New Plymouth's destiny U to be the port of Tarana'ki, and thj larger and more solf-contained the inland towns become the sooner will they realise the need of direct shipment with the outer world. New Plymouth's onjly hope of securing the extension of the breakwater audi thecompletjon of a. tborougbly-equippsd j harbour lies in the support and assist-; ance of the country districts, instead,, therefore, of snubbing and repressing! them, every effort should be made to biisg about a cordial feeling between the different centres of population. Even if soma sacrifice were asked foi', it would J)6 worth while New Plymouth making it to j secure the hearty good will and cooperation, of the whole of Teranaki.j Stratford, boweyw, does not nek N*w \ Plymouth to make any nacrifj.ee; it I simply a?ks for leave to go on ir.s own j way and develops its own district] without the hindrance which Nsw Ply-! mouth is tempcrariiy able to impo *• | To suppose that New Plymouth is able to permanently hinder tha development and progress of these young, pushing (and thriving cojjamttnjtiGß is absurd. It was tried in the case of Hawei-Sj with) the result separation took place, and at the present moment Hawera aod Southern Taranaki is less dependent and less in touch with New Plymouth than at any period in tbelr history. The same prcp?ss is going on in the case of Stratford, a which is the key to the whole interior of Taranaki. J The new railway timo-table will increase the facilities for taking trsdo' and passengers sou'h and increase the difficulties in the way oftbtir coming north, and with the central railway : diverting Anckland trade to Wellington New Plymouth will, unlots it retains and increases its bold on its back country, become isolated. We earnestly hope, therefore, that every effort will be madfl to promote unity and removany and everything that may cause ill-feeling and bitterness, bo tjant Taranaki may become a .self-contained, pros-, peroue, and, above all, united com-: munity.

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