The Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1885. THE HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS ACT.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1406, 17 October 1885, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1885. THE HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS ACT.

In speaking at Christchurch during the last recess Sir Julius Vogel lavished a great deal of praise on the capabilities of his colleagues, and nearly exhausted the English language in extolling Mr Stout’s great abilities as a lawyer, and his usefulness in drafting bills. If we are to take the Hospitals and Charitable Institution! Act as a sample of that great man’s work, we must say that Sir Julius Vogel’s opinion of his colleague’s ability wag slightly exaggerated. Most of the Acts of our Par lament are very unintelligible, but this heats all for absurdity, inconsistency, and incomprehensibility. In fact it reads more like a pieca of burlesque, got up for the purpose of amusement, than a legislative enactment dealing with one of the most important questions of the day. Last Tuesday evening a meeting of the subscribers to the Terauka Benevolent Society was held for the purpose of considering their position in relation to this Act. The first clause that was read was as follows : “ At any lime within four months after the passing of this Act, the aforesaid Committee, or persons, or body, may petition the Governor praying that the Institution under their outrul may be in-

corporated as a separate institution under flu’s Act, and shall annex to such petition a verified list of the names of not leas than 100 persons who shall have signified their intention to contribute, in yearly sums of not leas than five shillings, an amount of not less than £IOO to such institution, and who shall have paid one yeai’a subscription in advance, or a donation in one sum of not less than £10.”

The meeting was unable to coma to any conclusion as to the meaning of this ; and we are certainly not surprised at it. One section held that 100 subscribers should pay LIOO in advance before the institution could be incorporated, while others held that 100 subscribers guaranteeing LlO0 — each subscriber to pay yearly a sun? of not less than ss—would be sufficient.'There can be no doubt but that the clause is capable of either construction, and is therefore incapable of a correct interpretation by any one other than the person who drafted it. But this is not the only clause in the Act that is incomprehensible. We have just had time to glance over a few of its provisions, and so far as we have gone we have found it the most extraordinary production we have come across, Now that we are ruled by a General Government one would think that our laws would be uniform throughout all parts of the colony, but it is not go with regard to this Act. In the first place the Counties of Kawhia, Tuupo West, and Taupo East are altogether exempted from its operations. Next we find that the constitution of the Board shall be one member for every Borough and County respectively having less than 8000 inhabitants and two members for Counties or Boroughs that have more than 8000. This, however, is not adhered to. There are ten districts where the County Councils and Borough Councils com bined have the administration of the Act in their hands. To give an instance of how this will work we have only to point out that the Ashburton County constitutes a district, and the administration of the Act will be in the hands of the County and Borough Councils jointly. Ihe three Counties of South Canterbury, viz., Geraldine, Mackenzie, and Waimate, form another district, and its Board will consist of two members from the Geraldine County Council ; one member from the Waimate County Council ; one member from the Borough Council of Timaru, and one from the Borough Council of Waimate. Thus five members will constitute a Board for the administration of the Hospital and Charitable Aid in the whole of three Counties of South Can* terbury, while in the County of Ashburton, which ia smaller than some of the Counties above named, the Board will consist df about 19 members. The separate institution clauses «re also strange and wonderful. These gepnrate institutions are such as theTerauka Benevolent, [society constituted under the clause above quoted. The Temuka Institution would then be a separate one, and its Board would consist of either six or nine trustees, one member from the Temuka Town Board, and one member from the Road Board, Thus there might be eleven members on the Temuka Board, while the Board for the whole of South Canterbury would have only five. As regards the Temuka Benenolent Society, our opinion is that it may as well have nothing to do with the Act. There is no doubt but that it would be better if we could keep ourselves separate from Timarn if such were possible, but we do not think it is. Large centres of population always require a great deal of money for charitable aid compared with what is necessary in rural districts. The result of centralising the whole of South Canterbury in Timaru will be that the rural districts will have to pay more than their fair shore, and consequently we think it would be better to have a local institution. But, though the question is not made very clear by the Act, we believe that if we separate now we should have no right to the Timaru Hospital, and we should suffer other disadvantages.. We think that on tha whole it would be better to allow the Act to be managed from Timaru for the time being.