THE GOLDFIELDS HOSPITALS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 183, 10 August 1871, Page 5

THE GOLDFIELDS HOSPITALS.

Comparisons are sometimes odious, and sometimes the revcraj. It is interdsting to comparj the report of the Wakatip Ho3pital with that of the Tuapeka Hodpit d. The two reports are now bef »re U3, ;md it is singular they should bear &o striking a resemblance in many particulars, and contrast so wonderfully in others. To enable th} sub3orib3i p ij to form an idea of the income aud expend.ture of the two institutions, we give the following items as set dnvu iv these reports for the year 1370 : —

Tunpeka. Wakatip Xum^ierof p-it : ents admitted during tins year - - 133 138 BECEIPTS. Subscriptions - - - £516 £501 PiyLig Patieuts - 133 175 EXPFHWTDKE. Sauries . . •". - £805 £>47 Itationa .... 53 » 339 ■Stores anil Furniture - • 66 - 56 ' - Fuel ai.d Light - ' - - 93 '92 sDruj^s aiul .Metlieal Ccrajforta -111 131 Prin-riHg aiul.QtH'tioiiiery •■ 1 21 33 » ] Interments '." -, ■ - - . til 12 . i Dr. D )u4»i t^he Surgeon of the Wtikitip U. ispital, is paid £303 per an ium. lie js all iwed priva c practice over all the ilia riet, which ex'ends from Cardron* to the heal of the Laks. We are informed rlvit no ci>mplain r3r 3 have ever been m id-j d-iring mV absence from the S. ispitaL Heisalw.iys at his post when thd time j'or yisitLiif the ward 3 arrives. However, it is but Bcj.unn thit he is required hevoni J^ueenstowH and other locdities witaift a railma uf fjvß miles fr.nn thu

110-opiLl. He is provided with a, house clow to but detatched trom the instit\iion, and gets his board, also firewood, and all Jitsce.-»sary articles of furniture. The institution during^ la/it^ year ; was nianag.'d by two- servants- -a wardsman .uid a, female acting iu*£he d< üb!e capacity of matron* and 4 <Jook." The salary, p*atd •tlie warUsman is"£l3p.'per 2i<itnim,*antl ; rthafc paid the' matroh was £75. The ' matmui. having resigned^ it ivas necessary/ to.proctti&.tim spjivic^tdf taiiother, r'(u^ ,^hat c/juld iUQt Jb'e acpoinpli^hed without akiJ eii^a^ing litsr husband'; , the .conse> quence is the .couple ara |en^agdd,for £35. per annum. The pre-seut stat, :' t4ien is 4 . ... Surgeon ,„- , •- < .1 ' r \ £SDO .WanUtoan . - ', - <•! , 130. , , 1 ' . Woman lad her iusMnd -f " ,85- , i ii-> „ V .\ ..it,.}. ' v.jjpio x,:~. It may t be uer^ jrjjmarlge^than the wjrods-. man, lieing.'a," <W>Aal '.vefcenuary siirgiibn, ' is allbwed to practice at his calling. " No outside assistance is required, except perhaps when any ploughing or something of that sort is to do, when all die farmers are only too glad to turn out "

From the particulars given above, the two institutions appe iv to he very similar in mauy respects, but the Wakatip one is

; carried on for a much, anrcller' sum thanthe Tuapeka one. The subscriptions to both institutions are nearly on a par — the sum for paying patients is more in tlie Wakatip than in the Tuapeka. Thd sal tries in our local Hospital, even although the Resident Surgeon had £300 a year and private practice, would exceed the Wakdtip by LIOO. Then, in the matter of rations, although, the number admitted into the Wakatip Hospital during the year was larger than the number admitted into the Tuapeka Hospital, yet the sum set down for ration* is Ll4O lsss. Injustice, however, to our local ins iiution, we may observe that the number of patients left in ih-i Hospital on January Ist, 1870, was 18, and the number remaining in the Hospital at the end of the year was li. On the other hand, the number in the Wakatip Hospital at the bejinain,' of 1870 was 10, and at the end of the year 11.

The 0 >minittee of the Tuapt*ka Hospital, in tiie report they submitted to the niiie'i »g of subscribers lately held, made up the income by charging subsidy on the amount received from paying patients, and the ( hairm.m stated t'iat he believed the Wakatip Hospital received subsidy on that item. We fail to sea i 1 the report of the Wakatip Hospital any such charge, or any sum received as such subsidy ; and besides, we think it very questionable whether the Government would grant it. If they do, it is a pity the 0 unmittee did not think of the matter sooner, and thus have had a tjo-id balance to the credit of the Hospital.