SWITZERS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 291, 28 August 1873, Page 5

SWITZERS.

(From our own Correspondent J A special meeting of the Hospital Committee was held on Friday evening last. The object was to consider a communication from the Provincial Government, complaining of the cost per patient incurred. Amongst other statements, the letter set forth that it would be cheaper for the Government to carry by coach to Invercargill patients who were unable to travel than to contribute their quota to the maintenance of the hospital. In making the estimate per patient the Government ignore in their letter all outdoor patients. It is very true — thanks to a great deal more care on the part of the miners and much less night work than was carried on a few years ago— we have not a twentieth part of the accidents we had when necessity called for an hospital, and the public generally came forward and erected the present building, which is a credit to the place. Still, besides those' ills inseparable from humanity, scarcely a month elapses without some unfortunate miner (through accident) requiring its friendly shelter, and no doubt it will remain ,so as long as this is the centre of a large mining population. It seemed very unreasonable when the people hear, after erecting the hospital and cheerfully contributing to its maintenance, and always closing their financial year with a credit balance, that the reduced subsidy of £1 for £1 should be so grudgingly dealt out by the Provincial authorities. God knows, iv concert with our co-patriots of New Zealand, we are sufficiently taxed already without voluntarily contributing nearly £200 a year for the maintenance of an hospital were we not thoroughly satisfied (and I take it we ought to be the best judges) of its imperative necessity. And it might not be out of place here to remind those who all at once evince such an interest in the shillings and pence of the province that prior to the erection of the hospital here, when necessity compelled us to send patients to Invercargill, that some of them expired on the road ; and most people who have any experience in the matter will readily admit that a carrier's waggon is not the most comfortable conveyance over rough roads for a patient with perhaps one or more compound fractures. A good many ill-natured people, attribute this parsimony on the part of the Provincial authorities with the nominal sum placed on the estimates for our roads to our being represented by an opposition candidate in the Council and preferring Gillies to Macandrew in the contest for the Superintendency. The Rev. Mr. Dewe preached here on Sunday, 6th inst. There was a good attendance, which no doubt would have been much larger but owing to a steady down pour of rain people could not get out, except those in the immediate vicinity of the schoolhouse. I hear this gentleman contemplates paying us a monthly visit until such time as Bishop Neville can make other arrangements. The mail service to Switzers is getting into a most deplorable condition, not owing to any shortcomings of the local contractor — the detention being on the part of the carriers between Lawrence and +lie Lakes. It would seem it takes from 5 to J.O hours between your towa, and the.

Beaumont ; and tho contractor enjoys an immunity not generally extended to the postal service. I hear that on writing to the Government, complaining of the roads and his inability to perform the service in contract time, the reply was to leave Tuapeka when convenient and take his own time on the road. Our mail arrived last night at half-past 9. The postmaster declined at that late hour to open the bag to circulate the-cpntents. One can scarcely find fault with him for so doing, and yet the hardship is no trifle on several parties who came a distance of 7 to 15 miles for their mails and are put to the expense of staying all night for the delivery this morning. Really I think something ought to be done in the matter.