THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER. SATURDAY, JULY 15, 1899.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume II, Issue 21, 15 July 1899, Page 2

THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER. SATURDAY, JULY 15, 1899.

The inquiry held by the Hospital Board into the conduct of Nurse Boyd to a patient (who accused her of various forms of neglect) ended in the nurse completely turning the tables on her accuser. Nothing could have happened: better for the nurse, and the method adopted in this case is instructive when compared With the late dispute, which ended in a petition for an open enquiry before an impartial tribunal. In this case a patient told the chairman, Mr Sinclair, of some dissatisfaction he had with the treatment meted out to him by Nurse Boyd. The chairman told him he must come before the Board and the first intimation the nurse got of any charge against her was an order to defend herself against her accuser and a witness without a moment's warning. We were glad to see the members were alive to their iflitty and absolutely declined, in forceful language, to allow one of their servants to stand a trial .under such disadvantageous circumstances. If the matter had been dealt with, there and then and the opportunity of defence' denied Nurse Boyd the result would probably have been the very opposite of what it was. It is a matter for deep regret that the Hospiral Trustees did not pursue the same sensible course when the nurses appealed to them recently to hear what they had to, say regarding the cause of friction with the Matron. The last enquiry only strengthens the suspicion that the result might have 'been very different. We have no desire to raise that question again, but in dismissing the subject we would say tHat the Board might well rise to the , occasion and pocket their personal dignity, and rescind a vote of censure passed on the nurses. The, history of that vote' it is not 'necessary now to repeat — it has been too recently before the public—but we may remind our readers that they were censured for refusing to give evidence, whereas they gave the whole of their evidence touching the affair ; but on being asked a further question a ,week after the enquiry had been held, they refused and placed tbeiF reason fc* refusal before the whole Board. The Board proceeded to censure them without ever reading their explanation,,! And the facts brought out-*fter that showed the. nurses had good grounds. for follow-

ing their solicitor's advice. The objection raised to wiping out the censtfre was that the Board would stultify itself. If the dispute is not going to be completely threshed out, as it should have been for the good name of the institution, then it were better that individual members suffered the theoretical indignity of stultifying themselves, rather than be the means of casting unmerited blame on their own servants. That is we believe the unanimous verdict of the public.

The meeting called on Friday the 7th in st. to consider the question of land settlement in the district, was by no means an- unimportant one but it cannot be said that the elements were propitious. It also seemed unfortunate that the public had no previous knowledge of ike Mayor's an. nouncement that the owners of the Waihao Downs estate were prepared to assist the movement by offering their property — the adjoining one to "Waihaorunga — for purchase by the Government. If we understood the Mayor rightly, he was not in a position to (state the full facts till the day before the meeting, still it might fairly have been expected that a large and enthusiastic gathering would have been easily brought together had it been generally known that the acquisition of Waihao Downs had come within region of practical politics. Considering~however the torrents of raan that fell and the extreme cold of the evening of the meeting the Mayor had every reason to be gratified that so many people came together to discuss the cutting up of Waihaorunga only. There were men from every class in the community present, and the meeting was therefore thoroughly representative. The committee have already met and have set to work to have the subject brought prominently before the Government and Land Purchase Boai-d. We wish them all success-. When Waihao Downs and' Waihaorunga are cut up and settled at reasonable prices, this town will have at the back of it In a few years' time- another 100 or 120 families in prosperous circumstances. It will be well for the settlers — well 1 for the township—and also well for the country as a whole.