THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 1905. THE TREATMENT OF CONSUMPTION.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 12, 31 January 1905, Page 3

THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 1905. THE TREATMENT OF CONSUMPTION.

At the Hospital Board’s last meeting, when Timaru’s proposal to build an annexe to Waimate Hospital for the treatment of consumption was brought up, the point was made that were such a course followed vested interests would suffer. By this it is presumably meant that the price of properties would depreciate. A moment’s consideration will show the fallacy of this argument. If it were the case, for instance, that Waimate was as good a place for consumption as Naseby, Kurow or Napier, and these poor afflicted people flocked in, and lived in hotels and private houses, expectorated on the streets, had their washing done with other people’s, and generally disseminated disease germs without let or hindrance, then people might leave the town, and property would suffer. But it is proposed to build proper accommodation for ten or a dozen, to instruct and train them to collect and destroy their sputum, to feed them f well, and ultimately to cure the | disease. Thoy will not walk about I the streets and expectorate, and thay will be in not the slightest degree a danger to the community, in fact they will not be seen unless one wishes. How many people h ave even seen the present tents at the Hospital ? Taking the other side, there is a certainty that additional patients the Hospital would mean an in. .crease of revenue to the place There would be about £l5OO worth of buildings to erect and maintain, additional labour and greatly increased amount of foodstuffs of all kinds sold. The Timaru Board would not propose to follow a cheeseparing policy—they want to cope with the disease, and by curing patients and instructing them, hope to ultimately stamp it out. Surely this would be a noble work for vested interests to assist in, in. stead of retarding it. To sum up, an annex means no danger to the community, but rather is a safeguard, it means that the consumptives of our own district can be treated at their own doors with all the best means known to the medical profession and it means no.extra rate, whereas if a proper sanatorium is erected elsewhere the district will be heavily rated. Then we ask, why the outcry against the proposal. People have never objected to the treatment of the present patients at Waimate Hospital, why object to a dozen more? We venture to say that had the Board had placed on its hands the same number of Waimate consumptives as it is proposed to send from Timaru, they would have been treated without a murnjur, and without a word of protest from the people. It is only the mistaken idea that the town is to be a dumping ground that is causing the trouble. Many well intentioned people may be opposed in this matter, but we do not think they will be able to convince the Hospital Trustees by facts and arguments to retreat from the favourable view of the matter they have already adopted.