The Wairarapa Daily. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1981.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 689, 10 February 1881, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1981.

At tho end of the current quarter the present subsidies to hospitals and chnvitabic aid boards - cease. We presume, however, that the Government will make some temporary provision to carry on existing institutions until ft'esh legislature provides for them. Various methods have been suggested for carrying them on. One is by local rates, hut, taxed as we are now in all directions, this alternative is not likely to find much favor.' Anothor is endowing them with reserves. This, in our opinion, is the most mischievous expedient of any, Settlement in this colony has been harassed and delayed by tho multitudinous reserves hid in religious and educational napkins from one end of New Zealand to the other. The fairest proposal, in our opinion, would be to continue a Government subsidy to local institutions of a pound for every pound collected by voluntary contributions, T>> throw all tho onus of maintaining hospital and charitable institutions on the benevolence of the public is out of the question; but we think the half of the burden might be borne. We trust that the Government, when it next introduces a measure for providing for hospitals and charitable aid, will not make tho mistake it made last session in embodying both in one bill. Hospitals and charitable aid are essentially separate questions, ami unless they are treated as such they cannot be satisfactorily dealt with. Provision for the sick and poor lias been made of late years upon no system of a permanent character, and it is very desirable that if, in tho coming session, these subjects are dealt with they should be treated in such a way that a new basts, suited for the growing requirements of the colony, should be carefully adopted. We notice that a contemporary, tho Hawke's Bay Herald, advocates a mixed system of rates and reserves, as opposed to the present one of subscriptions and subsidies. The class for which hospitals and charitable aid is chiefly required cannot be rated, for it possesses little property, but many members of itsucli as station hands—can be got at under the subscription system. A leap in the dark is a favorite solution of difficulties in the' New Zealand Parliament, and we should not be surprised if one was taken in the hospital and charitable aid questions.