THE HOSPITAL DISTRICT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 2067, 13 August 1885, Page 2

THE HOSPITAL DISTRICT.

Thk debate on Mr Beetham's. motion to separate the two Wairarapa Counties from the Wellington district, and make them a separate district, was marked by several strange and exceedingly wild assertions. Mr Beetham's object was to make the districts as independent of each other as possible, and against this Mr, Fishek, the member for Wellington South, entered the curious protest that the Wellington Hospital would suffer by the division, Put in other words, this means that Mr Fisher expects that the Wairarapa will contribute largely towards the maintenance of an institution in which it is in no way interested, and to which it never sends a patient; and this view was considered just by the majority of the House, because Mr Beetham's motion was lost. Dr Newman, another town member, spoke as if charitable aid was never wanted outside of Wellington, while Mr Roileston was foolish enough to say that a large number of aged poor would be bound to gravitate towards the towns. The argument may perhaps be applicable to Canterbury, but we deny that it is to Wellington, so far as the Wairarapa is concerned, because this district has four charitable institutions of its own which are quite capable of taking care of all cases of distress that may occur, and are in a far better position, financially speaking, than either the Benevolent Society or Hospital in Wellington. The latter- may be said to be in no financial position at all, because it is only a huge pauper. Mr Rolleston also "regretted that the only Bill the Government had brought down that had the faintest principle of local government in it was beirjg destroyed in this miserable way;" andyet, when an attempt was made to give a small slice of local government to the Wairarapa he opposed it, and in doing so made the remarkable statement which we have just quoted. To bind the Wairarapa to Wellington is, according to his ideas, local government. For our part we would rather have none of it. Mr Beetiihm, assisted' by Mr Buchanan, made an effort in the interests of this district, which should not be readily forgotten, and we feel sure that all classes, no matter what their politiqai creed may be, will give them credit for it.

Since the above was in type, we have learnt, with no small degree of satisfaction, that a second effort to separate the Wairarapa from Wellington has proved successful.