The Westport Times. SATURDAY, JULY 3, 1869.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 525, 3 July 1869, Page 2

The Westport Times. SATURDAY, JULY 3, 1869.

The fourteenth clause of the rules for the management of the Westport Hospital is to this effect: —"A general meeting of the subscribers shall be held every year, on the first Wednesday in July, for the purpose of receiving the report of the Committee, of electing a new Committee for the ensuing gear, and of transacting any other business that may he necessary." Now the first Wednesday of July is AVeduesday next, Tet by the subscribers, the majority of whom are ignorant oi the rules, nothing has been heard of this through the Committee, who are, at least, supposed to ho both acquainted with the rules, and to have the interests of the subscribers and the institution at heart. Why is this? Is it from wilful silence on the subject? Judging by the attention of the Committee and their honorary officers in the past, we dare not be so ungenerous as to suppose for a moment that it could be. Is it the result of accidental oversight? The same knowledge of their attention in the past justifies us in giving the same answer. "We should bo unwilling to place the Committee on either horn of the dilemma, and we shall suggest what we shall he kind or unkind enough to suppose has never occurred to them—that there is no absolute rule laid down as to how the meeting shall be called, or as to lohethcr it shall be called. The rules seem to be to this extent deficient —they do not seem to require the Secretary, so many days previous to the event, to call a meeting, nor is any other special process definitely stated. It seems to be left to that admirable quality which, probably, Hospital subscribers are supposed to possess in common with others of the lower animals—instinct. If this is so, as it appears to be, it is a pify ; but it is not without* remedy in future years, and for the present we shall simply repeat that this general meeting of subscribers should, according to the rules, take place on the first Wednesday in July, and that the first Wednesday in July is Wednesday next. [Since the foregoing sentences were written, we have been informed by the printer's "familiar" that thellon.Secretary, Mr .Muuro, after what is a common characteristic of his country-men—- " mature deliberation " —has assumed the responsibility of convening the meeting. We agree with the " familiar " that there is some merit attaching to the word ''late," while there is none to that of " never." It will be seen by the Secretary's announcement that the meeting is called " to make such" arrangements as may be deemed necessary for the election of a new Committee." According to our reading of the rule, tbo arrange-

ments and the election must be effected by the one meeting, but, lest injustice may be done to the "meanest s.ubject," we shall not anticipate, on that matter, the resolutions of the subscribers.]