HOSPITALS AND CHARITABLE AID.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2145, 8 April 1886, Page 2

HOSPITALS AND CHARITABLE AID.

At Monday night'i meeting of the Hamilton Borough Council, this question was brought up. The Town Clerk reported that the money voted at a contribution to the 'Hospital Board had been withheld. The acting-Mayor said in the absence of the Mayor it would be well to postpone consideration of the question. No doubt the Mayor had excellent reason* for what he had done.— The Town Clerk read the following minutes from the Mayor :— Memorandum. Hamilton, 2nd April, 1886. To th« Deputt Mayor and Cooncillobb OF THE BOHOUGH OF HAMILTON. Gbntlrmen, — Atjyour meeting on. Monday next, the resolution passed at tbe meeting of delegates held at the Hamilton Borough Council Chambers on the 22nd ultimo., re Charitable Aid wilt have to come under your notice to be dealt with, and therefore I think it advisable to place before you the position in which we stand regarding _ that resolution. In the first place let it be distinctly understood that you are pledged to nothing as yet. The resolution being a recommendation from tbe meeting to the several councils for their , acceptance or rejection. My own views' upon the matter are these : that our council should pass a resolution that the time had now arrived for Waikato to establish a hospital of its own, and furthermore to undertake the administration of its own Charitable Aid. 2nd. That no arrangements will be'entertained by the Borough of Hamilton, other than an arrangement to be entered into between the counties of Waikato, Waipa, Raglan, and Piako, for the erection of a hospital district, and a board for the administration of charitable aid, distinct from hospitals, and separate from Auckland. (3rd) That your council elect two of its members to attend tbe meeting to be held on the 23rd inst., at Hamilton, for the purpose of recommending the selection of representatives of the four counties and the borough, to act as a deputation to wait upon the Mayor of Auckland and other members of tbe Auckland Board, for the purpose of arranging amicable torus upon which the object sought to be gained can be obtained. In submitting for your consideration the foregoing suggestions, I would wish to state why wo should endeavour to obtain the cooperation of the Auckland members of the United Board in our movement to pot Waikato constituted a separate diattict for hospital and for charitable aid purposes, and moreover why we should expect to receive their co-operation if reasonable proposals are properly laid before the board. Ist. — Tbe -United Board unanimously adopted the resolution proposed by Waikato to the effect " That, in the opinion of the United Board, the district as at present constituted is too large to be worked satisfactorily, and therefore the board would recommend the Government to separate the present district into smaller districts, and that this recommendation be forwarded to the Government, asking them to take action in the matter." This resolution was duly sent to the Government, and although tbe Government replied "That they were powerless to alter the Act or to subdivide districts, they stated that the District Board had power to do so. The fact, I say, that the United Board passed the above resolution without dissent, and that the Government also referred to the powers given in the Act to separate, leads me to believe that we arc warranted in tryiiig to arrange with the Auckland majority amicable terms upon which we could meet the requirements and just demands of the counties who are placed in the minority, owing to the acceptance of the Act by the counties which immediately abut upon the city of Auckland. 2nd.-*-It was the fact of those counties voting against us that gay« Auckland city the majority, for had they voted with us we should have had the majority, therefore we must not attaah the blame to Auckland alone if any blame is to be attached td anyone. 3rd.*— lt must be understood that unless by separating Wnikato from tht Auckland district any j •alteration in the present Act which may i benefit the counties will act adversely upon the borough, but the Borough of Hamilton is nevertheless willing and ready at all times to lend a generous support to what is just and right for the districts surrounding her which are suffering an injustice by the Act as at present framed, Jbut in doing se it must be allowed that Hamilton from fts status Va a borough is in a favourable positjpn to act between the conflicting interests of Auckland borough and Wajkato county district*, and therefore she js justified in recommending- that we should if possible corns to some arrangements with Auckland for mutual action in support of separating Waikato and constituting it a district by itself. I feel sure that good and solid reasons can be given to Auckland sufficient to show them, that it will act advantageously to the interests of both individually and collectively, were we separated and bad institutions of our own I have only to add that in my ppinjon a recommendation f ro m the United Board in the shapa of a memorial asking the Government to agree to separate district from the four counties and the Borough of Hamilton would have more effect upon the Government than any obstructive attitude we might strike. lam of opinion that so much has been said about the Act that there can be no question atymt it being altered when the House meets, and in the msantjnie the object sought to be gained by the meeting to be held on the 23rd inst. is to come to some decision as to how we should get the Aot altered to suit our several cases, and therefore I have suggested the resolutions before stated, but at the same time would request the council to thoroughly discuss them, and to make such alterations or amendments as may seem to them best. {Sjgned) W. A. Graham, ' ' ' Mayor. Some discussion arose as to the amounts to be paid. — Cr. Sarnies pointed out that upon a population basis the borough would pay more, but the other local bodies in Waikato would pay much less. For instance, Waikato county, which was rjow assessed at nearly £500, would, on a population basis, only pay one-half that sum. He quite agr«ed ' with the proposals in the Mayor's mitiute.— On the motion of Cr. Edgecumbe, seconded by Cr. Sandeij the first resolution drafted on the minute was adopted. The second resolution was adopted on the motion of Pr. gfcott, seconded by Cr. Dey. The third resolution was adopted, and Crs. Sandes and Scott were appointed' to attend tbe conference of delegates from local bodies to be held on the 23rd inst.

Tenders are invited tor road forming at No. 1 br^ge/Hufeiltqi)..'