The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE. THURSDAY, JULY 4, 1889.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2649, 4 July 1889, Page 2

The Waikato Times AND THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE.

THURSDAY, JULY 4, 1889.

Equal and cxact justice to all men, # Of whatsoever state or persuasion, religious or political.

The people of Waikato, particularly the ratepayers, are naturally showing; a lively interest in the Hospital and Charitable Aid .Bill, introduced this session by Hon. Mr Hislop, to provide for the management of hospitals and for the distribution of charitable aid. The portion of the Bill which has roused a strong feeling in these districts is that which places the "VVaikato institutions under the sole control of the borough of Hamilton, one of the local bodies of secondary importance and least contributing to the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board. This, however, being the result of misapprehension, can, we believe, bo rectified without difficulty when proper representations are made, and need cause but little disturbance in the public mind. The Bill before the House is, evidently, intended to take the entire place of the Act now in operation. Although it does not expressly state it, the inference is that the present Act will be repealed, as the Bill is not an amending one, but has the short title of " The Hospitals and Charitable Aid Act, 1889." It will come into force on the first day of April next vear. In the interpretation of the proposed Act, " borough is defined as including cities and "children" as boys under fifteen years and girls under seventeen years; "maintenance" means feeding and clothing ; and, in the case of children, teaching and training ; and "orphans" means children both of whose parents are dead. The management of hospitals and distiibution of charitable aid in local Homes established under the Bill, is vested in separate controlling councils in the respective districts, and the council of any one district can administer both hospital and charitable aid within that district. According to Clause S, and the Second Schedule the management and control of (lie hospital and charitable aid of the Waikato district is vested in the Hamilton Borough Council, until altered by virtue of the proposed Act. Clause 10 is similar in its meaning with reference to the control of the several hospitals, and the sub-section provides that any hospital beyond the limits of the borough or county entrusted with its control, shall, for the purposes of the Act, be deemed a part of such borough or county, and subject to the jurisdiction of the council. Passing over all other clauses in the meantime, we come to Clause 7G, which is, probably framed with a view of meeting such exceptional cases as the one presented by the "Waikato district, and by which the several contributory bodies may, by petition, become merged and cause the. administration of local hospital and charitable aid to be vested in some particular local authority of their own choosing. The Clause reads as follows : —-

On the petition of the local authorities in a district representing a majority in value of the ratable property therein, the Governor, by Order in Council gazetted, (1) May transfer the control of the hospitals or homes in such districts from the controlling Council thereof to another local authority therein, who shall become the controlling Council in the said district of hospitals or homes, or of both, as the case may require; (2) May merge the whole of the district, or any part thereof for hospital purposes and for charitable aid, or for one of such purposes only, in any district or districts, and thereupon every local authority within the original district shall become a contributory local authority in the district in which they become merged for such purposes, or either of them, as tie case may require.

The Waikato local bodies, therefore, are afforded plenary powers under that clause to detennine which of their members shall be constituted the Controlling Council of the district hospital and charitable institution, should they become subject to the provisions of the new Act and be willing to forgo the f 1 iroct representation thoy, >i !-< pi escnt, enioy on the Board. The grants to be voted by Parliament to the Controlling Councils, for the purposes of the Act are proportioned on a defined basis. 'The aggregate number of clays of actual treatment and stay of all patients in a hospital is added togethor at the end of tho

financial year, and for the first three thousand days two shillings and sixpence per day wili be allowed, and two shillings for each day beyond the aggreg ite three, thousand ; whilst sixpence per day only will be allowed in the case of persons, aged, in li rm, or witli chronic ailments, who do not require medical attention. Thirty days is the limit allowed to each patient for actual medical treatmcnl, upon which the grants will be given. i',n oversight, very serious to the country districts, is, at once, noticed ill the distribution on the proposed scale. By this arrangement the proportion that will fall to institutions in country districts, whose average number of patients ranges from three to twelve per week, will be so paltry as virtually to threaten them with starvation or extinction. It would mean a tremendous drop from the subsidy-portion of the revenues which at present forms a very important element of support to them, and the loss of which could not be filled by any provisions under the Act, with the exception of endowments or private benevolence. On the other hand the proposed apportionment will suit the circumstances of hospitals in the cities, whose average of indoor patients is large. The latter would benefit at the expense of the country districts. It has also to be borne in mind that the majority of cases admitted in country hospitals are not bona fide country residents ; they arise from a migratory class who leavo the towns to obtain works on contracts and other occupations in the coun try. In our opinion there should be a distinction drawn between town and country institutions ; a certain sum should ho allocated to each and distributed, pro rata, to suit the exigencies of each. But it is clearly unfair to treat both town and country on an identical footing. The Bill has numerous clauses dealing with the application and management of special bequests, the making ot h}'laws by controlling councils and the inaintenanco by them of a ged and in firm persons, and of destitute and neglected children, together with the establishment of local Homes. Power is given to the Governor to establish State refuges for drunkards, idlers, tramps and individuals of that description who may be committed by Resident Magistrates. Such people are to be set to work according to their several capacity, and the relatives of those unable to work for their maintenance in the refuges are liable to be made to contribute to their support. Those are the salient features in the Government Bill.