THE MATERNITY HOME.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 225, 20 September 1906, Page 4

THE MATERNITY HOME.

St Helens Hospital has not in existence long, but already some complaints have been made about the way in which it is being conducted. The answer given i>y Mr Fowlds to Mr Massey's questions in the House yesterday should assure everybody interested in this matter that the Governmerit intends to keep steadily in view theobjects for which the Home was founded. When Mrs Neill's report is laid before Parliament, v»e may have something more to say about the admi.mstration of the hospital, In the meantime we protest strongly against the attempts already made to utilise com-

plaints against the management of the Home as political capital. For anyone dissatisfied with the hospital or its administration, the natural course would •be to apply to one of the Auckland city members or to the Minister in charge. In this instance a complaint has been made to the Leader of the Opposition, and the remarks made by Mr Massey in the House are naturallr charged with, a certain amount of political feeling. Xotiiing is to fcf gained by striving to drag matters of this sort

into the arena of party ■warfare. As to the ilaiemiiy Home, we do not know of any evidence that gives the slightest ground for Mr Massey's gloomy t?nrcrks. But pending the publication of ilrs XeUl'.* report, we may point out tha.fc thp. institution is cnlv just established, and tha.t a certain amount of difficulty in adjusting an experiment of this sort to popular needs is simply inevitable. It says little for the impartiality or public spirit of certain critic? of the hospital that they axe\so ready to push matters at once to extremes and to gi-i* a political tone to discussion which ought to \yo absolutely dissociated from such considerations. If the

people who say that are dissatisfied will make their complaints in the right quarter and allow the authorities reasonable time to attend to them, we have no doubt that Mr Fowlds will be able to afford them all the satisfaction tliev require.