The War Of 'lsms’"

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 74, 21 December 1937, Page 13

The War Of 'lsms’"

Sir—lt was of interest to read Professor Shelley’s views on “The War ut ‘lsms’ ” at a recent school bre:iking-u|> function. A great deal was said these days about “isms,” said Professor Slieiley. “People do not kill one another in the name of humanity; they kill one an-, oilier in the name .of ‘isms.’ ” The Professor might well have added something of the history of the “isms ’ in point. Was not the first of the "isms that confronts the politics of the worm to-day “Bolshevism?” Launched in 1911. it overthrew the Empire of the Czars, and the flames of revolution. swept throughout the entire country. Not only was Russia affected, but a menace to all European Governments was created. The subsequent “isms” were an imediate and definite expedient effectively to .combat the danger created by the first ism. I am, etc., OBSERVANT. Wellington December 20.

Wellington Hospital

Sir—The chairman of the Wellington Hospital Board is only stressing certain aspects of the controversy over the proposed additions. He states that the loans board made inquiries concerning the board’s proposals, but he is careful to avoid stating that the loans board refused to hear a deputation from local oodiea who have to foot the bill. ~ ’ Next, he dwells on the “expert advice and that is what the argument is centred round. The board and the Hon. Mr Fraser seem to ignore the fact that it has been laid down by the experts that hospital accommodation is .based on five beds per 1000 of population, and that the minimum size of hospital is, 100 beds. To-dav the Hutt Valley is entitled to a public hospital, and all the authorities can do is to promise that it will have one. How can we expect to see a hospital in the Hutt Valley when Wellington gets in first with afl expenditure ot glose on £1,000,000? . Has the Government and its adviseis considered the following plan which can be carried out in stages.? Build a sevenstory surgical unit at the Wellington Hospital, and build a 200-bed children . hospital on the Town Belt and a sp •■ml ■hospital in Abel Smith Street tor c . eve, nose and throat treatment, plus i beds and outpatients’ department ; - i i 200-bed hospital in the Hutt \ r ■' ... Each of these units could grow m il ' • without affecting another, as won.'l suit in the congested area at Newt;• ■• The new children’s hospital would l the risk of infection spreading to ,i ' main wards and would provide a surgi block of 50 beds with two theatres i • tached to the block. It would prove u the congestion of visitors at the mambo nital on visiting days and so lessen tinchances of infection being introduced to the wards as at present. A leading English surgeon recently stressed the fact that 600 . beds is the limit to the size of a hospital,, but tilt chairman and the medical superintendent stress the fact that the Wellington Hospital is a concentration of a number ot hospitals and refer to their separate capacity. The point still remains That the capacity is at present over 700 beds. The ultimate size will be 1900 beds, and the objection is that any hospital over 600 beds is too big for one man to look ifter, and neither the chairman nor Mr. Fraser can deny this fact Mr. Fraser must know that most or the recent additions to the Sydney hospitals have been the building of paying wards, and that the whole, of the patient s compensation money or his lodge benefits are swallowed up by his hospital bill, because the medical superintendent has the authority to investigate his financial condition on admission and has the final say as to whether the patient shall go injp the paying wards, and the patient often discovers that he still owes the honorary staff doctor a bill for treatment. The Labour' Party cannot see where their policy is leading them. The Hutt Valley must have its hospital block first. 1 am* etc ” JUNIUS. Wellington, December 18.