The Daily Telegraph. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1882.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3574, 22 December 1882, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1882.

Notwithstanding that the secretary to the Hospital has expressed the opinion that the Colonial Secretary's letter to Mr Sutton is satisfactory, we fail to see that the Hospital Committee has been promised anything more than what has all along been the intention of the Government to give. It we interpret the Hon. Mr Dick's letter rightly we should say that he does not give the Committee any grounds for hoping that the money spent on maintenance will be refunded. Without a refund is made the Committee nas not in hand the amount'it calculated upon when deriving ways and means for adding

to the building. We take it that Mr Dick says the Government will give £1 for £1 for additions to the Hospital, and will provide for tne cost of maintenance -for the future. The stand the Committee has tnken is that the Government is in debt to the Hospital for past maintenance, but Mr Dick evidently does not see it in the same " With regard to the maintenance ,of the Hospital," he says, " the Government is liable for that, and will pay the amouata furnished of expenditure without demur, provided there is no waste. ,. Now, if he had said, " provided there has been no waste," we might have thought that there was an intention to pay back what the Committee has disbusred on maintenance during * period when it was understood that the maintenance fell on the Government. Bat to make it clearer, Mr Dick adds that the Government cannot even be expected to pay the amounts furnished of expenditure " until the £1037 lately given is expended alons? with any other moneys that were available for maintenance." It is evident the Government regards all moneys in the hands of the Committee as available for maintenance, with the exception of the amounts recently specially collected for building. The Committee, on the contrary, has always regarded the Qorernment as being in its debt for maintenance since March 31st last, and expected that the amount so paid away would be refunded and be then available for building purposes. Mr Dick's letter baa the merit of disabusing the Committee of any such idea, and, that beiug the case, we fail to discover the slightest grounds for entertaining a feeling of satisfaction at the position of Hospital affaire.