THE OTAKI HOSPITAL TO THE EDITOR

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 52, 2 March 1908, Page 3

THE OTAKI HOSPITAL TO THE EDITOR

Sir, — As certain observations of mine, made recently to a member of the. Wellington District Hospital Board, have moved that body to investigate the relation of the natives to this institution, you will no doubt allow me to make a statement. I was a member of the'Dis-' triet Hospital Board, when Dr. Mason, now our esteemed Chief Health. Officer,, approached the board, to urge the necessity for establishing a hospital afc> Otaki. He pressed his case on two, grounds : (1) The need of medical aid' to natives ; (2) the need for 6urgical attention in case of accidents. The first he specially emphasised. He pointed out the complaints they suffered from, and' how, owing to the want of conveniences in their whares, the sick very often died from cold and exposure, from being compelled to go out at night. This he impressed upon the board, with that' well-known earnestness and conviction, characteristic of the gentleman. His plea was to help preserve the native race. He also said much for accident cases, which further convinced us of the -wisdom of the proposition. It ended, at we know, in establishing the institu-. tion. My point just here. is that the primary objects of the undertaking were to provide a hospital for the native sick — notthe pakeha — and for accident cases. Now, on tho most reliable authority, I have it that a native was just lately refused admission on the ground that the Hospital was full ; not of sick Maoris or accident cases. Again, on the same authority, native patients, having been charged £1 a week, others, needing ,its benefits, but unable to pay, have not ventured to take advantage of the institution. We, who know the native r^ce, know that they have yet to be treated, in the mass, differently to ourselves, and curi-. ous phases of ethics often appear in our, attempts to do our honest duty by these people. I am prepared to go so far as, to say that they should be encouraged to take full advantage of the institution, even though they don't pay, when. they could, if they made an effort to do so. They are a child race still, and I believe there is yet some of the old desire' amongst us to preserve them. Unless the original purpose of establishing this place for. the sick has -.been discarded, and tho policy of the board altered from its first intention, then I say we are not doing all we can to, save these people. I shall be glad to furnish fuller details of any of tho matters I haye • referred to.— J am, etc., G. BROWN. Wellington, 27th Feb., 1908.