AFTER THE ELECTION

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 117, 20 May 1941, Page 6

AFTER THE ELECTION

Now that the cheering is over, it is timely to consider the responsibility entailed by the success of the Citizens tickets in the local body elections. The task facing the new City Council ana! the Hospital Board is much more exacting than if the victory had been less sweeping. Voters will say that, without opposition in the council and with little on the board, it should be easy to carry through a clear policy. Of course it is not. Problems of finance and economics have to be grappled with, and these in the next three years are likely to demand all the wisdom and resourcefulness of local governing bodies. There will be no room, if success is to be achieved, for cliquism or personal jealousies. Differences of opinion there are bound to be, but these can be settled reasonably, having in mind always the best interests of the city. Party has been put in the background for the time being, and the electors will be disappointed if new groupings arid divisions arise. Especially does this apply to hospital affairs. Voters have said to the Hospital Board: "Go back and clear up the muddles of past policy," and they expect it to be done. There should not be a repetition of the chopping and changing which led to such waste of time and money in the past. Much of that waste could have been avoided if a definite plan had been adopted in the beginning and followed consistently. Even if the plan had not been the best, it would have been better than a lot of bits of pieces of better schemes. We admit that there are difficulties of finance, material,, and labour —difficulties that are much greater now than a few years ago. Also there are honest differences of policy. People who once thought that all hospital provision could be centralised in the city now realise that the great development in the Hutt Valley demands new provision for decentralised treatment. Wellington must still be the base, with the specialised services that are most economically and efficiently located at the base, but side by side with this there must be also adequate provision according with the movement of population. The first task of the new board, however, will be to review existing commitments and plans, to consider what can be achieved with the resources available, and then to decide on an ordered programme of development.