CHILDREN'S WARD FUND.

Evening Star, Issue 10342, 16 June 1897, Page 2

CHILDREN'S WARD FUND.

A meeting of the Committee was held last night, and presided over by Mr P. Miller. The hon. treasurers acknowledged the receipt of the following further donations.J. Speight and Co., £25; W. Saoular and Co., £lO. 10s; W. Couston, £5 fls; A. Thomson and Co., £5 ss; C. Greehslade, £333; 0- Speight, £3 3s; R. R. Taylor, £2 2* ; Mrs Taylor, £1 la; Miss M. Stuart, 10j -Gd. The total in the hands of the hon. treasurers and promised up (0 the present time is over £7OO. The Chairman reported that, in accordance with previous directions of the Committee, the Executire had communicated with all the clergy in the hospital district re the inauguration of Hospital Sunday, and had also communicated with representative men in various parts of the district suggesting that they should take, steps in their several localities to organise canvassing committees in aid of the fund. On the whole, the responses had been of a most encouraging character. In regard to Hospital Sunday, he had received the following letters, which spoke for themselves : Sir,—l would suggest what is likely to prove more acceptable to church managers, and what is likely to prove more productive as to financial results viz., a Hospital Saturday. Church officials have their regular obligations to fulfil, and in many cases this is done with great difficulty. An appeal to the general public on a Saturday would reach a much larger number than is likely to be the case when we ask the churches for a collection. I think a Hospital Saturday might be made an annual fixture. In the case'of the children's ward, a well-organised street collection on Jubilee- Day, when Dunedin will be crowded with sightseers and visitors from the, country, would, I believe, realise a substantial sum. J. Newman Bottle.

Kaikorai Manse. Dear Sir,—l am in receipt of your circular re children's ward in the Dunedin Hospital and the inauguration of Hospital Sunday., With regard to the children's ward I may say that I have the heartiest sympathy with it, and will' do anything I can to further the scheme. I believe my congregation will give a collection towards it on one of the days suggested in your circular of on some other convenient "day, if no better means can be devised for raising money for it in this district. I cannot say positively till my office-bearers meet in the course'of ten days. I shall let you know then. With regard to Hospital Sunday, as I understand the matter, the effect of it. would be not to give additional comforts and conveniencesto patients in the hospital, but simply to relieve the sources from which the funds came now for the support of the hospital, and toward which the church-going people contribute their fair share as do others. If lam right in this view, it seems to me manifestly UnReasonable and unfair to ask the church-going part of the community to pay in two ways for the support of the hospital, so as to save the pockets of the people who do not go to church. I shall be glad to be put right if I am wrong in the view I take in this matter, I may say that the churchgoing people have many more deserving outlets for their charity than to relieve the pockets of the people, who live without church, if not without God, and who are as able to' pay their fair share towards the support of the hospital as the churchgoers are. If Hospital Sunday meant extra comforts and conveniences for the sufferers in the hospital, then I could sympathise with and support it, but as I understand it will not secure that, it seems to me very little can be said in favor of it. R. R. M. Sutherland. In the course of the conversational discussion that ensued, the opinion was expressed by the Rev. Mr Curztm-Siggers, Mr A. Solomon, and Dr Batchelor that there might possibly be some misconception in regard to the circular which it might be desirable to remove.—The Chairman thought that there was hardly room for misapprehension. The circular stated very explicitly that it was proposed to inaugurate Hospital Sunday as ''a means to the end "of raising the funds required to establish a children's ward. So far as this Committee were concerned, their efforts would cease with the raising of this special fund, towards raising which Hospital Sunday and Hospital Saturday should prove valuable auxiliaries. It was quite true that the churches had hitherto deolined to institute a Hospital Sunday, because it was thought by them that the moneys so raised would be only used in easing the contributions of the ratepayer. This was, however, a special effort. If it were desired to make Hospital Sunday a permanent institution step* in that direction would have to be taken by another organisation; this one would be dissolved immediately the funds for the children's ward were raised. The Chairman intimated that Miss Stathum had volunteered the services of ten other ladies and herself in taking charge of collecting boxes on Tuesday, if the Committee authorised it.—lt was deoided to make a general appeal on Tuesday on the lineß suggested by Mr Wills, who was appointed convener of the Hospital Saturday Committee. Mr Wills reported the offer of the Bands' Association.. The Rev. Mr Siggers said that to hold this open-air concert on Sunday next would interfere with some of the church services on that day, which were timed to commence at 3 p.m.—Mr Solomon suggested that the Octagon enclosure would be preferable to either the Museum Reserve or the Caledonian Ground.—lt was left to Mr Wills to arrange time and place of the concert, the offer of the Bands' Association being accepted with thanks, Miss Cox, matron of the St. Mary's Orphanage at Bishopgrove, in forwarding a donation of half a guinea, wrote : The children and myself feel great sympathy with the efforts you are making for a new children's ward, and we enclose 10s 6d towards it—a very small sum, but you will understand we are not able to do more, and they do this freely, feel' ing so much for the little sick .ones. We have bad some of our children in the hospital, and I feel grateful for all that was so kindly done for them by the medical staff. ... I think trying ever so little to help sick people helps one very much in their own lives. I spoke to our clergyman to-day, and asked if we may have a Collection in' our Sunday school. It will be a very little, because the people are so poor out here. Still, I think children should he taught to help each other. So I hope we may have a collection in a Sunday or ftvo. The Mayors of St. Kilda and Roslyn intimated their preparedness to cooperate with the Committee.