CORRESPONDENCE KUMARA DOCTOR.

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 December 1926, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE

KUMARA DOCTOR.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—With your kind permission 1 would like to support the remarks of your correspondent “Patient.’’ Anyone who knows the hard work of the collectors in trying to' extract the £1 sub from some of our residents will not be surprised at their decision to throw in the sponge. These people who refuse to subscribe towards the retention of a doctor in our town do not seem to realise what it means. In this district there are half a dozen sawmills. Any of the employees therein are likely to meet with a serious accident at any time. If it is necessary to depend on Hokitika or Greymouth for the attention of a doctor the sufferer could easily have bled to death before the doctor’s arrival. It appears that a certain number of those who refuse to pay the sub have had to call in medical assistance on more than one occasion. If these people would only stop and think for a few minutes what might happen without a resident doctor, well—l don’t think we would lose our medical committee. Yours etc., PATIENT NO. 2. (To the Editor.) Sir, —I would thank you for a few lines of your space, and agree with the remarks of “Patient” re the Kumara Medical Committee. “The health of (he people is the first care of the nation,” and after all the accidents and sickness the town has experienced during the past year, one would think that no resident would hesitate to contribute the £1 note to the fund. Even if he would not need local medical treatment, surely he would gladly pay up a pound to help his fellowman. If it was a straight-out sub to help a brother in distress he would be sport enough to pay without question, so why not gladly give a quid to help the majority of citizens who wish to retain a local resident doctor for the town. Another argument put forward is “I am paying into a lodge and get a doctor free, so why pay the pound?” Well, what is the use of the lodge benefits when at least £6 6s has to be paid to bring a doctor to Kumara. We had a sickener of that years ago. Many people are in sympathy with the efforts of the Committee who canvass the town each year, but when the annual meeting comes round are content to stay away. Will they be present at the annual meeting to-night?—Yours, etc., KUMARAITE. Kumara, December 2, 1926.