OTOROHANGA AND THE HOSPITAL.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XVIII, Issue 1858, 6 September 1923, Page 5

OTOROHANGA AND THE HOSPITAL.

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —In your references to the Te Kuiti Hospital legislation recently passed there occurs a deal of disparagement concerning myself and the petitioners who sought to repudiate the liability about to be placed upon the Otorohanga County. I am somewhat resigned to the acceptance of abuse from those against whose interests my efforts were directed, but I wish to register a protest against your persistent refusal to accept the opposition offered to the scheme by the Otorohanga people as anything other than mean parochialism.

I know that the people of Te Kuiti have the impression that after continuous acceptance of an obligation to assist in the erection of a hospital, there has arisen at the eleventh hour a move to repudiate that undertaking. This attitude was forcibly presented to the Parliamentary Committee by Mr Finlay, who stated that "No word of protest has been raised until the sitting of the commission." This is not correct. A tremendous amount of resentment has been felt and expressed continuously throughout the whole period of contemplation by the residents of this district, and it is claimed that the express consent of its elected representatives given to the inclusion of our quota was only given as being inevitable under the circumstances, and was in the nature of making the best of a bad job. Many of these representatives had, previous to my waiting upon the Parliamentary Committee, explained to me the peculiar nature of the commitments which they had made, and the impossibility of escape from the disabilities which had their origin in the iniquitous grouping of districts in the old Waitomo County. To my utter astonishment I listened at the Parliamentary presentation to a recital of the enthusiastic support which these same men were claimed to have given to the scheme and to the impugned disloyalty of my efforts to discount their attitude.

The question of whether the Otorohanga County will derive any benefit from the scheme can surely be admitted as a controversy without seeking to debit dishonourable motives to the ratepayei's who feel compelled to object. I can positively state that throughout all the many conversations which I have heard on the matter with county ratepayers, I have not heard a single opinion other than that the levy is unjust. Surely it will be conceded that where such unanimity exists there is a foundation. It cannot seriously be claimed that the demarcation of the county boundary a short year ago wrought the moral ruin of those who live on the northern side, and since in this and innumerable other matters we must work in sympathy, why should not we be conceded the right of contrary opinion and protest? The dissension is not by any means over, and I would like to appeal for a more tolerant acceptance of a chronic grievance which threatens an effect beyond the immediate engagements. With regard to the road access,.it cannot be denied that we have no road serving a connection with the proposed hospital, and in the great majority of districts good and improving roads lead northwards to Hamilton. In the case of Te Rau-a-Moa a regular bus service has been instituted, which will connect that district with Hamilton via Pirongia. The Te Kuiti-Otorohanga Road, which I am alternatively charged with denying the existence of, or disparaging the quality of, is valueless, as it merely connects the two towns, and therefore is an inferior alternative to the railway; also, its character does not commend it as an ambulance road, an opinion borne out by the number of accidents which have occurred on that route, the last one of which I described to the Parliamentary Committee. Under these circumstances, I claim that I was justified in claiming that the levy was entirely unjust in those areas which had readier access to Hamilton, and if admissible anywhere, could only be charged against the Otorohanga township region which had a reasonable way of reaching Te Kuiti. The meeting of protest which involves me in such abuse was singularly void of accomplishment, but I would like to revive and repeat the picturesque declaration of Mr Wall, the council chairman, at that meeting, and I respectfully commend its sentiment to his Te Kuiti disciples: "I could have told you at the start that your protests are useless, but it doesn't do to drive the iron in too hard."—l am, etc., Otorohanga. S. J. E. CLOSEY.