THE WAKATIP HOSPITAL RULES.

Lake County Press, Issue 61, 2 August 1872, Page 3

THE WAKATIP HOSPITAL RULES.

One time since, wo referred to the Hospital Rules, as showing that so far as regarded Rules 7 and 8 they were ambiguous, if not contradictory. Subsequently. the Arrow Local Sub-commit-tee have at their meetings come to a similar conclusion, and the result was that they directed the attention of the Board of Management to the same. After the lapse of more than a month, their communications elicited the reply subjoined. As will be seen from it the Boa; d “ have no inclination to alter the Rules, as they are, to them, perfectly clear in their meaning.” It will also be noticed that the hon. Secretary to the Hospital Committee says that body have had no difficulty regarding the Rules only with the Arrow and Macetown Sub-committees, and that the latter are apparently “fully satisfied after receiving an explanation.” As regards the first statement, it is hardly to be expected the framers of certain Regulations would see them otherwise than in a clear manner ; else they must confess themselves in error in constructing them; as to the second, it must be a misconception, as the Macetown committee are still in doubt as to the working of the Rules. And little wonder, if they were favored with an “ explanation” similar to the one below. Without doubting the capacity of the Board of Management to understand the meaning of the Rules complained of, we submit that that privilege should not be confined to the administrative body alone, but should be equally clear to those who are called upon to partly support the Institution—the public. As before stated, we conceive that subscribers to the Institution have a right to know on what terms patients are to be admitted, and it is far from likely they will contiibute unless they possess this knowledge. Instead of Rules 7 and 8 affording information, they are only calculated to mislead ; and it would have given less trouble to the Secretary and been much more satisfactory had he given the necessary elucidation of the Rules in question, instead of lecturing the Arrow Sub committee —and through them the district—on their prejudices. We are not aware of any prejudice on the part of the Arrow community against the Hospital, and we must charitably suppose the hon. Secretary allowed his prejudice to overcome his good judgment when he makes such remarks. Time will only allow us to notice one more remark in the letter, and that is where allusion is made to the irregular attendance of Arrow members at the general monthly meetings. The fact seems to be overlooked that there is a wide difference between a pleasant ride or drive once a month over four miles of road not to be equalled between this and Dunedin and a trip of ten or eleven miles up to a horses knees in mire and mud—where in the one case it is merely a pleasure trip of a Saturday afternoon in the other it is a matter of toil and discomfort. This may sufficiently account for the non attendance of Arrow members during the present season of the year as compared with the Queenstown members. We regret having again to write on this subject, and had the Management tried to explain matters they would have saved us the unpleasant task and the In-titution the expense of calling a public meeting. We append the letter received from the hon. Secretary. “ Wakatip District Hospital, ‘•2oth July, 1872. “Sir, — In reply to your letter of the 3rd inst., I have been directed by the Committee of Management of the above Institution to apologise for their neglect in not answering your letter of a prior date, and to explain that the cause of the delay was occasioned from the fact of the hon. Secretary being unable to be present at the monthly meeting at which your letter was read ; and ns no intimation had been given him of the receipt of it, and he not having posted up the minutes until a fesy days previous to the ensuing meetmg, it was consequently unintentionally unattended to; although resolutions were passed authorising him to reply. The Committee, however, regret that your local body should have been so hasty as to have accused them of a want of courtesy m the matter, without having previously endeavored to ascertain at a meeting of tlm Board the cause of the apparent neg- " With regard to other clauses of your last letter, 1 am directed to inform you that the Committee themselves have no inclination to alter the Rules, as they are to them perfectly clear in their meaning, “lam also directed to state that the oard have had no difficulty with any °f k° ca l Committee, with the exception the Arrow and Twelve-Mile, Arrow, otnmittees—the latter being apparently ?“y aatisfied after receiving an explauaion which any person attending the pubcmeeting when the Rules were passed, have keen freely discussed, might ... X our Committee should be fully aware j iave consulted the Rules) that e coard of Management have no power no a j ? r to alter or rescind any Rule P seed m public meeting, and that it lies

in the power of any twenty members, or rather subscribers, to requisite n the hon. ■'“ secretary to call a public meeting for aur purpose whatever ; and that in the event of the Arrow portion of t.ie Wakatipu being dissatisfied, the Board would point out to them that the only method to be adopted to obtain the object they seem to have in view would be to endeavor to call a meeting of subscribers, as provided in Rule 19. “ With regard to that paragraph of your letter threatening the Board with not attempting to collect any subscriptions until your wishes are carried out—rescindin'* such portions of the Riles which to you seem obnoxious—l world inform you that, although those gentlemen comprising the Board of Management are fully alive to the responsibilities they have incurred in undertaking their charge, they cannot consider themselves warranted in incurring the expense of altering the Rules simply to encourage the prejudices of a portion of the community, whose interests alone should prompt them to maintain to the utmost the welfare of the Institution. “ In conclusion, I would add that it is the opinion of the Board that had the Arrow members of the Board attended the general meetings more regularly, the Rules, through them, might by this time have appeared less ambiguous and not so contradictory to the Arrow subscribers as they appear to be ; and might have had the effect of saving much local discussion as well as a considerable amount of trouble and annoyance to the Board itself. -I have the honor to be, Sir, your obedient servant, “John S. Worthington, “ Hon. Secretary. " S. N. Brown, Esq., “Arrow Sub-committee, Arrowtown.”