NELSON PARSIMONY, FROM A GREYMOUTH POINT OF VIEW.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IV, Issue 259, 3 November 1869, Page 2

NELSON PARSIMONY, FROM A GREYMOUTH POINT OF VIEW.

(From the Greymouth Evening Star.) Nelson is a great city, and the people inhabiting it a great people. All hail to them ! What a pity it is the Grey River could not be filled up so that Greymouth formed an integral portion of it. Nelson wants a House Surgeon for the following duties : — To take charge of the Hospital, medical and domestic, also the medical care of the Lunatic Asylum, and the prisoners and officers of the gaol, also of all the destitute poor at their own homes, likewise the police. The successful applicant must be a bachelor, that he may be enabled to devote the whole of his time to his duties. He must give testimonials as to his character and qualifications. He is not to be allowed private practice. The salary offered is — Two Hundred Pounds per annum! !! Just Heavens, what will such provincial extravagance end io. Do the Nelson authorities not know that £200 per annum is ten shillings and ten pence per day, (iucluding Sundays) for every day in the year. And this for a common doctor who has to deal with lunatics, hos-, pital patients, and broken limbs, police, and destitute poor. Why this is giving him tenpence a day more than a laborer asks, who is compelled to work eight hours and find himself, whereas the doctor is to get rations. Why our printer's devil does not get as much by several shillings a week, although his duties (well performed, however) is to keep his face dirty and give saucy answers to civil requests. Such extravagance will assuredly be followed by the most serious retributive results. It has come to something when a Sawbones is to be treated better than a pampered menial.