THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 1894.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9493, 24 April 1894, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 1894.

When the Premier was in Auckland a few days ago, he was waited upon by a deputation from the Hospital Board, who represented to him that an extension of the Hospital was required, and asked that the Government should put a sum on the Estimates for that purpose. The sum named was £2000. The Premier promptly replied that if the Board would find £1000 from local sources, the Government would find the other £1000. Since then nothing has been said or done on the subject. The Board do not care to make an appeal to the public or to the local contributing bodies, for reasons which we will state.

But the need for greater hospital accommodation is urgent. The Board propose to remove the kitchen, the doctors' apartments, and servants' rooms, and turn these into extra wards. At the present time cases have frequently to be turned away because there is no room, A ward is also required for infectious cases. Typhoid fever cases are at present placed in the auxiliary wards, but the doctors, strongly condemn the practice, as ordinary patients have in several instances developed typhoid when put in these wards. The small detached building which was built for small -pox, is now utilised for scarlet fever cases, and sometimes erysipelas cases are put there, as the doctors object to them being put in the general wards. There is now a large number of venereal cases, and the victims must be attended to, or it will be worse for society. There is no place for them with proper separation from other patients. There is certainly an urgent necessity for carrying out the changes wanted by the Board in many respects.

The Premier's offer in reality amounted to a refusal on the pare of Ministers to do anything. - If the Board raised from the contributing bodies the sum of £1000 for building purposes, they would be entitled to another £1000 from the Government by law, and Ministers could make no merit of , giving it. If the money were raised by local subscription, they would be entitled by law to 24s for every 205.. Practically, therefore, Ministers decline to give anything at all to Auckland But they have just given £8000 to Dunedin for extensions to the hospital there, £6000 to Wellington for the same purpose, and about the same sum to Christchurch. But they decline to do anything for Auckland, although our wants are as great as those of the Southern hospitals. There may be various reasons for this. Perhaps they see no danger of losing any political support whatever they may do. Another reason is, that there is still some of the Costley moneys left. The Charitable Aid Board have spent £13,000 of this money, which has all gone to save the colonial exchequer and the ratepayers. The interest derived from the remainder also goes for hospital purposes, and effects a saving to the colonial exchequer to some extent. But as the Government refuse to do for us what they are doing for the South, it must be presumed that they are determined not to put us on the same footing until the whole of the Costley money is expended. It must be remembered that the hospital was built out of provincial endowments, and that the colonial Government have not been called upon for any grant whatever for that purpose. We understand that Mr. F. Lawry, who introduced the deputation to the Premier, is so impressed with the justice of the request made that he has undertaken to bring the matter before the House next session, and to move that the necessary money be voted. In all probability the Government will oppose the motion, but at all events it will be satisfactory to know the reasons which they give for this exceptional treatment of Auckland. It will be interesting also to know how the local members will vote in such a matter. If the Ministers refuse to ask Parliament to vote the money, then nothing will be left but to get up a local subscription to the amount of £1000. We may mention that Mr. W. Swanson, M.L.C., who has always taken a great interest in the Hospital, and who was actively connected with the movement which led to its erection, has offered to start a subscription for the raising of the amount required,