INCURABLE HOME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15055, 26 July 1912, Page 4

INCURABLE HOME.

Sir,—l am pleased indeed to see that once again the above subject is before the public, . Time after time it has come up in one.form and another, and been relegated to oblivion. This time I trust it is going to be dealt with, and not shelved. . There, can bo no doubt that the two mam hospitals of the Dominion—Auckland and, Wellington— much congested, not to say overcrowded, as, indeed, is the case in more than one of the smaller hospitals. The expense of looking after patients in a hospital is far greater than that entailed in an incurable home, and at present treatable hospital cases are excluded, owing to beds being occupied by incurable cases which take up a, lot of time which should bo devoted to other cases, and so nurses are. overworked, and patients are under-treated. In short, for economic reasons, it is time we had our "incurable cases out of our general hopitals. I Now I como to the other aspect of the ! question—the side of the "incurable. ,1 j I frequently read most awful written by men who have health and strength— about these unfortunates. The science of eugenics is a pleasant conversational subject to some minds, but in practice it is certainly "bosh." Eliminate the "unfit" and slaughter our Pitts, our Robert Louis Stovensons, our John Ruskins. These men gave us perhaps the most cherished sentiments of our existences. The sick and unfit, like the poor, wo shall always have with us. Now as to the " incurable," what about him J I. will take a sample case of a man who came under my notice quite recently— 30 years of age. History Vonr years ago contracted phthisis, in two district hospital annexes, then Cambridge Sanatorium; from there to a : light "man about the place" job; there four days, had a bad turn, and admitted to a hospital. There ho is at the present moment, with pratically no other refuge than possibly that horror of horrors Costley Home. He has no income, he cannot work, and naturally the Hospital Board wants to quit him. This is but ono of scores of cases. Some of the poor creatures have most awful times, as recently described in your journal by a reverend gentleman m Auckland, and to my own knowledge more than one has ended the struggle for existence.

I want to ask what has Auckland done for such people? Wellington has just completed a beautiful children's hospital, Christchurch has a " rest" for incurables; but Auckland, the "Queen city of the North," the "Premier City," what has it done? We have had individual citizens. who have given largely and often, and most of them havo gone to their long home. One of them Sir John Logan Campbell—was our "father." Could not we, his children, honour our father by erecting to his memory the "Campbell Best Home," an everlasting monument to the great heart of a parent and the appreciation of his children? Surely if some of the leading men in our city took up the matter we could erect a fitting monument. If there are difficulties about an "incurable' institution, could wo not set up the sanatorium for chest, troubles which we need so badly? Trusting that something will be done. William Tell. Hamilton, July 23, 1912.