OTAKI COTTAGE HOSPITAL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1354, 10 February 1898, Page 35

OTAKI COTTAGE HOSPITAL.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,— -Can any of your correspondents kindly give me any information as to what has become of the money collected for the Otaki Cottage Hospital ? Everybody in the Otaki district and a good many outsiders were asked to subscribe to this fund, and it is now about nine months since the amount collected,with subsidy from Government added, totalled over .£6OO, whilst the estimated cost of the Hospital was .£SOO. The local committee, having collected the money, secured a site, and obtained a right of road to that site, and drawn up and submitted a plan of the proposed building to the Wellington Hospital Board, was informed by the chairman of that august body that there was nothing further to be done, except to enjoy a wellearned repose, and watoh while the Wellington Hospital Board carried matters to a speedy and successful issue. Well, sir, we have watched and waited for nine months. Nothing has been done, nor is there any sign of anything about to be done. Some people say that the chairman of the Board has too much other business to attend to, and that the Board’s architect is too busy patching up buildings after the late earthquake. Others allege the Government Inspector of Hospitals is death on cottage hospitals, and say that he may have torn up the plan and jumped on the pieces when it was first shown to him. In the meantime a great injustice is being done to those who subscribed the money, i»n 1 have worked hard to make the Hospital a success, if anyone can inform us what is really the cause of all this delay they will confer a great favour on us—l am, &c., Enquireb. Otaki, February 2, 1898.