THAT FIVE ACRES.

New Zealand Times, 12 September 1907, Page 6

THAT FIVE ACRES.

ANOTHER COUNCIL DEBATE. INTERESTING VERBAL DUEL. The refusal of the Government to allow five acres of the hospital reserve to be sot aside for an infectious diseases hospital site was further debated in the Legislative Council yesterday, when the i Attorney-General announced that the matter was being further considered by Cabinet. The mover of the motion (the Hon. T. Kennedy Macdonald) and the Hon. Dr Findlay (Attorney-General) took part in an interesting verbal duel i on the subject. HEAVY ARTILLERY. The Hon. T. Kennedy Macdonald ask.ed the Attorney-General if he had noI ticed that the Wellington division of the I British Medical Association considered the site for the proposed hospital satisI factory, and that the Government pro- ; posed to reconsider its decision. His fhotion had been taken os a vote of censure on the Government, but this was not intended, though., if the matter was being reconsidered, this decision would somewhat alter the tone of what he 1 would have to say. “ I don't desire to disarm the ferocity of my friend," replied the lion. Dr Findlay, amid laughter, ‘‘because I apprehend the Council enjoys the long melodious thunder of his voice. ' Th© Minister of Education had informed him that morning that he had sent on the request of the Trustees to Cabinet for further consideration. He had no knowledge of what his colleagues proposed to do in the matter. The Hon. T. Kennedy Macdonald wished to secure a w'e&k'e adjournment of the debate, so that he could speak with knowledge of the Government's final decision, but in this he was unsuccessful, and he proceeded to reply . to arguments brought against his motion. Objection, he said, had been made to his description of the Minister's answer to the Trustees as “ curt." The letter was i signed by Dr VaFintine, whom he re--1 garded as an extremely efficient and zealous officer, but he still considered that the reply did not contain those elements of kindliness and courtesy which should have., been introduced into such an important matter. It was the business of the Hon. Dr Findlay to defend his colleague at all costs, and he found no fault with him for doing so, but "he was sure the lesson which Had been given to the Attorney-General's colleagues by the debate would not be readily forgotten, and that a little more attention would bo paid to the decencies of life in the future. The mere fact that further consideration was lo bo given to the matter was on indication of the value of the debate. The Attorney-General’; Or the courtesy of the Minister! The Hon. G. Jones: Quite a new courtesy 1 THE ORIGINAL TRUST. The Hoi. T. Kennedy Macdonald: I won't say that; I believe my friend the Minister of Public Health made a mistake. A special Act of 1688 vested the land in the Government in trust for the purposes of providing for the mentally afflicted, but who created the trust? It was the Government. The trust was diverted from the citizens of Wellington to the lunatic asylum by the Government, which thus deliberately robbed the citizens of Wellington of their rights. Uver 400 acres ot the Town Beit had been uelioeiateiy hlcned Horn the city by the uovernment. -Urn llou. La* riiiuiay: The Provincial Government. The non. T. Kennedy Macdonald, continuing, said this was so, but the Provincial Government was a local institution. He believed the secret of the opposition to the Trustees' request was that the land would be spoiled for subdivision into building sites—a sordid, wretched reason. The position held by the Attorney-General in the Ministry did not relieve him from his obligations as a citizen of Wellington, and he should do what was equitable to tlie people, it was a grave thing to ignore a necessity which might result in serious consequences when infectious disease appeared. It was idle to say it was the business of the city; the Government should not hesitate, but act.

The Hon. G. J. Smith: We provide the hospitals down South, and don't talk about it.

The Hon. T. Kennedy Macdonald retorted, .amid laughter: . I hope you will never be suffering from fever, and when you knock at the door of the hospital and ask to be let in, be told, ‘Go away and see what the Mayor can do.' By the time he has wandered around seeing Mayors, Attorney-Generals, and Ministers, it will be time to go to the cemetery.” (Laughter.) How would the Hon. (G. ‘J. Smith like to see the beautiful parks of Christchurch out up into building allotments for workmen's homes? The technicality of a trust could be wiped aside in a moment by the Government if it realised the urgent necessity for a fever hospital. There was serions danger through scarlet fever' patients who could not be accommodated in the hospital being left uncontrolled in their homes, w-ith the result that some of them in the “peeling" etote had travelled in the tramcars. Low the question was to be reconsidered he would be glad to withdraw his motion. WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY? The Hon. Dr Findlay described the previous speaker’s remarks as most crushiug indictment of the Wellington Hospital Trustees. The whole responsibility for the position lay upon the shoulders of the people of Wellington themselves. The Government had no legal right to provide an infectious diseases hospital, but it could call upon the local authority to do eo. If the need had been so clear and clamant, why had not the local authority provided the hospital? ; The Hon. C. M. Luke; There was no other site. 1 ’ , 1 The Hon. Dr Findlay: That is absolute nonsense. The Trustees bad the power of taking from the pockets of the rich citv of Wellington and surrounding boroughs all that was required to purchase a hospital site. The people of Dunedin, Christchurch, and Auckland had recognised their duty by providing hospital sites and not asking the Government to violate a. trust by giving or selling them a portion of a reserve. He recapitulated the history of the hospital reserve, pointing out that the area was created bv the Provincial Government, vested, in the Superintendent under the Ordinance of 1862, and thereafter by fh Act of 1871 declared to he for asylum purposes, so that there had been no wresting of the land from the people. He moved the adjournment of the debate. This was agreed to.