OTAGO’S WANTS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 6488, 7 April 1908, Page 7

OTAGO’S WANTS.

HON. G. FOWLDS IN DUNEDIN. MODE DEPUTATIONS. PRESS ASSOCIATION. DLAs-LiMN, April G. A deputation from the Charitable Aid Boara waited on uis xxon. G. .towicls with reference to the question of aosioting denominational bouies in the mamof destitute cui-ann. Mr Stevenson said that the Board had received an luaum iru.u mu Church for assistance in the suppoit of destitute children under its control, and had been legally advised that they could not render neip in the way askea. The Board was not satisfied, seeing that two senoois controlled uy nOiuan were receiving assistance uWi u amount ing practically to XIOUO a year. What they wanted was that all denominational SUiIUOiS bivouid Uil put vli ilit -A..,, as the St. Vincent do Paul institution in South Dunedin, or St. Mary's in Nelson, The Minister said it had been the policy for all Governments for many years not to consent to the recognition of any more private industrial schools. industrial schools should be directly controlled by the Government; but when the Act was passed there weie many industrial schools operated by the homan Catholic Church, and as considerable expense had been incurred in their building and equipment Parliament had recognised that it would not be fair to interfere with them. No more private industrial schools would be recognised. Children belonging to any denomination which had an orphanage institution could bo sent to such a place by an arrangement of the Board, and paid for in the same way as they were paid for at Government schools according to the Act. Ho presumed that the Board was at liberty to make contracts with any institution for the care of children. The Board could cither do that or take oyer an existing institution, or else establish such an institution.

CONSUMPTIVES’ SANATORIUM. A deputation from' the Hosnital Iloard introduced tbo question of providing a Consumptive Sanatorium for the district. Dr Batchelor said that since tuberculosis provided from 20 to 25 per cent, of hospital cases, and occurred in patients usually between the ages of twenty and forty-five, it would seem that Government would be justified in going to any expense to cope with the disease. The care of patients devolved upon local liodies. but the legal machinery for the protection of the public was quite inefficient. There was the requisite climate for the cure of consumptives in Central Otago, and it seemed to the'Board that the Government might assist them. H© did not think such an institution'would cost a very great deal. There were always young medical men coming out from Homo who had. or were threatened with, consumption, and > who had a special knowledge of the disease, and these would be willing to undertake such a charge. The Minister said that the Government was anxious to do anything to stnurn out the disease. Everything that could be done was now in operation-. Otago alone had done nothing. Regarding the proposal that Government shou’d start an institution in rvntral Otago there was not the slightest chance of that being done. Government had started the North Island station as a demonstration, and as far as entry went there was no distinction made between North and South Islands. Christchurch had established a most complete and extensive institution, \\nd Wellington had don© . the same. Auck land. New Plymouth, and a 1! the leading Hospital . Boards of the Dominion were making the, necessary provision. If the Board erected institution ont of its own funds, the .Government found half the money, while if it were raised by private ©’Ascription the Government subsidy amounted to 24s in the £l. If the Otago Bon.d did this, no doubt the smaller Boards in the surrounding districts would send patients to the Otago Sanatorium.