MAC'S MUGWUMPISH MISTAKE.

NZ Truth, Issue 68, 6 October 1906, Page 6

MAC'S MUGWUMPISH MISTAKE.

A Paid Inspector, who Never Inspects, Libels Christchurch Hospital. Dr. MacGregor, Inspector-General of Hospitals, must have felt his ears tingling last week when he was toasted properly at Christchurch. The North Canterbury Hospital Board doesn't think, much of this highlyplaced Inspector, who never inspects, and have said so m.; language with auburn hair on its countenance. In his annual report Dr. Mac stated that there was an insufficiency of nurses m the hospital owing to new-ly-registered: nurses starting out for themselves. The discipline -of the nurses was lax, Matron Ewart wasn't a. good teacher, and the management was slack. Also, there was a dissatisfied feeling m the community, an impalpable impression of imperfect supervision on the part of the resident staff, and a want of alacrity amongst the subordinates'. Now, as the 'Inspector-General, who doesn't inspect, or who rarely inspects, hasn't been seen m the hospital for years, and as his assistant, Mrs Grace Neill hasn't planted her dainty foot there for 18 months the Hospital Board displayed 1 an overweening desire to know where m THE NAME OF ANNANIAS. he got his information from. So they asked Fpwlds, who runs the sickly Department, and hQ forwardedMacGregor's reply, which was silly m the extreme. The report, it seems, was based upon a newspaper report published m March, 1905. At that time the staff was consulted upon matters which required alteration pr reform and everything suggested was given effect to. ''Vet MacGregor must irake up old complaints which have been mouldering m the grave of things forgotten, and have It printed libelously all over the colony that Ckristchurcjx hospital is np class, and that the matroh is incapable of Ifia.fedirtihg ihStHibtibh td htiM&i EVetv iAMm dl thft flti&td . t'otfflrts m

had got her set. However, as the Board were perfectly satisfied with the lady, Grace's effort to get her into disgrace didn't affect their judgment of her work m any way ; it only elicited their contempt and scorn. It is abundantly evident that the misnamed Inspector-General prefers to inspect the furniture m his office and his ink-well, and newspaper reports 18 months old, to performing his plain duty of seeing tor himself how the hospitals under his control are properly and efficiently conducted. The present Chairman of the Christchurch Hospital Board has been a member for nine years, and chairman for three years, yet he doesn't know MacGregor from A LUMP OF TRIPE, and his predecessor m office never met him, either. This sickly Hospital Department wants shaking up with a 20 horse power shake, andit's right up to Cabinet Minister' Fowlds to reorganise it and bring it up-to-date. A, report presented to Parliament based on a state of things that existed over eighteen | months ago, and which has since been rectified, is an antedeluvian document penned by a fossilised person with a penchant for fault-finding for which there was no necessity. Had MacGregOr alluded to the overcrowdjed state of the institution, and to chronic cases which are daily treated there which -shouldn't be m the hospital at all, and to persons being refused admission owing to lack of room (one poor woman had to be sent to the lunatic asylum for treatment not long ago* on this account) he would have been pointing out real evils, and his annual report 'would have at least contained a few truthful statements. But, as- . he dealt severely with the Board m cojinection 1 With old-time .. complaints, which are mildewed:-; and blue-mouldy , the dead: , cat- of 'reproach is flung at ,' him with great Violence and he won't like burying the anirqal.