THE HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD ELECTION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14784, 17 March 1910, Page 6

THE HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD ELECTION.

Tim citizens of Dunedin cannot honestly hi congratulated upon the measure of interest which they displayed yesterday i" the polling for the election of members of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board. ]f ;l like degree of apathy hai been manifested throughout the Dominion we should have felt disposed to hold that the opponents of the adoption of the system of popular election of members of the Board had been justified in the opinions they entertained and expressed, but we think it may be asserted with some degree of confidence that the neglect of the overwhelming majority of the electors in the city to record their votes was really due to the existence of a belief- on their part that virtually any half-dozen of the candidates before them would constitute a reasonably efficient Board. And, as a matter of fact, it was not a very simple matter for those electors who did vote to make a selection of six names from the ten that wero contained on the ballot papers without omitting some one that was not less worthy of support than tho bulk of those selected. With few exceptions the candidates were citizens who have had experience in tho past in the administration uf hospital or charitable relief, and of those who were successful Mr Clark alone has yet to make his acquaintance with the practical work of the kind which the Board will have to perform. Mr Walker and Mr Loudon, who shared- the honour of polling the largest number of votes, have each had experience in hospital management, and Mr Walker has been for three years one of the most active members of the Charitable Aid Board l , while Mr Loudon has served on tho Benevolent Trust. Mi Larnach and Mr Talboys have also had experience of the distribution of charitable aid as trustees of the Benevolent Institution, and Mr Myers filled office for several years as a member of the Hospital Trust. Mr Wilkinson and Mr Hamel, also, who were , elected to represent the hill boroughs and North-East Valley, have acquired some practical insight into the working of the ; charitable aid system as members of the j Board which goes out of office at the end. ot this month. The Board consists, therefore, in large measure, of tried men, and in this circumstance at anyrate the community seems to have some reason to regard its composition with satisfaction. W-e hope, however, that .when the j next general election of members of the i Board takes place there will be much I larger fields of candidates and that there j will be a manifestation of keen public interest in the event.