HOSPITAL DISTRICTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17728, 12 September 1919, Page 4

HOSPITAL DISTRICTS.

The movement to bring about tho establishment of a separate hospital district for South Otago has, as will have been observed, been earned to the floor of Parliament. Mr Malcolm, by whom a Bill to give effect to the proposal has been introduced, has shown a great deal of earnestness in his advocacy of the supposed interests of his constituents, but, stung by tho opposition of the Dunedin members to the Bill, ho seems to havo allowed his zeal to outrun his discretion. It fa idlo to suggest, as ho does, that tho explanation of this opposition is to be found in a desiro to boom and glorify Dunedin at tho expense of tho country districts. Aor is it .easy to understand why Mr -Malcolm should bo eo indignant over the attitude of tho chairman and other members of tho Otago Hospital and Charitable Aid Board. At the conference held in January last the Board made it clear that it was strong unfavourable to separation, and its present view of the matter is in complete harmony with the view it held at that time. Tho question is of course one that should bo decided upon its merits Jo arguments have yet been advanced that have struck us as irresistible in

support of the separation of South Ota<*o from tho Otago Hospital district It is necessarily the public interest that was to be consulted. Nov.- if the establishment of a separate hospital district for South Otago is to be justiJed, it should be capable of demonstration that, as a separate district, South Otago will enjoy superior advantages to those which tho present system bestows or could bestow. Our own impression is that it is really not in the interests of bouth Otago, any more than it is in the interests of tho Otago Hospital Board that a separation should tako place! lno maintenance of hospital institutions to which South Otago would Bo committed if tho separate district were created would impose upon the people of Souta Otago a burden which they would almost certainly find irksome. Tl-e advantages, moreover, to bo enjoyed "by them under a separate system v.-oukl have to bo very considerable to counter, balance tho sacrifice of the benefits derived by tho patients from the district through their us<e of an extensive and well-equippad institution like the Dunedin Hospital, where tho services of highly-trained specialists are at their disposal. If tho interests of South Ota<*o havo been neglected by the Otago Hospital Board, that is a matter calling for a remedy. But there is much to be said for tho view that in union and cooperation, rather than in separation, lies strength in the hospital district of which. DunedLa is the centre.

Owing to bad weather in Mar'.borcutrh yc.iiWfday telegraphic communication with tho North Island was interrupted lapt ni-jht. Most, of the vires on the Kxst Coast bevond ChristeUureh wore, out of action, and" tho ' bulk of. tho messages had to bo transmitted • by v/ny of t! u , West Coa.-.t. Mho tel.'crruph , ofliciii.s mad;> tho best uso of tho limited ( facilities at tlioir disposal, ami the messages wore got through- very cxpnditiously oonsic.on.ng tho conditions prevailing. It will bo soon from our adverKsiii" .columns that t! 1:j WaJtaki Dairy Company has no butter to sell just now. A email con- . 3>g/imont from New Plymouth by tho Rosa- | inund on Tuesday or Wednesday s-honid relievo tho position, and a. ] M go shipment is • expected 1o rcacli Dunodin l>y the Mokoiu ; whicn is dun hero about Sunday week. Aiter . that dak-, it is eiiid, tho butter shorta-o will be a thing of tho past. Tho Toieri and ■ Peninada Milk Supply Company i 3 still selling butter in limited quantities. It alto , expects to rcceivo a shipment l,y the Mokoia. Tho following applications for cssistuncu ■ were dealt with at yesterday's mooting of tho ) Otago District U^ .Ration Board :—JN'ino- . teen a-pplicauoiiij joi- business loans were received, amounting to £3c35. Ttn, reprei senting £1035, were approved; five, tolaliir-" [ £700, wcro held over; one, for £200, wa° : declined; and three, amounting to £80j, v.ito- . Withdrawn at tho request oi die applicants. Eleven applications tor luriiilurc lo.uus vvevo ■ received, amounting to £550. Ten, ropre- . senting £500, were approved; and one, for £50, was declined. Six apprentices applied to havo their wages made up to £3. Three applications were approved, two were hold ■ over, and one was withdrawn at tho request of the applicant. One soldier who is unable , to follow his pre-war occupation was placed. . in a new trade, and his wages were sub- ' aidiscd. Three soldiers were granted assist- ' ance to purcliaso tools of trade. Three applications for assistance in technical and ; university training were dealt with. One was approved, and two were held ever. The Otago Land Board held a sitting yesterday morning, all tho members being present, for the purpose of dealing with a number of applications from discharged £ol-do-rs for iitiMical assstance to enabio them to purchase homes and iarms. Applioat.ons for city properties were dealt with as fol- : low:—Approved 24, totalling £13,910; left in . tho hands of tho commissioner, V; hold over, 3; declined, 3. Bight applications for rural properties, involving tho sum of £10,545, were granted, four wcro left in the hands of tho commissioner, and two wore- declined. Fivo applications amounting to £2500 were approved for grants with which to purchase

stock and implements. Tho Dominioifjstatcs that tho first coeo to bo taken before tho Magistrate's Court concerning profiteering wiil bo heard to-day. The defendants in the case will bo a firm of Wellington drapers. In conversation with a Daily Timed reporter yesterday Mr 11. T. &uld (Commissioner of Crown Lands) stated that h.s recommendations in respect to tho Gardrona commonago proposed to alter the tenure of tha land so as to mako it available- for the settlers who havo been engaged in mining pursuits there for tho la3t 30 or 40 years. Theio settlers include about half a dozen returned soldiers, who are in hopes of obtaining a share of tho land. Tho City Firo Brigade received a call at 3 p.m. yesterday, as tho result of a chimney iire in George street. No damage was done. With tho cost of fruit so high as it is at

present, it seems a criminal wasto of good tood to destroy tho whole of a lino of fru;t because portion of it is affected with disease. At the present time there ore 200 401b cases of ; iVelson-grovvn Stunner apples in Mr Ileilly's store which havo been condemned by tlio local fruit inspectors, consequent on a percentage of tho apples in each casu being affected, with black epot. The landed cost in l>uncdin of these apples is 15s 5d per ci;e. A great proportion of them are ccund, and they are of lirst-class flavour; yet because there are alfected apples in the line they havo all to bo destroyed, including the cases. A sample of tho apples has been forwarded to the authorities in Wellington, with, the request that permission should bo given to havo the line picked over and the sound apples placed on tho market, but no reply has so far come to hand. It should be added that no complaint is being- made against the local inspectors—they have their duty to perform—and that it v/aa through tho i'xtion of the orchardisU themselves that black spot was included in tho statutes as a disease which required the destruction of fruit infected with it. Moreover, from what can be gathered, black spot does not appear to bo a very serious disease. It shows on tho skin, and does not .-vfiect the quality of the fruifc itself. Authorities also stato that it is impossiblo totally to eradicate black spot. Tho best that can be dor.o la to endeavour to control it. The orchardist who sond3 fiuit to market, quite free from black spot benefits by receiving high prices, and tho man who neglects to keep his fruit free from disease naturally suffers a monetary loss. A short sitting of tho City Police Court waa held yesterday, morning," when Charles Freeling was fined 203, in default three days' imprisonment, for drunkenness. Raymond Young was further remanded for sentence on a charge of vagrancy pending a reply from tho military authorities. Mr 11. Y. "Widdowson was the presiding magistrate. Tho conversion of tho hospital ship Muhcno to her pre-war character has now boon completed. Tho operating theatre has f esumed its normal aspect, and stewards will replace doctors and orderlies within its precincts. Tho vessel has been gutted frem stem to stern, cabins and lavatories rearranged, and tho furnishings repainted, reenamelled, or replated as the case required. New or renewed silverware graces the tables, and tho saloons and cabins have been newly upholstered. Tho additional boat deck .constructed aft provides for four more boats. A local firm has placed at our disposal an extract from a. letter from its London house with reference to tho stato and pros-poets of tho paper market: "Wβ note you say in your referenco to paper samples that prices must fall as raw material is corning into England very freely. Well, perhaps this may bo so, but for your information we may stato that Esparto is about throe times the old price and wood pulp is still considerably over double, and instead of theso being further reduced tho probabilities are—from information we havo received—that they will bo increased. You may take it that prices are new fairly stationary, and that there is very little prospect of printing papers being further reduced this year. .Everything in connection with tho paper trade id against any further reduction in price. The hours in paper mills have been reduced from 56 to .48, and this week there is a strike on in all the mills in North Britain for a further reduction of hours to 44 p:>r week and an increase in wages to something in tho region of £5 per week, and when you take into consideration that in IQI.I tho men in the paper mills were working 56' hours for wagC3 varying from 25., to 35s per work, you will easily understand that any reduction in raw material is going to bo more than balanced by tho new Fcale of wages. Coal' also, which is a considerable item iti paper making, is now threo tiines its pre-war price, go wo think that i:i:dor thesp circumstances you can safely assume that there will be no further reduction ii: tho cost cf printing papers this vear." Rocor.t accessions to tho Maori section of th-2 Otago University Miaseum include a small collection of stono implements presented by Miss Joachim. Among these is the first stono axe (as distinguished from adze, gouge, or chisel) exhibited in tho museum. A very fine example of tho class of fiddl'7-shapcd whalebone clubs, called kotiate, has been presented by Mr O. W. Chamberlain, who has also presented a Maori flax mat and other articles. The kotiato and the m-.it were presented to tho lato Mr Caleb Whitoford, R.M., by Gisborne Native, on hie departure from tlie district in IS7O. Their history of tho last SO years is thus known, a fact which acMs greatly to their scientific value. To tho war trophies section thnro has -boon added a collection dcrivrr! principally from G.illipoli, and presented by Mr A. ■ Bradley. Perhaps the most interesting item is a Gurkha, service pot for cooking rico. This probably from rolipious motives, is made of copper, but it has boon painted with aluminium paint. A collection from German trenchoo and dugouts has been hnt By Private ft. Bailley, and includes a Gorman picture showing German officers in a French prisoners' cage, portrait photograplis, a prayer book with pressed flowers, and other things illustrating the personal side of war"

Among tho many who havo established a good record in connection with their services in tho struggle for liberty and civilisation tho do Lautour family will atwid liigh. Lieutenantcol'jiiel 11. A. dn Lautour was on oiM of tho iirst Modicid Hoards Let up, and ho died whilo o;i duty at lnveroargill en Juno 22, 1917. 110 was tho father of. tho following:—Trooper, Now Zealand Fortes, Bo<t war, 1000-01, 2nd Rkodesian Rifles, BritLli J'hst Africa, -1914-15, died at Kilindiniu, British Wast Africa, November 9, 1915'; Ijieutouunt 11. A. do Lautour, N.Z.E.F., 1916-19, Elu\enth Rtinforcoinents, Franco; Segcarrt E. V. ilo Lautour, New Zealand Forcrs, Boer war, 1901, Main lltxly, South Australian ],:ght Horec, K.U'ypt, (3-aJlipoli,* 1914-15, kill.jd in ac-lion March 24, Sergeant. K. F. do Lautour, New Zealand X.Z.E.K., Third Reinforcements, Kgypt, Gdlipoli, Palestine, 1914-19; Lieutenant V/. L. do Lautour, N.Z.E.F., Main Body, Egypt, (iallinoli, Franco, Bolglimi, Germany, 191419; Liiice-cor!X3ru.l 15. P. do loutour, D.C.M., Tenth lloinforccmenta, Egypt, France, Bolgiuni, Germany, 1915-19; Corporal E. A. do Lautour, N.Z.E-.F.. Samoa, 1914-15.

The. Commissioner of Crown Lands (Mr T?. T. Sack!) asks us to state that the application made on Wednesday by high country sheep farmers for an extension cf t.hoir respective leases v.as for 10 year?, and net for on<? year as stated in our paragraph yesterday. They all imitate the colour. HarlcyDavidson motor cycles supreme.—Otago agents: W. A. Justico Co., 290 Princes strest, Dunedin.—Advt. Men's Mosgiel "Wool Knitt Socks; finest quality, summor caahmero weight; Grev and I leather. Spncial Price, 3? 6d pair"; po.Ua.TC, 2d.—Mollisons Ltd.—Advt. •t l?' Jll£p ''"ives express wonderful loyalty to rvo Hubbies" Laundry KeK" in Is | peckot-,.— J. Rattrav and Soii3 (Limited), whole-do agente for "No Rabbin-."— Advt. A. E. J. Blake'ey, dentist. Baiik of A us. tralasia corr.er of Bond and Rattray street, Advt c!egr3ph Office) - iSo?Eloctric Ipcandeseont Lamp* Drawn \V;, Metallic Filament, Philips ManufSo & 6£, enci 50 candle-power. p r j«; i 3 each Special terms for quaaiity orders - lurnbull and Jones (Ltd.). Electric npors — Advt. " Eyostram!-Consult Mr Peter G. Dick. D.1J.0.A.. F. 1.0. (Tendon), consulting and oculists opticinn.-Poter Dick. leweUorT oto 4SO Moray place. Dunedin.— Advt