THE MANIOTOTO HOSPITAL BOARD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20709, 6 May 1929, Page 8

THE MANIOTOTO HOSPITAL BOARD.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,--As the triennial election of members to the Mamototo Hospital Board takes place this week, 1 feel.that a fewremarks will not be out of place. The retiring board has shown a deplorable Jack of good taste and of respect for their successors in holding .-. final meeting of themselves the day before the election in order to discus a tenders, and, possibly select one. They obviously have no confidence in the Maniototo ratepayers, ' tor it seems they cannot rely on their de- ! cisions but must rush things to finality in the last few hours. Personally, I think that they will defeat their own object, tor it is common talk that their last action has earned them a great deal of unpopularity, and the new board will | justly teel cause to be incensed at their i predecessors ways. I ■ Th ? n v th f}' e is a Pathetic little article i issued by them as a means of self-glorifi-cation and indiscreet advertisement at the ' ratepayers expense. The action of one member m attaching his name has already ' lost him his seat, while another refused I nomination, knowing what the result would be. The board claims to have paid I past debts and saved some hundreds of ' pounds. Any person could do this if he enjoyed a good income and spent nothing on upkeep or repairs to his property, i The fact that only £BOO was collected , shows the type of people who are using the hospital, so that this wonderful balance sheet shows a profit in cash but a larger loss through depreciation on the i old hospital. The new plans are also now available i for inspection, per medium of a pretty i little drawing. As a doll's house the new '• hospital looks really wonderful; as an .

institution to supply the needs of Maniototo it is ridiculous. The wards are small and unsuitable, the nurses’ quarters are upstairs in the main block, while the only building that looks as if it would justify the amount spent on it is the doctor’s residence. 'ln previous yeats the Naseby doctors bought their, own house, and the custom was altered some seven years ago when medical men were scarce. Nowadays, with'qualified doctors in abundance; it seems a totally unnecessary waste to provide £2500 for -a residence for a man. who not only draws lodge fees* but enjoys a considerable private practice outside the hospital. I sincerely trust that the policy of the new board will be to save at least a rental on the residence, say, at 5 per cent., for it would not be hard to get other doctors to agree to this rental The statement that the hospital is to be built for £IB,OOO is fallacious and incredible, The cost must reach £25,000 before long. Why does the board not face the position more openly and let the residents into its confidence'? There is still a year to go before the Devenney bequest is overdue, so that the whole matter can be thoroughly thrashed out by the new board at -its coming meetings. The board, by its actions of late, has not just'fied the confideifte placed it it at the last election. Let th,e electors now think for themselves and return a fresh board composed of nrtn who will work for the benefit of the district as a whole and not in a parochial fashion as has been done by the retiring board.—l am, etc., Maniototo, May 2, Progress. THE LEITH, VALLEY. TO THE EDITOR. i Sir, —I should like to let the citizens of Dunedin know what is going on in connection with the flood work in the Leith. On Friday 23 single men were put off the work, which is not half. finished, so that if a flood were to come to-morrow similar to the'last flood Leith Valley people would, again be heavy sufferers: in fact, they would fare worse than before, because the river is still practically full of gravel, and would overflow in one hour. Now, I ask why have these men been put off ? It is a pity that some of the Dunedin “ heads ” do not live in the locality. If they did, the Leith would be clear in a fortnight. Moreover, there is a culvert badly broken at Pigeon Flat, the bead of Leith Valley. It is now six weeks since the flood, and two farmers have actually had to work in their time to get across, but it is getting, so bad that a motor car cannot squeeze across. Why are men not put on this work instead of leaving it for the farmers to do? —I am; etc. Slay 4. What’s Wrong.