SOLDIERS' MEMORIAL.

Southland Times, Issue 17866, 17 January 1918, Page 4

SOLDIERS' MEMORIAL.

To the Editor. I Sir, —The preposterous hospital scheme is [evidently to be proceeded with. It is fore- . doomed to failure. Judging from comments expressed freely on every hand the adverse opinion of the majority of prominent citizens interviewed by your reporter is shared by a majority of the public. Although done with the best intention, no more meanspirited proposal has ever been put forward in the name of patriotism. In order to provide much-needed accommodation at the hospital it is proposed to extract £IO,OOO from the public by' subscription, this amount to be supplemented by a Government subsidy'. The larger amount of the total required—the Government subsidy—will be contributed by the taxpayers of the dominion as a whole. With the money thus obtained a ward will be built and then we will delude ourselves into l the belief that a me- , mo rial to our Southland soldiers has been erected by' the people of Southland by T voluntary subscription! Tbe scheme will relieve our public bodies of a responsibility which they appear to be anxious to evade, but it will not provide what could be called in any' sense of the word a sure memorial. The entrance to the proposed ward is to be on a side street. It will be more or less invisible to the general public, but no doubt the contemplation of its architectural beauties will afford deep satisfaction to the aesthetic soul of the lonely warder doing sentry go on the gaol roof. The unanimous opinion of our medical men on this subject has been altogether ignored, also of those representative citizens whose views y'ou took the trouble to ascertain. Is the matter fo be left entirely in the hands of the representatives of Bumbledom, I trust not.—l am, etc_ ANTI-HUMBUG. January 16.