THE Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, JULY 25, 1899.

Temuka Leader, Issue 3470, 25 July 1899, Page 2

THE Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, JULY 25, 1899.

SEPARATE INSTITUTIONS BILL The title of this measure, which has just passed the Legislative Council, would not give any clue to its chief aim and object. No one would take it that it deals chiefly with the Waimate Hospital iu its relations with the Timaru Hospital, yet that is the chief feature of the Bill. This Bill was originally promoted by the Hon. Major Steward, and afterward adopted by the Government, and lait year it passed the Upper House but was slaughtered amongst the innocents in the Lower House. This year it has had a very easy passage through the Council, and will doubtless meet with very little, if any, opposition in the Lower House. The circumstauods which necessitated the passing of this measure were these: The Waimate Hospital Trustees are iu a certain sense subject to the Timaru Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, and for years both bodies have been at enmity over matters which the present Bill will- settle. The Timaru Board had uo power to allocate to Waimate Trustees any money for the purposes of enlarging or improving the hospital. The trustees of the Waimate Hospital thought they were entitled to more of the money raised in the district than they were getting. The district contributed, directly and indirectly, over £2OOO a year to the funds of thoTioiaru Board, and the Waimate Board got back only about £I2OO of this. Out of this £I2OO a year the Waimate Trustees were able to effect a saving, which, in the course of time, accumulated to a good round sum. They were holding this money for the purpose of carrying out some improvements, but to this the Timaru Board objected, and the objection was sustained. Another point raised was that the representatives uf the Waimate Borough and County Councils on the Board of Trustees were illegally elected thereto. Clause 35 of the Amending Act of 1880 laid it dowu that “a local authority shall be deened to contribute to the funds of a separate institution when it contributes any sum to the Listrict Board, for the purpose of the same beiua paid to the separate institution.” This is a clause that caused a good deal of the trouble. The point was raised that although the Waimate Borough and County Councils pa*d <heir contributions to the Timaru Board, it was not the same money that was paid back to the Hospital Ti ust.oes, aud consequently the councils named had no rigat to elect trustees. If the Waimate Borough aud County Councils paid halfa crown a year direct to the Waimate hospital they wouM have been entitled to be represented on the Board of

Trustees, but as they paid the money to the Timarn Board they were not entitled to representation. It was a very fine point, but lawyers held it was a correct interpretatiou of the law, and this Bill was introduced to remedy it. Clause 2of the I Bill just passed provides that in the case of the Waimate hospital the local authorities entitled to elect trustees shall bo the respective councils of Waimate Boroughand County. That point is settled so far, but it is further strengthened by Clause 4, Which deilires that a local authority shall be deemed to have contributed to the funds of the separate institution when it has paid money to the district board. Clause 5 gives the district board power to expend money iu improving, or enlarging,, any sepapalo institution in its jurisdiction. It algo makes provision for addi tional furniture, or appliances, and conveniences. One of the points in dispute between the Timarn and Waimate bodies was the question of giving details of the annual requirements of the trustees. At one lime tha Waimate trustees refused to give details of requirements to tha Timaru Board, and matters between the two bodies became strained and complicated. This cannot happen again if the present bill becomes law, for it provides that the trustees must give such details as the board thinks necessary, and disputes between them are to bo settled by the Stipendiary Magistrate, whcso decision shall be final. These are the loading features of the measure, but though we have so far represented it as applicable to Waimate, we may add that it will have the same effect on separate institutions in all parts of the colony. Waimate is specially mentioned in clausa 2, but in no other respect is it local in its scope and effect. Judging by the debate which took place on it last year, it is a measure that is very much wanted in various parts of the colony, and will be fully appreciated wherever separate institutions exist.