PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1886.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 7169, 13 September 1886, Page 2

PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1886.

In a country with its settlements so numerous and yet so scattered as in New Zealand, it is hopeless to expect that we shall ever possess hospitals equal to those in large cities such as at London, Manchester, Glasgow, or even Sydney or Melbourne, bad as those in the latter city are reported to be conducted. In New Zealand our hospital buildings are of a very inferior description, and the accommodation is of the most inadequate kind. Though the hospitals will not dimmish the dominion of death, it is an immense question whether men shall fall by the hand of Time or in the course of natural decay, or whether they Bhall perish' through want of proper accommodation where they can be treated as the 1 nature of their desease demands. At hospital should have every resource; within itself for the relief of suffering, humanity; and especially should it have the means of rejecting all those noxious accompaniments which in themselves render the hospital a danger. They should have baths of' all kinds ; be provided with means for warming and ventilating the rooms, and other mechanical aids, so that the attendants may perform their offices of humanity quietly and having regard to the feelings of the sick. We' fear we shall never in New Zealand be able to accomplish this ; for even in the larger towns the hospitals are very imperfect in their appointments. In his annual report Dr. Grabham points this out, for of the thirty-seven hospitals in New Zealand there are not above five or six bnildings which are in any way suitable for the purposes for which they are heing used. In Asbburton hospital, he says, "a considerable portion of the ceiling has lallen, and the dampness of one of the walls is lamentable. Repairs are needed elsewhere ; and the wardß and corridors, as well as the warders' and matrons' rooms have never yet been painted or distempered since their ereotion." In the Auckland hospital " there is overcrowding and discomfort. The rooms on the basement aro sadly in want of paint and general cleansing, as well as the kitchen and its offices." The management of the hospital is not of the best, for Dr. Grabham says — " Noticing a mouldy smell in a lavatory separated by ft single door from the womans' ward, I was led to examine certain • shoots' down which all the refuse from the wards is thrown. These • shoots' open into a small room in the basement, adjoining the mortuary. In one was some soiled linen, which is received daily ; the other contained a quantity of rags, poultices, sweepings of the floor, and other refuse. A number of mice were running about the room, which is only cleared on 1 'alternate days." Not very clean this for a hospital. At Blenheim Dr. Grabham condemns the building as totally unfit for a hospital. At Christohuroh the building is a substantial one, " but the wards have a heavy and gloomy appearance, due to the .architectural features of the building." The Dunedin hospital is spoken very favourably ol by Dr. Grabham, although he recommends the addition of several very necessary improvement. The Greytown hospital, which is evidently a small cottage, Dr. Grabham says could be very woll dispensed with ; whilst the one at Xu?eroargiU he refers

to as f "dall " and " poverty-stricken " in appearance. At Lawrence " the beds are rickety, and oat of date, and for^s provided instead of seats for invalids." At Masterton, for a small institution, it would appear that everythiug is very perfect, and "the way it is maintained, "says Dr.Grabham, "might well serve as a model for others." The Nelson hospital is well looked after, and the furniture being gifts from private individuals has "an appearance of luxury not usually seen in colonial hospitals." The Oamaru hospital has been lately improved by the introduction of bath rooms. Several matters, bowever, still want attending to. The Patea Hospital, Dr. Grabham considers, "is scarcely worthy of the name, possessing as it does few comforts or appliances necessary for the proper .treatment of. the siok." Of tho Pietbn and Riverton hospitals, very little is said about, them ; but the one at the Thames seems to be a very well appointed institution. Although the (furnishing of, the Timaru hospital is everything that could be desired, the building is not. There is no operating room, no dispensary, nor • even < a sitting-room for' the nurses. As to the hospital at Waipukuran, the walhrof the wards want paint, and more cheerful rooms are required for the convalescents. The management of Wellington hospital. Dr. Grabham speaks well of, but at ttie same time remarks rather paradoxically, " I notice a great want of tidiness, more especially in the bath rooms ; old shoes, boards, bottles, rags, and other articles should find a more appropriate jhome." .He also says, " It is not' unreasonable' to attribute the prevailing illness to the unsanitary ' rooms which ■ the nurses occupy. One of these rooms has a large plunge bathv beneath the floor, .and was offensiye,"owing to the smell from the adjoining £arth..closetfl/'&o.; which pervaded the whole of the back corridor." At Wanganui the building used as a hospital is " discreditable alike to the town and district "; at least that is the emphatic way Dr. Grabham puts it, 'who adds that the site where it stands is also objectionable. Of the New Plymouth Hospital, the best use that could be made of the building would be to put a firestiok in it, and let the Fire Brigade have a practice. The building is altogether unsuitable for the purpose for which it is used, and the quicker another* one is erected the better it will be for those who unfortunately have to make use of , its wards. The women's ward, Dr. Grabham says is " hot, being exposed to the full force of the sun's rays, and badly requires a veranda. The colonial oven is out of order and a proper range which would Supply hot ' water to the baths, put in." This we believe has been done. From the brief extracts we have made from the report of Dr. Grabham, it is very evident that the Hospitals in New Zealand, are not institutions which could be called first class, and that the greater portions of the buildings are totally unfit for the purpose for which they are being used. It would be far too expen-: sive and not to be expected that the Government conld get np these institutions with all the modern appliance for the treatment of sick, and therefore the greater part of them will have to remain little else than asylums where the patients will be attended to in a homely way and supplied with the best medical or surgical treatment obtainable in the district.

Captain Edwin telegraphed at 12.26 p.m. to-day:— "Bad weather between east and south and southwest. Glass further fall but will rise after twelve hours from now. Every indication of heavy gale and heavy rain; wind changing by the Bouth."

A special train from Hawera on Sunday brought 45 bullocks to New Plymouth to be shipped to Sydney. They were driven to Mr. A. George's paddock at Omata to await shipment.

The following are the prize-takers in the telegraphic competition which took place some months ago : — Best all round operator, Ist prize, gold medal, or silver cup, value £8, Mr. J. Kivell, of New Plymouth; 2nd prize, silver medal, value £2, Mr. B. H. Keys, of Blenheim ; 3rd prize, silver medal, value £1, Mr. T. Ward, of Wun^anui. Best receiver, prize, silver medal, value £3, Mr. G. Morley, of Wellington. Bejst sender, a similar prize, Mr. A. Hale, of Blenheim. Best all round cadet, Ist prize, silver medal, value £2, Mr. J. P. Thompson, of Woodville ; 2nd prize, silver medal, value £2, Mr. A. A. Marryat. A special prize of the value of £8 was awarded to Mr. Gell, senior check clerk, Wellington, for greatest proficiency in all branches of the Department.

There was recently a good deal of agitution amongst the country school committees with the object of getting their schools and masteru' residences painted and repaired. ■ The numerous applications on the subject were put off by the Education Board " until such time ns they received their building grant from tho Government." At length everyone was much relieved by the receipt and apportionment of this building grant, and the Committees were set at rest by having their wants provided for by vote. It ha&, however, since been ascertained that the Government cannot now sanction building grants being spent in repairs. The Secretary of tho Education Board has accordingly to relegate the Committees back to their former dissatisfied position, by informing them that ths painting and repairs which they so much desire cannot be done. This state of affairs affects the folllowing school buildings :—: — Oakum, Okatr, Upper Kent Road, Lower Kent Road, Egmont Road, Egmont Village, Koru, Lower Mangorei, Norfolk Road, Tatiiraimaka, Upland Road, Waita.ra West, Waitara East, and Waipuku, and the masters' residences at Lepperton, Opunake, and Stratford. The expenditure in all would have been about £100. Many of the buildings are sadly in need of attention, but it seems they will havo to go negloctej, for another year as the Board liave no other f anils for the purpose.

Among tho cattle to bo sent to Sydney by the Wakatipu is one of abnormal proportions. It is a working bullock of about eight years old, and was bred by tho Maoris down tho coast. Previous to his lust visit to England Mr. Courtney had tho beast photographed and weighed. Its weight was 19owt. 2qrs. 141b5., after being driven 27 miles without food, and it was then thiD, and had been in work up to that date. Tho photo, was exhibited in England by limelight np being that of v "Tarauaki working bullook, in working condition, and as it appeared at the end of the winter without being stabled." The bullock is now in prime killing condition, and should cam a good name for this district umongst Sydney meat dealers.