The Timarn Herald. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1885.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 3446, 14 October 1885, Page 2

The Timarn Herald. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1885.

The one important point achieved m the nature of local government last session was the passing of the Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Act, whereby the maintenance of the Bick and needy is transferred to specially-constituted local bodies termed District Boards. The establishment of these bodies will, of course, mean an addition to the local rates, but the Government may claim the credit of having put the financial arrangements of the hospitals on a more uniform and businesslike basis than that heretofore existing. The District of South Canterbury comprises the counties of Geraldine, Mackenzie and Waimate, including the boroughs therein. As to the mode of election, the Act prescribes that there shall be one member for every borough and county having less than 8000 inhabitants, and two membera for every borough and county having more than 8000 inhabitants, and already the local bodieß have been called upon to elect the first members of the District Board. On the latter m future will devolve the management of the Timaru and Waimate Hospitals. It will, immediately after coming into office, ascertain the amount of expenditure required for the maintenance of the institutions m the district and for the distribution of charitable aid therein, up to March 31st next, and it will then allocate the proportion of the expenditure to be contributed by the local authorities within the district. These contributions are to be proportioned to the rateable value of the rateable property m the district presided over by Hiich authority, and local bodies may either pay the contributions out of the ordinary fund or subsidy or levy a special rate for the purpose. The Board may establish new institutions, or it may close any institution which it deems not to be required — m fact its powers under the Act are very foil and comprehensive. Towards the cost of administration the Government will grant a subsidy of £1 for every pound of voluntary contributions received from any person, and a similar amount for every pound of contributions received from any local authority, and 10s for every pound of bequests, but m no case exceeding £500 m respect of any one bequest. These subsidies are guaranteed for the term of five years only. The Act, however, provides that the Governor m Council shall, as soon as may be after the coming into operation of the Act, set apart not exceeding m the whole 250,000 acres of Crown lands m such areas m different parts of the colony as he shall think fit as endowments for the purpose of the Act. Nine-tenthß of these shall be allocated among the various institutions which shall be subject to the provisions of the Act at the expiration of two years from the day of its passing, and the remaining one-tenth shall be reserved to be allocated from time to time among the institutions which may hereafter be subject to this Act. The allocation is to be made by the Auditor-General, but is not to take effect until confirmed either m its original shape, or ns it may be amended by a joint resolution of both Houses of the General Assembly. In one respect the work of the South Canterbury District Board will be very much facilitated. The institutions which it has to take over are m perfect working order, and there ought to be no difficulty m maintaining the same high state of efficiency by which they have been distinguished m the past. The Timaru Hospital has attained the name m the colony ux a model hospital, and the publio will agree that the Commissioners have thoroughly deserved the letter of thanks addressed to them by the Government. The Waimate Hospital, although a smaller institution, baa also always been most favorably reported on. We hope that both will be as well conducted under the new regime as they have been under the old. — ' « Timaru, although a little late m the field as compared with some other places, has made another step m advance m having attained to the dignity of a town with a telephone exchange. For the next few day 8 many worthy citizens, taken by the novelty of the idea, will probably waste a good deal of time m ringing each other up, m order to test the capability of the instruments, and until they have got into the knack of working the latter it is probable that the new invention will appear more m the light of an admirable test for the temper than m its real character of a saver of time and consequently of money. As soou as business men bare become accustomed to the new institution, they will Boon begin to wonder ho.v they have previously managed to carry on their work without it, and so we confidently expect thut here, as m other places, the list of subscribers will be constantly becoming larger nnd larger. It says much for the excellent system of man-

agement inaugurated by Dr Lemon, and bo efficiently carried out by the officers of his department, that the telephone should have become so popular m New Zealand as it has done. Even m America, which is looked upon as the home of the telephone, it was not more rapidly adopted, nor is it even now so largely used m proportion to the population. This is partly due, no doubt, to the go-ahead spirit of New Zealand people which leads them to adopt everything that is of value m the shape of labor-saving machinery, but it is also very largely owing to the business-like basis on which the system was organised from the first and adapted from time to time to meet the wants of the public. Excellent as the system now is, we do not believe that it has reached ita full pitch of perfection. There is room yet for a considerable development m what we may call the domestic use of the telephone, as distinguished from its employment by business firms. We hope that m time a further reduction m the cost will be made so that every householder may have the privilege of ringing up his grocer, his office, or his doctor m case of need. At Home people are beginning to realise the vast field that here lies open for telephonic enterprise, but as the patent is m the hands of companies hedged round by variouß restrictions, they have been unable to do much as yet m realising the possibilities which at present are only being talked about. That it 16 capable of being very largely utilised m this way is clearly shown by an interview which a reporter of a London paper recently had with Mr Brand, the Chairman of the Telephone Company. The writer says : — Mr Brand told me of his own house at Balham, how ho has tho wire m his diningroom, m his drosaing-room, m hia kitchen, m hia butler's pantry, m his stables, and last, but not least important, by hia bedside. " You see I can conduct my business withont getting up, and, ;f not an early bird, catch tho worm just tho same. If the day is fine, and I say to myself, 'Too fine for town, I'll take a holiday,' I ring up my offico, have my letters read, transact business m u&lf an hour, and tako my holiday. When I leave tho city I telephone for my horso or my carriage to meet me at the station, and so on." "Advantages, why they are endless," he oontinuod. " I remember the case of a lady who rang np her doctor. ' Doctor, there's something the matter with baby. Xuo baby was m its mother's mms, and happened to cough. ' Why,' telephoned tho doctor, ' why, tho baby's got the whooping cough.' So the baby was put to bed without further delay, as delays aro dangerous m this matter." Most of us know that Mr Gilbert and Sir Arthnr Sullivan have their private telephones to each other and to the Savoy Theatre. They may consult about Borne knotty point m their new opera, or they may, again, have tho music laid on for their guests. Dr Lemon has already succeeded m placing New Zealand m the front rank of telephone-nsing countries. He will make his name immortal if he can see his way to tap what we may call the domestic stratum by making the system so cheap that m future a tenant would as soon think of going into a house without gas and water being laid on as of doing without a telephone.