SENTIMENT AND BUSINESS.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXI, Issue 12584, 23 January 1905, Page 4

SENTIMENT AND BUSINESS.

QJFLOENCE OF LOCAL PATRIOTISM. INSTANCES FROM WATMATE. la the course, of an article; on the busiiess relations %f Ashburton and Timaru «n Friday's issue, the remark occurs that sentiment has a great" deal to do ' with he directing' of trade lines, hence the importance cf cultivating friendly relations between neighbouring towns. ' By a curious coincidence an instance of he truth of tiis statement was brought o the notice of a "'Herald" representative the very next day. In the course of a conversation with a Waimate resident, •ibont the affairs of the local hospital, •tins/gentleman, remarked that the Waimate "people were intensely interested ia 'then: hospital; they had built it out of their own county and borough funds, and many valuable articles of furniture—operating' table "and 'the like—'bad been j provided by local subscriptions. Consequently they ;rere greatly.ineensed when the South Canterbury Board, some years ago, talked of closing the hospital, and in various ways to'-acted-as to irritate the trustees and he Waimate people generally. . It was iven proposed to add insult to-injury, by dosing "the hospital as such and converting it into an oldSmen's home; and more than once-the''Trustees were kept /short of money and had to give a personal guarantee 'o-.the Board in order to get the-salaries. af the staff paid when due. This sort! if -thing: had, however, ceased .for some nmej and the Board and the trustees 'were poir-working amicably together.' -But an! Important effect of that period 'of annoy-1 tnce still remained. Previously Timaru ;ind ."Waimate had been on. very friendly terms," they- were, sister towns, and whenever Timaru had a gala day, Waimate business.'.men shut up their business to take part m it, whether it was races, showy spprjs. or'what not. 'ihe irritation aused by'the attempt to close tfteir hos>itaT had estranged them; they stood' doof-from all Timaru's popular gatherings: iid not /care if their own clashed with 'hem; and no longer thought of closing 'V.enable:their- people-to join in with Timaru.. .They lost ail desire to do so. • And though, tieir hospital" was now admitted 'o be .a' local necessity, and not* word -ras•'■ said against .it,, that- feeling of esTangemeut continues, . and is' likely to lo so.- -.'-,'.-. •' . ; : ;, '.

in the coffin of the old j 'riendliaess .was driven, by the attempt to ■ rpfce._the .borough of Waimate into the - The speaker himself was ;._;ot'aver«Fe to the proposal, as he thought only fair and tfeaaonable that the bo-toug-b, which derives much benefit from lie. existence of the harbour, should i bear its. fehare of the responsibDities of the aarbpiaC. .Here again, he mentioned, an ??d' sore was touched, many Waimate peoolft belieying that the grant of £106,000 by.the.Provincial Government for-harbour works at Timaru, onfc of the land fifed, Ticluded'"* considerable, sum—(£2ooo was Waimate people thought "shbnld have gone to tieir boroughi 3fo *ucb sense of antagonism or antipathy has ever ''Been.,felt towards Oamaru, and. if {he /.businyss facilities there were equal to. tlfose of. Timaru, Oamaru would undoobtedly have_ the preference. Our Waimate informant's remarks- afford a valuable-cauticm to public men, that in";the long run it doe 3 not pay to run counter to local patriotism.