CENTRAL RELIEF SOCIETY

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19835, 26 June 1934, Page 13

CENTRAL RELIEF SOCIETY

HOSPITAL BOARD’S ATTITUDE

STATEMENT BY MAYOR The Timaru Borough Council last night received a letter from the South Canterbury Hospital Board, in reply to a letter from the Council asking that provision be made for a grant to the Central Relief Society. The letter conveyed the decision of the Board in the form of the following resolution: —“That the South Canterbury Hospital Board, being constituted for administrative purposes only, is not concerned with the decisions of Parliament and Government concerning the source of its revenue, and does not consider it a part of its duties to make any pronouncement concerning those sources, or to attempt to sway the decisions of the legislature thereanent. The Government having decided in the matter of the Timaru Borough and the Relief Society, this Board can only accept the decision.”

Not Very Convincing. In a statement to the Council, the Mayor (Mr T. W. Satterth waite) said that it was evident that the Hospital Board had no intention of approaching the Government to sanction a special levy without subsidy for the purpose of supplementing the funds of the Central Relief Society, and he did not think that any further action on the port of the Council would have any effe«t. He thought, however, the mere statement that the Hospital Board did not intend to seek the authority asked for would have been sufficient for them without any attempt to disguise their reasons with arguments that were not very convincing. It would be a spineless attitude if local bodies were always to accept the Government’s decision without question upon any points on their administration, and he would point out that throughout the length and breadth of New Zealand local bodies were constantly making suggestions co the Government upon matters connected with the local administration of the various statutes. What, for instance, were local body conferences held for? Why did the Government or its officers continually confer with local body representatives upon matters f local government if not to obtain the opinion of local body representatives thereon. The Mayor said he would have been better pleased with a straight out refusal by the Hospital Board to meet the Council’s request on the grounds that it did not agree therewith. That would have been a much less evasive way of replying. He would ask for a resolution that the letter from the Hospital Board be received. A resolution to this effect was moved. Cr. P. C. Vinnell said that it should be an added reminder to the Council in years to come that unemployment was not a passing phenomena. They might put their heads in the sand and hope for something to turn up, but the sooner the Council, and local bodies and the Government did something. the better. The reply to the Council was exactly what he had expected, and he hoped that the Council, in another year, would approach the matter in a different manner, and 1o something to put men in useful work at useful wages. The motion was carried unanimously.