The Star. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1879.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3360, 15 January 1879, Page 2

The Star. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1879.

It is to be hoped that the members ot the late Conference on the subject of Hospital Management and Charitable Aid who attended the meeting for the purpose of working ofE their long-, suppressed omotions — more especially those bitter Bentiments of hostility to the Grey Government — are now relieved and doing well. Doubtless, at no time, will the general community entertain any very strong objection lo local bodies se^cting the most bilious and dyspeptic of their number for the purpose of meeting together to discuss, nominally, some one or other of the questions before the public, but really to roam with all the irrestrainable freedom of the barbarian oyer the whole realm of politics, from China and the Chinese to the political Timbuctoo of Customs' duties. But we would suggest that some other subject should be chosen as a battle-ground — even if it is only nominally so — than the question of Hospital management and the distribution of Charitable Aid. A very tolerant public will probably not be long in coming to the conclusion that a subject of this nature is not a fitting one to be treated with levity, or dealt with in the spirit of querulous captiouß partizans of a disappointed faction, railing because they cannot have their own way. It is right to notice that there were one or two members of the Conference, notably the Honorable John Hall and the Mayor of Sydenham, who appear to have been solicitous that the subject should be approached in an earnest reasoning spirit with a view to a settlement of a satisfactory nature being arrived at, but when Dr Turnbull rose and wandered away into unprofitable generalities, assuring his hearers that he did not regret the delay which had taken place in the settlement of the subject, they were overborne, and it became clear that a further and a longer delay was inevitable. Surely, it partakes of the nature of burlesque when we find a number of gentlemen, some of whom aspire to be considered representative men and leaders of the people, ignoring the simple issue they were met to consider, and entering upon questions such as Customs duties, the funds contributed to education, the incidence of taxation, the general financial policy of the Government, and other matters with which, as a Conference, they had about as much to do aa the Sanitary Committee of the City Council has. As a consequence there is no result of a practical nature except it is found in the improved digestion and better temper of the obstructives we have referred to. As the only resolution which iv auy way affected the question was carried by seven votes to aix, and the majority consisted of bilious anti-Miuisterialistß anxious only to block the Government, it is not likely that the decision of the Conference will have any effect whatever either with the Ministry or the public.

The fifth section of the " Financial Arrangements Act, 1878," prescribes that where the Government defray the cost of maintaining Hospitals and Charitable Aid institutions, the Treasury shall deduct from all subsidies payable a sum proportionate to the respective amounts of Buch subsidies, and as may be equal to the cost of such maintenance. In all cases in which hospitals are locally managed and maintained, the subsidies of the Counties and Boroughs interested therein are not subject to any such reductions. It will thus be seen that, as a matter of fact, the local bodies — and the people represented by such bodies — support the Hospitals out of their own funds. That is to say, the funds by which the Institutions supported are taken from their monies, and they are left by so much the poorer. The Government declare that they will 1 and over to the local bodies their subsidies without any deduction if they will undertake the maintenance of their Institutions upon the voluntary principle. If they refused to do so, and will not submit some other reasonable proposition, then their Institutions must remain as they are at present. Now what had the membera of the Conference to say in reference to this position ? By a majority of one they declared that "this meeting desires to express its disapproval of the voluntary aid principle as expressed in the letter of the Government." Ab the Conference thuß refused to adopt the voluntary aid principle — aB they have declined to indicate to the Government where the funds for the maintenance of Hospitals are to come from — the only reasonable deduction is that they are willing that they should continue to be taken from the subsidies. We certainly are of opinion, however, that if that is their view it would have been mo-re creditable to the Conference to have embodied it in a resolution in the usual way instead of leaving it to be fished out aa a logical deduction. A resolution was submitted, it iB true, that the maintenance of the Charitable institutions should be drawn from the Customs' duties, but we have already pointed out that if the Customs' revenue is appropriated for thiß pnrpose, fresh taxation will require to be imposed for the pnrpose of again bringing che revenue up to meet the expenditure. If the money is taken from the general revenue, it matters little whether it is Customß or otherwise, additional taxation will be resorted to make up tbe deficiency caused, and Mr Saunders' hobby simply resolves itself into a question of Government accounts. If for instance tbe fund for the maintenance of Hospitals is taken from Customs' duties, and the deficiency in the general revenue thus caused is made up by the imposition of another halfpenny on the Land Tax, will Mr Saunders tell us by what class in the community the Hospitals will then be supported? The membera of the Conference, having aired their political opinions upon this and other subjects, evidently gathered at last the

conclusion thafc they were wandering widely oufc of the scope of fcheir duty, and Mr Saundees' very parliamentary resolution was withdrawn.?

The first resolution of the Conference, which was carried unanimously, was as follows : — " That this meeting recognises the great advantages of the local management of hospitals and charitable institutions, bufc is of opinion fchat it cannot be effectually provided for without legislative provision for the purpose ;" whilst the last resolution they adopted declares "That pending legislation by Parliament, it is undesirable to undertake any temporary management of Charitable Aid and Hospital Institutions, as proposed by the letter of the Hon Colonial Secretary." From which ifc will be clear that whilst the Conference recognises the great advantages of local management they express their opinion that ifc is undesirable to undertake ifc. Surely ifc would be difficult fco conceive a more reckless spirit of obstrucfciveness than is here displayed. For the past six months a local Hospital and Charitable Aid Board have been doing the work required fairly well, and to assert by resolution thab they cannot continue to do it effectually without legislation is sheer nonsense. It is ridiculous to suppose, however, thafc the Government will be moved by the decisions of the very consistent, considerate, and publicspirited body of gentlemen as by a majority of one, carried tbe last and most important resolution o£ the Conference. There are plenty of gentlemen in tbe community quite able and quite willing to undertake fche duties of Hospital Management and Charitable Aid Distribution if tbe representatives of fche local bodies refuse fco do so, whilst the local bodies, by their own action, unrepresented, will be left with the solitary satisfaction of havmg to pay.