Correspondence.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XX, Issue 1355, 28 May 1887, Page 3

Correspondence.

PROPOSED HO3PITAL REFORM (To the Editor) Sib, — I see by the report of the meeting of the Lawrence Borough Council in your issue of Wednesday, 17th instant, that Mr Smith's idea of doing away with the Tuapeka Hospital was treated by that body in such a manner as was to be expected from sensible and rightthinking men. Cr M 'Coy's view of the proposal is very logical and conc'usive — that aa the Hospital was originally instituted at the expense of the inhabit ints it is only reasonable to suppose that they are v\ illing to maintain it now. He is quite right in his conclusions, moie especially so as there has aever been any expression of public feeling to the contrary, I think after the vr&y in which Mr Smith's motion hae been received by the Borough Council he will do well not to trouble himeeU' any further about the matter, but dismiss it at once from his mind ; for he may rest assured the Borough Councillors are in a better position to know the feelings of the people among whom they live lhan Mr Smith is.

Now, sir, let ua see if the annual balance sheet of the Tuapela Hospital Board, published in your paper of the 17th mat. is of such a nature as to h».ve warranted tbe rigid econorcy that ha? been thought necessary by the Board to adopt, and which has resulted in making the name of the Tuapeka Hospital a dread and a terror to thoa-< who are unfortunate enough to need its assistance. The total receipts, us shown, amount to £1,469 12s sd, of which £937 12* 3d is subsidy from the Government. The rest of the amount is made up of £528 5s in contributions, and £13 83 for fat, pigs, &c. The expenditure is set down at £1,017 143 4d, leaving a balance to credit of £451 183 Id. Now, Sir, if this is a true statement of the Hospital finances your readers will see at a glance there has been no necessity for the parsimony exercised. It shows that there has betn only £70 2s Id expended by the County, and there is a considerable balance in band. If the half of the surplus had been expended it would have procured that comfort and attention to the p 'tients that have been so conspicuous by their absence since the present members of the Board took office Mr Bennet, when Bpeaking to Mr Smith's motion for abolishing the gold fields' hospitals, is reported to have stated that he looked upon the Tuapeka Hospital as a luxury. Had that gentleman, when he was chairman of the County Council, exercised the same rigid economy in the conduct of its affairs as he has I shown on the Hospital Board, the ratepayers would have been spared the necessity of hay- ' ing to borrow £6000 to pay off a debt contracted during the two years he held office, (and upon which something like £400 or £500 a year has to be paid in interest), and the further luxury of having to pay about £700 as damages for having a rotten puut. Do the County Councillors, who are members of the Hospital Board, think to save in the expenditure of the hospital what they squander away in the County Council ? Tt cannot be done, Sir. I would recommend them to act upon the suggestions thrown out to them in your sub- leader of Saturday last. I have already encroached bufficientlyon your valuable space in tibia letter, and will leave for another issue the scheme I would propose for raising funds for supporting the Hospital in su;h a manner as would make it a comfort and a blessing to those who are so unfortunate as to require its aid, and, at the same time, very materially relieve the ratepayers of the coßt of its maintenance. — I am, &c, , An Old Miner. Tuapeka, 26th May, 1887.