A.—No. 3

22

RELIGIOUS, CUAIIITABLE. AND

Tuesday. 30th November. 1869. Dr. Johnston, being duly sworn, states: My name is Alexander Johnston. lam the Provincial Surgeon in charge of the Wellington Hospital. The principle on which the hospital has been always conducted with respect to races, is to admit all Natives upon their application, both with respect to residence and subsistence in. hospital, and to medical assistance. All others are admitted upon payment of the hospital fees, or, if paupers, by an order from the Provincial Government. The Provincial Government find all the current expenses out of Provincial funds; and the revenue arising from the Native Reserves is scarely sufficient for, and has been always expended upon landlords' repairs. If a Native and a European belonging to the same corps, and wounded in the same action, were sent together to the hospital, the expenses of the white man would bo charged to the Defence Office at 3s. per diem ; whereas the Maori, from right of race, would receive all the same care and assistance gratis. On one occasion I amputated tho leg of an English woman, and of a Maori boy. The woman was supplied with a wooden leg costing a few shillings, and tho boy with an artificial leg costing £25, which I always thought disgraceful. This was about four years ago. The Maori boy died a few months ago, and only last week the woman came to beg the leg. It had, however, been knocked to pieces almost by the boy, who was a drunken young scamp. Since the Native Hostelry has been established, wo have not had so man}' applications, the Natives preferring a residence there, and coming to the hospital for medicine. In these cases tho names of the patients are not recorded. The patients come, obtain their physic, and go away again. The hospital is now going to ruin for want of repairs, and I cannot get a shill ing from the trustees; the answer to my application being, that in consequence of an approaching lawsuit, they dare not spend the funds until the result of the proceedings is known. There is no means of getting money elsewhere. The Provincial Government has none for the purpose. JSI o Maori that ever applied has been refused admittance. My instructions were distinct in assuming charge of the hospital, never to turn out a Maori. Even if we should turn out a European for the purpose, we always make room for a Maori. I have had charge for about seven or eight years, and one Maori has been in the hospital all the time. Several have been in the hospital for years together. There are only two Maori in-patients at present, and twenty Europeans. Whenever the Maoris come in a body to town, a great proportion of them always visit the hospital to claim physic and advice. They are very fond of being enpped, which is their favourite remedy for most of their complaints. The cause of the falling off of the number of Maoris attending the hospital is the decrease of the Native race in the neighbourhood. When I came seven years ago, there was a pa' at Pipitea, just below the hospital, where a good number of Maoris resided ; now there are not more than seven or eight, or occasionally a dozen. There are at the present time twenty-two patients in the hospital, two of them are Natives, and one of them makes the hospital his home. He claims this indulgence by right of birth and race. From the Ist January this year to the present date, seventy Europeans and sixteen Natives have been admitted into the hospital. I consider this to be a very fair proportion, considering the decrease of the Native population in the neighbourhood of Wellington.

Evidence taken before Mr. Domett and Mr. Hart, at "Wellington. Thursday, 14th April, 1870. Dr. Johnston re-examined : By Mr. Hart: Do you know out of what fund the £25 was paid for the Maori boy's artificial leg? lam not certain: I think it was tho Provincial Government. By Mr. Domett: Was it paid for by Sir George Grey ? No ; I think certainly not. I shall send the information, to-morrow. The cost of the leg did not come out of the funds derived from the College lands, but was paid either by the Provincial or General Government.

Saturday, 19Tn April, 1870. Dr. Johnston .- I have made inquiries of Mr. Barraud, who furnished the leg, and find that it was paid for by the General Government.

Copy of a Letter from J. Woodward, Esq., to R. Hart, Esq. Dear Sir,— Treasury, 19th April, 1870. I beg to enclose an extract from tho Cash Book of the Sub-Treasurer, Wellington, from which you will see that the expenditure respecting which you inquired, was not made out of hospital funds, but out of the appropriations for Native purposes, charges upon which were always made by the Governor at his pleasure; and I can say from my own remembrance that Sir George Grey took a personal interest in the case of the lad whose leg was amputated, and I understood at the time that he (the Governor) ordered a mechanical leg to be procured for the lad from England, through Mr. Barraud. I remain, dear Sir, R. Hart, Esq. Yours faithfully, J. Woodward.

[extract.) Native Purposes. Bth December, 1863. C. D. Barraud. Cork Leg to Native ... ... ... ... £25 0 0 True extract.—J. Woodward. 19th April, 1870.