Or all questions to be put before to-morrow's Meeting, none assuredly is of more practical importance that that of the General Hospital. The needs of this institution, it will be remembered, were the subject of sone correspondence which was published in the Municipal Gazette of March 9. Ina letter addressed to the Council the Governors of the 'Hospital explained that certain additions and reconstruction were necessary, in order to provide better accommodation for female patients, children, and the Hospital Sisters and an application was made to thd Conseils of the Intertational' Settlement and the French Concession for further grants not exceeding Tls. 20, in the proportion of two-thirds from the former and one-third from the latter, to meet the interest on thb cost of the new buildings. In round figures the Municipal Council of the International Settlement, which is all that concerns us for the present, was asked to increase its annual grant from Tls. 4,000 to 'Tls. 18,000. The Council's reply was to promise that an increased grant of Tls. 1 jonid be included in this year's Budget, and that the Chairman would also " pr sent the scheme in full for the Ratepayers' information, so that the liability of future years may be clearly comprehended." So far all is plain sailing; and interest accordingly centres upon a somewhat vaguely worded note, to the effect that "it appears probable to' a section of the Council that, in the future, some form of cooperative control will be necessary, either by means of a joint advisory Medical Board, or otherwise." Whether this may be taken to imply that schemes are on foot to cast the whole' constitution of the: Genbra! Hospital into the melting-pot, has yet to be shown. That supposition is supporttd' to some extent by the further publication of the whole" text of the Hospital trust deed, as' if to persuade ratepayers to study the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.