To the Editor of the Norru-Cuina Dairy News."
Sin—It is with the utmost reluetance that I am a T want to touch upon s mos subject which has been given a lot of consideration by a great deal of members of the foreign commu: of Shanghai lately.
Tt has only been within the last few years that great donations have been made to the public, which show that the spirit of cooperation in the whole community is developing in a way that makes us proud to be members of this community. 1 refer to the noble gift of Mr. Rayner in making a donation of the (Country Hospital and the high-spirit will of Mr, Harry" Lester. Whilst the frat one, given in the lifetime of the Donator, is a boon to the whole community, foreign and Chinese, by the will of Mr. Lester the Chinese community nearly. exclusively benefits. Looking back to old times we only find one trust that holds a comparison with these donations. and that. is the "Queen toria Memorial Fund', which, if Lam informed correctly, was given through collections' amongst' the British community, mostly consisting of a donation of Mow 5 1/2—anid cash capital of Tis, 60-60,000. Out of this the Victoria Nursing Home was created and erected anit flattering remark will ever ex-aust the merits which this Ho pital has had up to now for the whole of Shanghai.
Everybody with a sense of pa-triorism will therefore appreciate fully that we see a lot of bitter resentment being displayed inthe papers about abolishing the Vietoria Nursing Home, as it means he British community the sao ficing of a, historically at least, most valeable institution, the giving up of which would upset anyone, who is proud of his history.
For the British community the yme of Queen Victoria is for ever connected with this and all of os! other communities of other nations will appreciate this feeling.
Now the Council has hat! a lot of financial troubles in steering the good ship "Shanghai" through the troubled waters of the last. years. The Victoria Nursing Home is antiquated and to go by the boards, So the Economy Committee decides.
1 have it on good authority that there will be difficulties still before this really is done and it would be appreciated by many a citizen of Shanghai if this decision did not a way out of this calamity, which I want to try and make the Shanghai public see Possibility, No gift, however wholeheartedly given, will ever cover all the necessities' of an ever growing city like Shanghai.
If the Nursing Home is to be closed, the Country Hospital has to be enlarged and with that the quarters of the nurses have' to be used for patients.
think there is no harder worked or working profession than our! nurses and they therefore deserve, specially in the hot summer, when their work-is greater than at any time of the year, healthy quarters and every consideration. What no-Uler device could be found for the re-employment of an old trast fund!
The S.M.C. has to economize, The Board of Governors of the Country Hospital have no funds at their disposal. T have it on the same good Authority that the trustees in charg of the Queen Victoria Trust Fund are not, willing to give up their rights, Would it then be possible, Tet me say, to sell the Mow 51/2 20 the S31.6.2 "That would mean today approximately. Tls. 165,000. Next to the Country Hospital is a property, that would be, if bought the Hospital, a very valuable addition to the Hospital and on, shis most desirable ground the erecting: of a Nurses Home would be getting near the ideal. The ground. would [cost Tls. 55,000, For the sum of Tis, £0,000 a perfect Nurses Home could bbe erected and an actua} endowment fan of Tls. 30,000 would be Toft the hands of the trustees of the thus newly established "Queen Vie~ toria Memorial" as a Nurses Home, which would be in collaboration with the donation of Mr. Charles Rayner.
When Mr, Rayner built his Hospital he asked British, Frenea, German, Japanese and Scandinavian men to" join and help him. He wished for the get together spirit ta pervade Shanghai, and the whole All of us feel that after long years of war in Europe as well as in Cina the spirit of "get together" fs the one thet is needed and personally I am perfectly sure that the majority of those that felt very sore about the possibility of a doning the "Queen Victoria Memorial" will seo this a fit op: portunity of giving further test! mary of the fact that they too hav? always only thought for the best of this community.
Tam, ete, Dx. Ep, Burr,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.