The Free Rural Population. 295 
every village. They might also be advantageously used 
as vaccination stations, and as the places where persons 
about that locality awaiting the medical officer might 
assemble. The dispenser referred to might further be 
engaged in finding out instances of sickness which were 
being neglected or empirically treated. 
" 2. Enter into some agreeable arrangement with 
the Estates' Authorities either for the Executive to take 
over the present estates' hospitals or for the authorities 
thereof to extend their hospital comforts to the sick of 
all classes who might go therein or be sent thereto by 
the district medical officer. In this latter arrangement 
the Executive should of course pay some reasonable 
fee in the instance of poor people so as to cover expense 
of food, medicine etc., for each person so sheltered and 
aided. Parties capable of paying for such themselves 
should be called upon so to do. 
" I consider the economy of such a suggestion must 
commend itself in comparison with the yillage hospital 
proposal ; and any how it would be a practical means of 
ascertaining how far the free rural people are inclined 
to avail themselves of hospital accommodation in times 
of sickness. The village hospitals might follow if such 
an experiment, as above suggested, proved that there 
was a demand for them. 
" I further consider that no licence should be necessary 
for an estate's hospital to sell medicine upon the produc- 
tion of a medical officer's prescription. 
" 3. Above all I would urge the great necessity 
there is amongst these people, from a sanitary point of 
view, of ensuring pure drinking water for all both in 
sickness and in health. My experience would lead me 
