HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

Timaru Herald, Volume LX, Issue 2571, 7 December 1897, Page 4

HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

The South Canterbury Hospital and Charitable Aid Board met yesterday. Present — Messrs J. Talbot, Moore, Grandi, McLaren, Macintosh, Coltman, Kicol, and GilUngham, . . i The chairman explained that only Mr Grandi and himself attended on the statutory date, and though there seemed to be no provision m the Act for adjournment, they took it upon themselves to adjourn the meeting. He had been asked on behalf of the contractors for the improvements to the building, that some arrangements be made for a progress payment before the Board's next meeting, as probably the Board would not meet again this month, which would cauaea long delay. The business ot this meeting was to elect a chairman. There would then be committees to set up, and he suggested that a vote of thanka be passed to the Rev. W. Gillies for acting as: Commissioner. A question had arisen m connection with the additions to thf hospital now m hand. Dr Bowe had pointed out that the closet for the male ward was placed over one of the hospital drains, and he objected to this as insanitary. Mr Grand i and he looked, into the matter, and found that the drain was Bft below the surface; there would be two feet between the surface and the floor, and .a considerable. thickness of concrete anda tile floor ; the drain also was well flushed, aa it carried the water from tin water-motor. Considering that this wat not one of the most important parts cl the building^ and that the drain was sc deep, they did not feel inclined to sup port Drßowe'o protest. To alter it now would cost a great deal, and it would noi cost muah more to alter it at any fulun time He had ft few figures referring tc the portion of the financial year thalhac elapsed— B months for the charitab i aid and 9 months for the hospital, th< latter accounts having been made up'foi another month. The ration orders isauec this year (8 months) were 781, cost £636 For the same period last yf ar t;ht» orders numbered 701, and the cost £594. T»u increase of 80 m number ami cost £4i was partly due to the extra issue p: orders at Jubilee time The orders anr cost for the.several months compared as follows :— 1896. 1897. April ... 86 £76 ... 87 £7i May ... 101 £84 ... 80 £6* June ... 87 £76 ... 82 £7( July ... 95 £78 ... 156 £81 August ... 79 £67 ... 98 £fc September ... 87 £74 ... 86 £7^ Ocaober .. 81 £70 ... ICI £& November ... 85 £69 ... 91 £.'< The cost- of destitute childien ».-i money payments i for reui) ha* ! been £55* for 8 month* tinsyear, and vy ts £52€f ln-1 year. On the. whole there-. had .t»een hi increase iv tl-.e cost of eharitahle aid but he thought members would liav been prepared.. for a larger one.- consider ing the number of new- Vases that har come before tlwin. The cost of the hos pital for nine months 'had been £ t 613, «t against £l63B for the sainn peri.»d of 1896 Tiie patients (!( j Hlt with' were 426,. as against. 371, so that a larger, nuiuber < patients hfi'i bc-en dealt with at some what less cost. Patients' payments wer» about the same as last ye»r, and th* secretfl ry was endeavouring to colled amounts owi-tiR- hs fully as possible; Mr Talbot then vacated the chair. The secretary read commun catiouc from the electing. local hod.ieri, m encl caxe reporting the re-e'ection of tin former represents! i ve^. The election of chairman beifjg taken, Mr Mi-Laren moveu tiiat Mr Taibot lit re-elei ted. Since he had been a mnmhei of the Board no o.ie cou d have occupied the position with greater satisf -»ction than Mr ialbot had done. He had always found him most attentive to 'the business, and always had- everything ready to place bi fore the Board, Mr- Grandi had much pleasure m (Boconding the proposal, and it was carried unanimously. •- Mr Tcilbot m again accepting the office, paid he did so with some pleasure, as it showed that the members had confidence m him and that. he had given them satisfaction. It had always been h pleasure to preside over, the meetings of the Board, aa the members had always given their best attention to the business, and treated him with the greatest courtesy. It was a position that none of them, among their various public duties, had very great pleasure m; yet it was one that must be filled, and there was some pleasure m doing one's duty. It, was a dual duty, on the one hand to administer the Act m accordance with the dictates of humanity, and yet to conduct the institutions m their charge with the greatest econony m the interest of the ratepayers. It was agreed to take the ordinary business of the month and save a meetins. A vole of thanks was passed to the Rev. W. Gillies for his gratuitous services as a Commissioner. The members of the late finance committee were reappointed, and Mr Moore and MivGrandi were appointed a visiting committee for the quarter. The day and hour of meeting were fixed as last year, the third Tuesday at 11.30 a.m. It was agreed not to interefere with the drain under the closet, at present ; and the question of progress payment was left to the chairman. Mr McLaren drew attention tc the delay m starting work on the contract. The Board were pressed into the expenditure by reports that the hospital was unsanitary, and when they agreed to do something the work was allowed to drag into the hottest season of the year. — The chairman said he would urge the architect to use all possible expedition. The report of the t ommJs.sion re the dispute with the Waimate Hospital wag read. The chairman said hp supposed a copy had been sent to the Waimate Trustees from Wellington, but no communication had been received from Waimate. In reply to Mr McLaren, the secretary stated that a cheque for £500 was paid to the Trustees two months ago. They had beeu overpaid, according to the Cbmoiis- i sions' conclusion. . Messrs Coltman and Nicol moved 11 That the chairman and Messrs Moore and Macintosh be appointed to visit Waimate Hospital and make enquiries into the alleged necessary requirements of the institution.asrecommended by the late Commission, and report to the next meeting of the Board." In the discussion o this motion several members oijeeted that a request for such' enquiry should come fro«»i the Trustees, or the committee might befiouted if they went to Waimate. The chairman said of course they would not go until after corresponding with the Trustees. He suggested that the Trus tees be written to drawing their attention to the recommendation of the Commission, and asking if they wished the Board to make such an enquiry. — - --^Messrs Coltman and .Nicol at once approved of this suggestion, and »heir motion was held over till next meeting. Mr Grandi drew attention to the case of Mrs Wade, an old woman of 84, who had been m the hospital and was discharged and sent to the Home where she died two days after. He was m formed that the woman was m such a state that she had to be moved m the bottom of a cab, being unable to sH up, and when m the Home needed constant attention night and day. There were no conveniences at the Home, and no bed there fit for such a case. The state of the woman was described to him and he saw Dr Thomas about it. The doctor promised to see that nhe was taken back to the hospital, but before he went to see her again she was dead. There mußt be something radically wrong when such a thing could occur, that a patient died two days after discharge from the Hospital, and it should be inquired into. Mambers concurred 'with Mr GrandL sCnd « wa^ agreed tJjat,thißid<#ttf£Vh.DUla be QStted to report on tad case.

j . ... . .-. — —~~——-~—~-~ - ; Hospital accounts araonriting to £158 88 wee parsed for payment. There was very little charitable aid business to do. On a letter from the Timaru Borough Council it was agreed to furnish local bodies with information as to th« occupation as well as addresses of recipients of charitable aid or hospital attendance. A letter signed J. Johnson, but said to be m the same handwriting, as previous letters otherwise signed, was read complaining of one of the inmates of theHome making himself a nuisance by getting drunk, and Mr Grandi said the caretaker had complained to him about the man. It was agreed to ask the oare^ taker for a report, and to take sharp action if necessary to check the abuse complained of. Accounts to the amount o! £216 15s 6d were passed for payment. The Board adjourned at 1 p.m. till the third Tuesday m January.