LEASING OPPOSED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 53, Issue 153, 10 April 1933, Page 6

LEASING OPPOSED

RAKAIA MATERNITY HOME. PETITION SENT TO BOARD. DECISION fS WOT ALTERED. STEP AS ECONOMY MEASURE. A motion that the decision to lease the Rakaia Maternity Home to private enterprise should be rescinded was brought before the Ashburton Hospital Board this morning by Mr G. S. Hardy, who also presented a largely-signed petition in support of his motion. The Board decided against the motion. In accordance with notice given, Mr Hardy moved the following:—"That the resolution passed at the last meeting agreeing to lease the Rakaia and Methven Maternity Hospitals be rescinded." He said he did so because he thought the Board had made a mistake as far as the Rakaia Home was concerned. He had tried to stop a 'petition against the proposal. He was convinced the Board would save more under another system than under the leasing system. The motion was seconded pro forma. Mr Hardy said the ratepayers did not desire the Home to he closed. There had been a saving on the last year's working, £SO more than was ' estimated. The Board had a duty to the public to conduct the Homo as in the past. Private people could not keep it up to the standard the Board attained, and the public wished the service to be continued. He could show where the Board could save £l5O in the next year. If that could be done, the Board should not make a change. The petition he had referred to, he had been unable to stop, and he presented it to the Board forthwith. It "was signed by large ratepayers. Mr Hardy believed the case of the Methven Home was in the same position. The scheme he advocated, with a guaranteed saving, should be given a year's trial.

Tne petition, wiucn was signed by 12i people, stated that tne people wlio signed were nop agreeable to any cnange in the method ol control oi tne Moiiife as not being in. the best interests ox tne district. 'i'ne following alternative proposals were given:— ''That the Rakaia Home be continued to be administered under the direct control ol the Board, and that clean medical and surgical cases be admitted, as this will tend to increase the receipts and thus reduce the previous annual losses, and also supply a longfelt need in this district; that a reorganisation of the local staff be given a trial, for we believe that the present matron and an assistant approved by the Board and herself, would be capable of giving an efficient and satisfactory nursing service, except possibly upon certain rush periods, when a nurse could possibly be borrowed from some other institution under the Board's control, or an outside approved nurse or domestic assistant." The petitioners considered that if these proposals were given a trial, the losses would be brought to an irreducible minimum, and the welfare if the district would not be endangered.

The chairman (Mr W. G. Gallagher) said that unfortunately the figures were against Mr Hardy's arguments. The new system was aimed at saving £.500 to the ratepayers so far as the two homes were concerned. Last year, the Rakaia Homo had only 25 patients. The fact that the Department had "sanctioned the Board's proposals showed titat the Board was not working alone. The Rakaia district supplied 14.98 per cent, of the capital value of the County, and this replied to the petitioners, showing that the ratepayers in Rakaia district did not find the full cost of the Home, but only 14.98 per cent, of it. If the motion was carried, the local body levy would be £llOO instead of £6OO. Mr \V'. Bryant agreed with the chairman's exposition of the points at issue, and said the whole County was seriously upset financially. The Board was not seeking to take any advantage of Rakaia, but was merely out ior economies. He thought many of the people who had signed the petition had signed it unthinkingly. Mr iiardy: 1 must ask you to withdraw that. To say that men who are better-thinking men than you and 1 did it unthinkingly is not the thing to say.

Mr Bryant said he would alter the word to "rashly." Mr Hardy: 1 agree with that, perhaps. Mr Raymond Oakley said many people held the idea that the Board's decision was the thin edge of the wedge to close the homes. He agreed that the new system, entailing a saving of £SOO, if not more, was worth a trial.

Mr Frampton said the Homes were too much of a luxury to be further supported. The -new system would be a far more economical one than that at present- in being. Mr C. A. Campion said he could not offer any hope for Methven Home, as Mr Hardy had made concerning Rakaia Home, so far as savings were concerned. He had not received any complaints in Methven regarding the proposed change. Mr W. H. Wilkinson said that apparently half the petitioners did not realise what the Board proposed to do. Mr Hardy said ho was surprised at the Board agreeing to what was practically mal-administration, for that was what it amounted to in saying it could not run the Homes at a profit, but expected private people to do that. He knew the Board was making a mistake in changing the method of control. The change would be at the expense of the patients and the ratepayers. The motion was lost, Mr Hardy benux fhe ohlv member to vote for it.