GIFTS FOR HOSPITALS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 277, 4 September 1936, Page 5

GIFTS FOR HOSPITALS.

ALL INSTITUTIONS BENEFIT. AT LEAST ONE POUND PER BED. rfer Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Under a codicil made in 1909 by an Otago schoolmaster, nearly £IO,OOO has become available for distribution among public hospitals in New Zealand. Mr- Frederick Allen Green, a schoolmaster, of Karitane, Otago, made a will on July 0, 1887, and he made a codicil in London on February 9, 1905, and a second codicil on April 9,1909.

In the second codicil Mr Green gave his Australasian estate for distribution, on the death of his wife, among all the public hospitals of New Zealand pro' rata per bed. Mr Green-died in 1910, and probate of the will and the codicils was granted to his widow, who died in 1931. The Australasian estate then became distributable among New Zealand hospitals. The matter came before the Court in England in 1934, and the Court expressed the opinion that it would be advisable to send the trust out to New Zealand for settlement. Already there is £6660 available in New Zealand, and there is still £2541 in England, which, with exchange, brings the total to about £9500. The matters to be decided before the money can be distributed are what constitutes a public hospital, and whether tho number of beds in the hospitals in 1910 when Mr Green died should be the basis for distribution or the number of beds in 1931, when Mrs Green, died.

On the list at present being considered there were 4341 beds in 1916 and 8775 in 1931, so if the list is not swollen there should be a/ least £1 available for each bed.