THE HOSPITAL BOARD AND THE TENDERS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 280, 24 November 1903, Page 4

THE HOSPITAL BOARD AND THE TENDERS.

We are pleaaed to observe that the Chairman of the Hospital Board and Mr Friend were able yesterday to give a thoroughly conclusive and satisfactory answer to. the charges of irregularity insinuated by Mr Bruce at a previous meeting. The trouble arose over the sterilising plant which has been lately ordered for the Hospital. At a meeting of the Board, at which Mr Bruce was present, the members of the Hospital medical ataff were authorised to inform yie Board as to the best kind of sterilising plant and to name the mafcer from

whom it ought to be procured. The medical staff recommended that the plant should he that -manufactured by Messrs Chandler. Massey and Co., and the-Board, having asked their advice, naturally decided to follow it. In this, we believe, all impartial outsiders -will agree, the Board was perfectly right. The opinion of the average lay member of the general public on technical questions about surgical apparatus, is absolutely useless; and members of the Board showed a degree of common sens" which certain of our public bodies have occasionally lacked, by deciding to take the bast professionaJ advice they could get. Tenders were accordingly invited for the supply of Messrs Chandler, Massey and Co.'s sterilising plant, and the contract was finally given to the lowest tender received. But it appears that another offer was made to supply a sterilising plant not made by the Canadian manufacturers recommended by the Hospital staff, but by an American firm, j This tender, not being in accordance with the conditions laid down, was obviously informal. Moreover, if freight charges and packing were included, it was found that this tender was higher than the offer for the Chandler - Massey plant. For both of these reasons it was the manifest duty of the Board to reject the American tender and accept the other.' Yet this is the proceeding that Mr Bruce has stigmatised as corrupt and dishonest. Mr Bruce's contention appears to be that his opinion on sterilising plants is more valuable than that of the. Hospital staff; that having consulted the Hospital staff on this purely professional question the Board ought at once to have, cast their opinion aside; and that having laid clown certain condition.-; for tenders the.. Board should have torn them up so as to accommodate a tender which was actually higher than the one that they accepted. Xone of the facts stated by the Chairman can be denied, and Mr Bruce has made no pretence of substantiating his charge of irregular conduct. As a matter of fact, the Board has displayed the greatest anxiety to get the beat possible apparatus at the lowest possible figure. Along with the tender for .sterilising plant came an offer to supply other surgical apparatus needed at'the Hospital; and this the Board decided to obtain through the agent of the American firm because it was cheaper than the Chandler - Massey instrument. It is clear that the Board has .acted throughout in a perfectly regular and straightforward way; and it is very unfortunate for Mr Bruce that in an unguarded moment lie committed himself to statements that, as the Chairman of the Hoard has shown, are utterly unwarrantable. Our own opinion on the I matter h that even if the ChandlerMassey apparatus had been considerably more expensive than the American the Board would have been fully justified in spending more money to carry out the recommendations of their profession;} 1 advisers. If ilie Hospital Board is not to follow the advice of its medical staff in technical matters, where is it to seek guidance? Mr Bruce generously offers to fill the gap; but we fancy the citizens of Auckland would prefer to take the opinion of Dr. Collins and his coadjutors at the Hospital.