DEMANDS TO BOARD

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 299, 18 December 1935, Page 5

DEMANDS TO BOARD

HOSPITAL CONTRACT.

CHAIRMAN'S EXPLANATION

ARBITRATION PROCEEDING

The demands of the Communist party and four other bodies that the jirescnt hospital grocery contract should be cancelled immediately following the report of the investigating accountant, Mr. Grey Campbell, were dealt with at the meeting of the Auckland Hospital Board yesterday, when Mr. W. Wallace, who presided, stated that the board had no power to cancel the contract.

The position was that a, certain part of the money which it was alleged was overpaid, £G(il 0/2. had been repaid to the board, and 011 the question of the remainder arbitration proceedings were under way. They would probably have the result of these proceedings at the next meeting. It should be known, side by side with the allegations of overcharging that the firm concerned was losing monthly 011 the egg contract. 111 the month of July the contract, which had been on the basis of the ruling price less Od, had lost £40 to the contractors. In August they lost £00, in September £70, in October £08, and in November £07.

It was incorrect, too, to say that the accountant's report on the contract had not been made public. It had been available since it was presented. In any case the Communist letter stated that the writers had "perused the report." Under the circumstances it could hardly be alleged that the report had not been made public.

One weekly paper, said Dr. J. P. Hastings, had given the report a front page story. It was a mistake to think that publicity had not been given to it. Destruction of Dockets. The finance committee reported that in response to the resolution passed at the meeting of grocers convened by the Master Grocers' Association, the association had been informed that it was impossible to comply with the request contained in tlie resolution because the shop dockets .supporting the invoices of previous years were destroyed some years ago after having been checked by the audit department. It was merely due to lack of space in the .already overcrowded office that the dockets were got rid of.

Mr. W. Mulliolland objected to this reply. He denied that the dockets had been checked by the audit department, and that space considerations were responsible for the destruction. There was plenty of room in the basement. He urged that in future all documents should be kept for a period of 10 years.

Members agreed that the dockets had not been properly checked, it ' being stated that they could not all be examined, but bundles every here and there were examined. Mrs. Dreaver added that the committee had already decided that all documents should in future he kept for 10 years. "I feel it is my duty," said Dr. .T. P. Hastings, "to prtoest that these documents sliouM have been destroyed."