PAYMENT OF FEES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 299, 18 December 1935, Page 8

PAYMENT OF FEES.

PATHOLOGIST'S WORK. DR. GILMOUR'S SERVICES. BOARD AND DEPARTMENT. What is a reasonable fee per day for the services of one of the most highly skilled pathologists and scientific crime investigators in the Southern Hemisphere ! The man concerning whom this question is asked is Dr. Walter Gilmour, the expert pathologist at the Auckland Hospital, whose services have always been in demand by the police and the Justice Department in all big murder and other cases. For some months past the Auckland Hospital Board has been at cross purposes with the Justice Department over the fee to be paid to the board for the pathologist's services, the board having been paid less than it claimed, particularly in the case .of the recent Hawke's Bay murder investigation. The board claimed £10 10/ per day for Dr. Gilmour, who was absent for II days, 'but this amount was considered by the Under-Secretary of Justice to be unreasonable. The Under-Secretary replied that £5 5/ per day was the most that would be refunded to the board. At yesterday's meeting of the board the finance committee recommended that the Under-Secretary bf Justice be notified that Dr. Gilmour's services would bo no longer available to his Department. Although this recommendation was adopted, at the suggestion of the chairman, Mr. W. Wallace, it was also decided to state that in future application will have to be made to the board for Dr. Gilmour's services. Must Make Application. This means that there is to be no withdrawal of Dr. Gilmour's services in the interests of justice, but that before he will bo released from liis duties proper application will have to be made. In September last the Justice Department forwarded £45 as payment for Dr.- Gilmour's services in the Rex v. Price murder case, this being at the rate of £5 per day, as against the board's claim for £10 10/ per day. The board was not satisfied with this amount and made further endeavour to get payment of a sum which it considered more commensurate with Dr. Gilmour's services. The board later made a compromise claim for £7 7/ per day, and in doing so pointed out that Dr. Gilmour was a highly paid officer, and that every day he was absent from duty was a serious , loss to the board. The matter of fees was not made an obstacle to the future utilisation of the valuable services of this pathologist to the Courts and the police, the board pointing out that he was a specialist, and further, that his services were not at the command of any person or department other than his employers. To this the Justice Department replied that £5 per day was a reasonably liberal and adequate recompense to the board. It therefore now appears that the Justice Department has won the battle over the matter of fees to be paid for Dr. Gilmour's expert work, which has included post-mortem examinations for the coroner, police investigation and the compilation of reports.