THE MAYOR INTERVIEWED.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 10866, 16 January 1901, Page 8

THE MAYOR INTERVIEWED.

Mr tWee was agi.in seen by a "Press reporter yesterday, ir.<. connection with Dr. Mason's action in calling on the City Council to take charge of the case. His Worship said his views o<ll the matter were plain enough. In the Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Act of 1885. which laid down the powers of ihe Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards, the term institution was defined as meair.ng "any hospital instituted for the reception, relief, treatment, and care of disease," and there was no clause in the whole Act which empowered the Hospital Board to discriminate as to the class of cases to be received for treatment. The Christchurch Board, however, had made by-laws, upon which they were acting, which enabled them to refuse to receive incurable cases. The position maintained by-the local bodies was that as they contributed whatever was required for supporting the hospital, they were entitled to. expect the Hospital Board to provide sufficient accommodation to deal with all classes of sickness. He could nuite understand the medical staff of the hospital expressing the opinion that certain casea should not De received with the present accommodation, but that was no excuse for the Hospital Board, which was charged with the? provision of sufficient accommodation to m«et all classes of cases- The population of the district was increasing, and there*was a consequent increase in the number 'of cases requiring treatment at th,e' hospital, 'i'hereiore, provision must Be maa<3 to meet the necessities of the district. The City Council held the opinion that the Hospital Board were the only body , qualified to provide nurses and medical, attendance for such, casss as the one causing the present trouble, '.'.'hey were asking the Board to provide accommodation , in the hospital buildings, even if it should be necessary for tbe Council to incyr some expenditure in fitting the building for the purpose. The real necessity was a home lor incurables. To the ordinary layman it seemed" clear that the Hospital Board had power to build, but there, appeared to be some legal difficulty in \he way. This would have to be altered in some way. He did not think the assent of the local bodies to the erection of v building to accommodate such cases as the present would be difficult to obtain. It ough\t to be sufficient if a majority of the bodies interested assented to the expenditure necessary. Regarding the Public Healtn Act. it seemed to him that instead of the Health Officer ordering the .local bodies to provide for the accommodation of such cases the Hospital Boards were the proper bodies \to deal with them. \