HOSPITAL ESTIMATES.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15498, 27 January 1916, Page 5

HOSPITAL ESTIMATES.

EXCEEDED BY £7000. EXTRAVAGANCE DENIED. I' At tho Hospital and Charitable Aid . Board meeting yesterday, Mr W. W. Tanner brought up the question of economy in the administration of the hospital finances. He pointed out that the two committees dealing with the Sanatoriums and Charitable Aid and the two committees to which were entrusted the duty of looking after tho Public Health and the Hospital had differed very much in the manner in which they had exceeded the estimates. The first-named committees had exceeded the estimates prepared a year since by only £-il, their whole expenditure being £1441. The latternamed committees had exceeded the estimate of £38,000 by no less than £7108. "Comparisons," said Mr Tanne, "are odious." The Hon. 11. Moore considered that the Board, in estimating .the cost, had not taken into account the increased cost of living and the increase in salaries. Mr Sorensen also defended the increase, and stated he was partly responsible, as he had agreed to an estimate which was wholly inadequate. The increase in administration had been rendered necessary by the influx of soldiers .who required treatment, which no one could possibly refuse, an increase of salaries, for the members of the staff at the front were having their military wages made up to the amount they received from the Board, and other works rendered absolutely necessary in the interests of the public health. In defending the Board from the charge of extravagance, the chairman, Mr Horrell, stated that the North Canterbury Board had the control of the largest public hospital in the Dominion, and besides had more subsidiary institutions attached to it than any other. They also had to keep extra nurses in case of an outbreak of fever,, necessitating the use of tho Bottle. Lake Sanatorium. He then quoted the ' following as an instance of how the Board compared with other Boards, such as Auckland, Otago, and Wellington. Auckland ran its expenditure at a cost on each £'ICOO of capital value of lis o£d: Otago, at' a cost of 14s 3d; Wellington for 12s 2Jd ner £1000. Their own Board, on a similar calculation, ran the cost of administration at 9s 10kl. which ho considered most satisfactory. Mr H. .T. Otloy considered he was in fault, as he had not protested against the proposed estimate which he know would be too small: but there had been unlooked-for expenditure. There was the money spent on Bottle Lake, which could not- have been avoided, and the money spent on the soldiers would not lie grudwd by any member of the Board. Tn regard to the personal members of the Board he felt each one was doincr his best to economise in every possible way. The discussion then terminated.