MID-CANTERBURY

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21728, 10 March 1936, Page 7

MID-CANTERBURY

ASHBURTON BEQUESTS OF MISS J. CHALMERS At the meeting of the Ashburlon Hospital Board yesterday morning appreciation was expressed of the bequests made under the will of Miss J. Chalmers to the hospital.

The following motion was carried:— "That this meeting of the Ashburtorf liospital Board places on record its grateful thanks for the endowments to the board as contained in the will of the late Miss Chalmers, forwarded to the board by the solicitors to the executors." Personal The Mayor (Mr W. H. Woods) and the Town Clerk (Mr W. Patterson) returned to Ashburlon yesterday morning after attending the annual conference of the Municipal Association of New Zealand, at Napier. Dr. J. Russell Wells will leave Ashburton to-day on his annual vacation. He will be absent for throe weeks and will go on a motor tour in the Southern Lakes district.

Mr H. E. Jessep, of Methven, who was recently appointed to the vacancy on the Ashburton Hospital Board caused by the death of Mr G. S. Hardy, was extended a welcome to his first board meeting yesterday by the chairman (Mr W. G. Gallagher). At the monthly meeting of the Ashburton Hospital Board yesterday morning a motion of sympathy was passed with the secretary-treasurer (Mr A. Prentice) in the death of his lather, and members stood in silence in respect of his memory. Miss E. J. Watt, matron of the Ashburton Public Hospital, who was injured when she fell from her bicycle at Roxburgh, and is now a patient in the Dunedin Public Hospital, was granted two months' leave at the meeting of the board yesterday morning. She was on annual leave at the time of the accident. Mr G. M. Chambers (stationmaster) will leave for Nelson to-day on his annual holiday. He will be relieved at Ashburton by Mr C. G. McGonachie, of Christchurch.

Hospital Board

The Ashburton Hospital Board met yesterday morning, when there were present Messrs W. G. Gallagher (chairman), W. Bryant, C. A. Campion, R. Oakley, VV. H. Wilkinson, F. Frampton. H. E. Jessep, and Dr. J. Russell Wells.

The report of the medical superintendent (Dr. A. J. Mason) .said thai there were fi] patients in the hospital at the end el' January. During February 10:') were admitted and 101 were discharged, leaving' fi">. Last month there were 211 outpatients, 123 X-ray examinations, 2/59 massage treatments, 42 diathenr.y treatments, (11 surgical operations, and live plaster eases. The report of the matron (Miss lv ,7 Watfi said thai Nurse Thomson was on annual leave and Nurse Euzan had returned from leave. The report from Malvern Maternity Home said that 10 patients were admitted last month and 12 were dischar'ed, leaving three at the end ot the month. There were 25 ante-nala patients. Miss Hight was on annual leave, and was being relieved by Miss Young. For the relief committee Mr Bryant reported that £49 14s 2d had been spent in charitable relief during February. . . . The Women's Division ot tne Farmers' Union forwarded a remit passed at a recent meeting of the Dominion executive, urgently requesting hospital boards to investigate the cause of so many tubercular cases among young nurses. Dr Mason, who attended the meet-; ing, said there had been no cases ol tuberculosis among members ot 'he nursin" staff since he came to Ashburton. The matter had given some concern at Dunedin, where precautionary measures had been taken. The nurses were examined on their appointment to the staff, and there were also periodical examinations. It was left to Dr. Mason and the secretary-treasurer to draft a reply. The "Hospital Boards' Association wrote regarding the medical examination of unemployed persons, and recommended that no departure should be made from the agreement of some years ago with the Unemployment Board. ,_ .. . Miss Askew, ol the Rakaia Hospital, advised that she v/ould take the extra lease of the hospital for one year as provided f in the agreement with the board. A similar notification was received from Mrs Compigne, of the Methven Hospital. The Director-General of Health (Dr. M. H. Watt) wrote asking the cooperation of the board with Sir Louis Barnelt in his hydatid research. Dr. Mason said that he had always supplied Sir Louis Barnett with particulars of hydatid cases at the hospital. The board went into committee, and it was afterwards reported that the building committee had considered the five-year building plan. It was left to the chairman and Dr. Mason to supply the Health Department with particulars. Fishing Only one salmon was caught on the Ashburton side at the Rangitata river mouth on Saturday, when the river was in a poor condition. There were about 20 rods out. Weather conditions were too unpleasant on Sunday for fishing. i