HOSPITALS AND CHARITABLE AID.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 72, 18 December 1907, Page 9

HOSPITALS AND CHARITABLE AID.

~— AMENDING JHLL TO BE DISCUSSED. CONKKEENCE CONVENED. As announced in The Dominion n fortnight ago, a oouforence.of representatives of Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards is to lie lioJd in Wellington during the first week in Juno next, to discuss tho provisions of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Hoards Amending Bill which was circulated last session, and which has already been touched upon in those columns. Tli'o announcement of (lie dato of the conference came in the form of a letter from the Inspector-Gencral (Dr. Valintino) to tho Hospital Trustees yesterday morning. Tho lottor is ns follows; "Sir, —I have the honour to inform you that in accordance with tlio.es- , prossed wish of the Counties Conference, held ill July last at Wellington, tho Hon. the Minister iu charge of Hospitals and Charitable Aid has decided to convene a meeting of Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards, including soparato . institutions under the Act for tho purposo of discussing tho Hospitals and < Charitable Institutions Act Amend-. ing Bill, which is to be introduced ' noxt scssiou. The above conference will be held in Wellington in tho • . first week of June next. The exact , dato, timo, and place of meeting . will bo notified you later. For tho - purpose of dofraying tho. expenses of delegates a clauso >vas. drafted for , insertion in the Appropriation Act ' . that has just been passed by . tho House enabling Boards and also Trustees of separato institutions to pay the reasonable travelling . exponses of their delegates not exceeding fifteen pounds. By a mis- - apprehension, however, the clauso • was made operative only for the year ending 31 March next. "Tho Bill will bo considered clause by clause by tho conferencc '• and if your Board has. any remits to forward regarding any of the provisions of tho Bill I snail ho glad to liavo the same by March 31 next. An order paper will then be prepared and circulated among the various Boards,, who..will-thus liavo . a final • opportunity, : ; of- .-.considering <. f the Bill,with tho remits thereon,: bofore tlioir delegates leave the conference. For the convenience of ' your .Board I enclose herewith six copies of the proposed Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Act Amending Bill. I shall be glad to know at an olirlydate the name or names of those delegatus who will represent your Board. "I have the honour to bo, Sir, your obedient servant—T. A. H. Valintino, Inspector-General." ' As the confercnco was a (jood way off it was decided to postpone consideration of the contents of the letter until the next mooting of tho Trustees. ' HOSPITAL TRUSTEES. 'The Hon. C. M. Ltilco, M.L.C. (Chairman), Messrs. Kirk, London, Bolton, M'Ewen, Hales, Nash, and Danks, wore proserit at tho fortnightly meeting of the Hospital Trustees held yesterday morning. NURSES' EXAMINATIONS!,', Dr. Ewart reported: " Drs. James arid M'Lean have now finished .tho .examination of 'nurses for the hospital certificate. Thero wore eight candidates,, of whom -sis. (passed and two failed. Ono of tho failures has not been the full three yoars upon tho staff, and, as she nearly succeeded in passing, may bo considered as having done fairly well. In order of merit, those who passed woro Nurses .Pongolly, Hursthouso, Riclitor, Beavan, Brooke," and Ibbetson. I; recommend! that theso nurses be-promoted to tho senior staff; iit once, and that Nurse HursthonSo''bo' alio .promoted' so ■ soon as her three yoars': training lias'.been finished, that is, in about six weeks;'Witll "one' 'exemption, all;thoSe, nurses ..who have passed aro'most capable, and'will, in the ordinary course of events, make good sisters, lipoii tho whole, my 'senior class in nursing during the last six months has beoh a most satisfactory one. I 'should liko to tako my annual holiday in January if convenient to tho Trustees.—l am, yours truly, J. Ewart." r The Chairman expressed gratification' at the Superintendent's, satisfactory lottor. Ho movod that Dr. Ewart be pormitted to take his holiday at a timo most convenient to the Superintendent and; tho institution. ' This was.carried. ,ln reply to a question By Mr. Bolton,' tho Chairman explained that; Dr. Gilray would take the Superintendent's place duriiig his absence. : A DONATION. The Trustees received, a cheque for £50 from. Mrs. Dalglcish, of Oriental Bay, executrix for the lato Joshua C. Qoodfollow, being an amount' left by her uncle for a charitable purpose at her discretion. After consideration, it was decided to devote tho sum to the, Hospital, stipulating that the money be expended on an orphan's cot. Tho Trustees agreed to accept the gift, with the stipulation that they were to liavo sole control, of such cot, A vote of' thanks was passed to tho donor. - . THE DISPENSER RESIGNS. I Tho resignation, of tho dispenser, Mr. S. Smith, was recoivcd. The Chairman said that the old Trusteos know that Mr, Smith was making progress in his medical Studies, and had advanced so far that ho was to leave for Edinburgh soon to complete his studios. Ho thought they ought to be proud that so many-of tlioir dispensers had done so well in the medical profession. . Mr. Fpltham was at Homo at present/ and, another of tJieir dispensers,. Mr. Caldicott; was,n'ow,;pr(ictising, in Liverpool. A' now disponser is to .be adver-' tised for in the four centres. HOUSE COMMITTEE'S REPORT. ' ' Tho following report of tho House Committee was adopted That a sowing machine bo procured and also a wardrobe for tho Nurses' Homo. That tho sum of £50 be spent on providing Christmas extras for patients from specially subscribed funds, tho balance to provide for the purchase of invalid. chairs and carriages. ACCOUNTS. Tho following is tho general account for the fortnight ended Doccmber 16: —Receipts: Balance brought forward, £779 4s. lOd.; rent' from endowments, £176 ss. Bd.; inpatient recoveries, £137 18s. 4d.; out-patient recoveries, £12 145.; Christmas contributions, £68 165.; bequest,. £50; sundries, £4 6s. lOd. —total. £1229 ss. Bd. Expenditure: Warns, £168 10s. 3d.; bank balance, £1060 15s. sd.— total, £1229 ss. Bd. Nurses' Homo account: To bank balance, £225 14s. : The Finance' Committee reported that at a meeting hold at tho Hospital on December 16, accounts amounting to £1223 16s. 9d. woro.examined and-, found correct. . The totalrepresents an advance on tho October period of £295 17s. lid., and for September of £202 2s. 7d. This increase' was due to tho claims for. coal for a period of three months, which was an increase of at least £180 over normal expenditure. The extra for timber material, for tho now sholters, ground improvements, and other works,' amounted to £259 14s. lid. Allowing for this extra expenditure, tho Committee is of tho opinion that the supplies represent careful management of tho domestic arrangements of tlio Hospital. Tho total undor this head is* £784 is. lOd. Tho Committeo recommended payment of accounts submitted. NUMBER OF PATIENTS. On December 17 thero were 101 malo and 87 female patients in tho main hospital; 20 male and 17 female patients in the Victoria Homo for Chronic Invalids, and 14 males and II fomales in tile Seddon (.Consumptive) Hospital, a total of 244, as against 230 for the same period last year. ADDITIONS TO HOSPITAL. Tlio Chairman reported that both Dr. Valintino (Inspector-General of Hospitals) and Mr'. John Campbell (Government Architect) had consonted to act as judges of the competitive plans for the-additions to tho Hospital. This only left ono more judge to bo appointod—by the Instituto of Architects. Tlio next meeting of tho Trustees wijl be held on January 14.