HOSPITAL AFFAIRS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 799, 23 April 1910, Page 10

HOSPITAL AFFAIRS.

NEW BOARD,

AN APPOINTMENT CRITICISED. ' THE ■-,COMMITTEES. The second meeting of the Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, as 'constituted under the Act of last session, was hold at the Town. Hall yesterday afternoon. There were present:' Mr. J. G. W. Aitkeii (chairman), Rev. H. van. ~ ' Miss 'Mary Richmond, Rev. W. A. Evaas, Messrs.. R. 0. Kirk, John Smitli, D. Robertson, J. Godber, J. J: Devine,. J. Trevor, A. : H. Hindinarsh,: G.- T. •London, J;.'.-B; : Fitzgerald, J. W. M'Ewan,'B. R. Gardener, W. Tompsitt, F. T..Moore,'W.': Galloway, and H. Baldwin. . ■ Mr. van Staveren drow attention to the action of the Hospital Trustees in appointing-Dr.- W-. K: Hislop ! as ionorary pathologist and radiologist while the- trustees were only holding office temporarily. Mr. Kirk replied that applications for positions on the honorary staff had been invited by the trustees, but none was received in respect of pathology • and radiology. Dr. \V. K. Hislop; after 'considerable experience in the Dominion, had recently mado a course of special'study in these subjects at Home, and .whon Kq offered his,services Dr. Hardwick-Smitb. recommended' his appointment. • ; Mr. Devine asked.why the.trustees, could not have deferred- the. appoint--ment so that the new hoard should make it since the trustees were going out of. office. ■ '.The, appointments made by the trustees had given rise to a good .deal of criticism on this ground. It would have been only decent to defer the appointment so that the new board could deal with it. It was customary to invite applications in March' of every second year, but there was. no statutory obligation, he understood '. Since the appointment had been made the! board could only confirm it. : Mr. Smith, urged that whatever thp trustees had don© had:been done in the. interests of the hoyd, .who should not go back on the trustees. ' Mr.. Baldwin thought that it was bad policy on the part'of : the trustees, but' that their action must bo confirmed. 1 ' Mr. LondoH:deciared that most of the criticiems. had come from' pebplo who were aggrieved at not. receiving the (appointment. "'■. ' ~■'' ■:. ■ ■ ■ The appointment was confirmed. '■■ . Pinanoe Committee's Report; Tho; temporary : Finance Committee recommended'that the action , ' of .'the committeo in appointing Mr. G:T. London on the ■ committee be copflrmed; that the application of the Petoiio Ambulance. Van Committee, for-a grant towards.the.cost of'providing' an ambulance van- for -that district; be referred to the • Hospital- Committee; i that,, the account-s of the Otaki Hospital, and Sanatorium for March, as certified to by. the Otaki Committee amounting to £333 135.. lid., bo passed . for ■ payment; that accounts of charitable . aid disbursed by local bodies and administrative expenses,, .as .certified :to by the acting-secretary; .amounting to £376 10s. : lid., be passed, for payment; : ; ariE ; that all arrangements have been com-' ploted with the Bank of New Zealand for-an, overdraft, should tie board require such during the current i financial year, such overdraft not 'to exceed £6500. • •■ ■■ ' . - '■■■...

The roport was adopted. ' • ' The following resolution* ,5, (abridged) was adopted 13h ~tTie>.e'cVmmendation of the temporary Finance Committee:— "That- the aboard .estimates the amount of net expenditure required * for tho maintenance 0f,..; the,. several hospitals and charitable institutions, for outdoor r fvsi/f° r tno maintenance of indigent children, and the;./administration expenses of the board, for the year ending March 31,,1911, to be.£27,680. It further, estimates .tho amount "to be contributed to the ' board by way of subsidy from' the' Consolidated! Fund in respect of such: expenditure to-be the snm.of £18j840; , The board determines that the-balance of/this.estimated expenditure, being£l3 J B4p; : -shall l.bo',payablo by the contributory local authorities within the district of tie board and doth appbrtion such amount as follows:— ..•'•.'..•• . ■

Wellington City, Council ..:£8782 18 0 Horowhenua County Counoil ;..;.............•...:... 1272 16 0 Hutt County Council ; 795 4 o Makara County Council ... 370 15 0 Lower Hutt Borough Counx> ♦' Cil n •"•"•■■£••••••—•• 716 10 0 ketone Borough Council ..'.- 600 12 0 Miramar Borough Council 406 17 0 Karori Borough Council... 259 12 0 Onslow Borough Council ... 218 12 0 Levin .Borough Council ... 119 3 0 Eastbourne Borough Coun-; ' cil :.-..; 84' 7 0 Johnsonvilio Town Board 111 8 0 Upper Hutt Town Board 10115 0

"The board resolves that tho amount snail pe 'levied on the various local authorities aid be payable in. tow equal instalments,, the 'Urst instalment to become due on' May 1,. 1910, the second instalment on July 1,. 1910, the third instalment on October 1, 1910, and the fourth instalment on January 1, 1911." Eesolutions were also passod governing the board's transactions with the bank.

Scheme of Committees. The Policy Committee reported recommending that for administrative purposes the hoard appoint three committees:—Finance and Endowment, Hospital, and Charitable Aid; and that the several committees be empowered to nominate other than their own members to act on the committees, such nominations to be approved by the board. . ■ . . . .

The Finance and Endowment Committee should consist of seven members, and' to be constituted as under -.—The chairman of the board' the treasurer of the board, members', to be appointed by the board, member nom- , inatod by the Hospital ■ Committee, momber nominated by the Hospital Committee (to bo a member, ot tb«j Otaki Sub-committee), and mombcr nominated by the Charitable Aid Committee. ■' ' : " '

The Hospital Committee should consist of eleven" member's, whose duties will be. to 'administer ■ the Wellington and Otaki Hospitals and Sanatoria; the Otaki institutions to bo controlled by a sub-committee of five of such , Hospital Committee, which should includo the two' representatives'of ,the . Horowhenua, County and Levin Borough Councils, , l

Charitable Aid.. For charitable aid purposes the district ebould be divided into the following fivo sub-districts, such, sub-dis-tricts to iuclude all those area's within tho boundaries of the local authorities hereinafter mentioned: —Wellington Sub-District: Wellington City Council, Miramar, Karori and Onslow Borough Councils. Hutt Volley Sub-District: Lower Hutt, Petono and Eastbourne Borough Councils, Upper Hutt Town Board, and all that lan.l comprising the Hutt Valley from Kaitoke_ to the sea, irrespective of the govsi'ning local authority ia which it is included. JolmEonvillo Sub-District: Makara County Council and Johnsonville Town Board. Hutt County Sub-District: Hutt County Council, less all that land included in the Hutt Valley. Horowhonua SubDistrict:' Horowhenua County and Levin Borough Councils. The Charitable Aid Committee should consist of nine member, whose duty would be to directly control tho Ohiro Home bM tha admin iatration of chax-

Stable, aid within tho boundaries of the Wellington Sub-District, and to superintend tho distribution of charitable aid in the romaining .by means of sub-committees to bo appointed in each of those sub-districts, such subcommittees to include those members of the board resident within the boundaries of thoso respective sub-districts.-

: - ( indigent Children. ■ The present arrangements botween the board and-the Education Department regarding the committal to, and the maintenance of, indigent children in the various industrial schools controlled by'that Department should be continued. > ■■' ■■

There should bo a general secretary appointed by the board, and pending the appointment of such general secretary the board should retain tho services of tho acting secretary (Mr.i George "Willis) for three months, at a salary of £250 per annum, , to afford the board an opportunity of considering the question of reorganisation of the staff. " . ' ■The present medical superintendent of the 'Wellington Hospital (Dr. Hard-wick-Smith) should bo appointed medical superintendent of.all the institutions under the jurisdiction, of the board. His salary should be £700 per'annum) with free house, light, and fuel. . He should not bo allowed the right of private practice, and his engagement should.be subject to six months' notice in. writing on either side. All other officers and tho whole of the staffs of both divisions of the, board should' be retained temporarily, under the Bame conditions as formerly employed, until such time as the board considers tho;reorganisatiqn of the staff. . Committees;,!,.;;: ■'. "

: Tho' committee reoomminded the names of the following members" for the various committees:'— ■ ■■ . '

' Hospital Committee: Tho Rev. H. Van Staveren, Messrs. R. C. Kirk, J. J. Devine, G. T. London, J. Godber, J. Trevor, A. H. Hindmarsh, F. T. Moore, H. Baldwin, B. R. Gardener, and "W. Tompsitt. . . , ■

Charitable Aid Committee: Tie chairman (Mr. J. G. W. Aitken), Miss M. Richmond, the Rev. W. A. Evans, Messrs. D. M'Laren, J. Smith, D. Robertson,' J. E. Fitzgerald, J. "W. M'Ewan, and "W. Galloway.

By virtue of their-residential qualifications,, the following.members would become members of the sub-committees for their respective sub-districts, for the purpose of charitable aid: —Hutt ■Valley-Sub-Committee: Messrs. R. C. Kirk, J. W: M'Eiyan, G. : ■ ■T. London, and H. Baldwin. Johnsonvillo SubCommittee: Mr.T. F. Moore.' .: Hutt County Sub-Cpmmitteo: Mr. W. Galloway. . Horpwhenua Sub-pommittee: Messrs. B. R. ;Gardener, and; "W. Tompsitt. ■'■''• '... ■ ■ '■ The' report was adopted, after discussion. ''. .'. .'. ' .; .. ■ '.'■■ Messrs. Kirk and London wore appointed to represent the ; board on the Finance Committee. , '....',■'• The appointment of.solicitors was left for the Finance Committee.to consider. ; Otaki Institutions. - The committee appointed to ■' temporarily control the Otaki Hospital and Sanatorium recommended that the appointment of Miss Jessie Sexton, Sister at the Otaki Sanatorium, be confirmed. That certaitr requests of the ■ Matron be referred: to the local members of the comtriittee-to-report on:' , - That , 'accounts amounting, to 13s. lid., be recommended ; , to';.vthe. Finance Committee for payment.;','■'■■;. a '. . : , •;•,. : The report was adopted, "-.'■■.•■ .

Recovery of Fees.. , ■ ■ Estimates "for; the year, as published in anqttier-.colurfl'n, ; were presented, and , that they should' b'o ; adopted/'.: , , \ ■■■•; ■'..' : . '"■'■■ V■' ■.•'■ •'■.'.■■■;,'. i Mr;i ; &a;rHener.;;moved :;-th l at^.lhe''. l estiy mates"'should -be referred'back to the' committeoon the ground that not sufficient allowance was made for recovery of patients' fees. .'.Thousands , of pounds were lost in patients' feos. which ought to be .recovered.-;. The.; whole -question-, of tho of the hospital .staff: should be looked into, and the public should know how some members of thestaff were employed. /The wages sheet' ; for the Wellington l Hospital was much heavier than, that -.of _ Auckland, though tne_number of pationfe :i was',)es?, Tne board- should not pass estimates with-out'-having- jivtHorbugh; grasp' of the situation./' : V. ' •■■'•- •' -.■• .. j Mr.: Tompsitt seconded the, amendment. ■ ■'...""•..

'Mr. Kirk opposed 1 the amendment as a reflection on the committee.- It was impossible for the-board to say at this early stage that it could carry on at half the cost of the former authorities.

Mr.' Moore urged that the proper place for Mr. Gardener to vent his ideas was on the committee that would have charge of hospital affairs. .If the committeo could effect' economics lie board would have that money, in.hand at the end of the year. The amendment was negatived' by a large majority and.tho estimates approved. • . . ■ . Other Matters, /Mr. Devine Was appdinted lion, treasurer to. the board. ■ . •' v Messrs. 'Kirk, Hudson, Devine,/ and the', chairman were appointed a subcommittee' to prepare standing orders. Mr. Moore thought that the Finance Committee should raise' £5000 spread over a prolonged period for the erection of :a new children's ward. The Government should subsidise the amount to tho extent of £ for £. • The chairman suggested that the motion should be moved in the Finance Committee and this was agreed. The question. of when, the board should hold its meetings was informally discussed. The chairman said he hoped that when once the board got into stride, monthly meeting would be sufficient. '■ . ■ . Th'e wish was expressed by several members that s the meetings should be held in .the evening. '..',. A vote of.thanks was passed to tho Benevolent Trustees and ■ Wellington Hospital , Trustees for', temporarily carrying'on their work; , ' '.■ <■•.'•*'.