STORM IN A TEACUP.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1005, 21 December 1910, Page 5

STORM IN A TEACUP.

4 TABLETS FOR THE HOSPITAL'. —— ■ ■.. ( BOARD IN "A BIT OF A MIX-UP." ' What one of its members afterwards ■ described as "a storm in a teacup" arose, yesterday at the • meeting' of the Hos-. pital Board. A member asked a question.' . in reference to a reply forwarded to a communication from Mr. Nelson llling* *, ; worth, the-well-known sculptor. ' : Mr.-Illingworth, under date September ' 10, offered to supply tho board with -"V bronze tablets to be erccted in the Chil- ; -, dren's Hospital to perpetuate the memory -;v of those who had been prominent in' .the V Children's Hospital movement. • One ■ tab* '■ . • let would bear the. portraits of the Mayor . and Mayoress,' Mr.- and Mrs. T. 11. Wilford. Another would bear . • the portrait of ■ Mr. Hugh ; Ward* v.-5 Mr. Illingworth expressed a hope . that his gift would be acceptable to --S the board. .;!. v .~ .rThe outward correspondence, about, which, as stated, a question was asked'; ' ;': at yesterday's meeting, was a reply from : the secretary , of the board accepting Mr. Ilhngworth's offer. . - , -.-j---.. The Eev. fl. Tan St'avereu moved that ' ;' tho letter be withdrawn and that tho matter be laid before the board at its next meeting. Supporting his motion Mr. - - Van Staveren complained that. the. board had never been asked to consider the mat- / ! v' ter of Mr. Illingworth's offer. ' Mr. Smith said he would be quite pre< - pared to move that the action taken be endorsed, but the board'should have been ' .V consulted. . .' ' : .' •• Mr. Van Staveren: This has been a on&i -J' man affair. . Continuing, Mr. Smith said he considered the action thai. had.been taken, a ' little premature, but he was quite sure tho board would support the action. o£ -.■« its officers if the matter was put. forward 7 in a proper manner., ,Wj Mr. Van Staveren: It has nothing at all to do with the officers. It is the chair- ' ; man. ' . • ■ _ : Mr. Fifxgerald hoped Mr. Van Staveren would withdraw his motion on this occa- j : :. ; sion. It was undesirable that a motion should go forth reflecting on the chair- , man. He would be siiflu-iently repri-V-Hn maided when he knew that- the board .- bad discussed the.question. .The speaker :V'W hoped this would be the last-occasion ; i; on which any business would -be done ! VSwithout the consent of the'board. Mr. Van StavtTen contended that -vi neither the chairman nor any other mem-: : bcr should take it on hhnself to do-.what had been done.' ■ -. Tho secretary, asked at this stage to, v.!-; explain, stated that the letter in question was handed over with others '. by.'■■"■i Mrs. Wilford's Committee. speaker ■ was instructed by the chairman, to replyv '-- to these letters, and. did 'eo! f.-VvJ Mr. M'Laren asksd whether the chair- . ' man had indicated in any, way'how theso. '' letters were to be answered: -. ':. The secretary: "He simply, as far aa ; - I remember, told mo to use my own dis-.., J j bretion." Mr. Willis further' stated that':;;.the letter had previously been before' the ; board. '.'/ . ' .-..o;;";,: Mr. Trevor wanted to know why this. >¥~ matter could not havs gone before the committee, that considered the plans. It', appeared to him that the chairman hail Teally known nothing about it. vor said .lie. would like to '.accept. Mr. Illingworth's offer,', provided the. board's. committee decided as to the names to Bai placed on the tablet. ' ': - ~ Mr.'Van Stave Teh, at this stage, asked' leave to amind his motion to;: provide. that the question should 'noti _be dis- ,-■ cussed in the absence of the chairman.- ■. Mr. Kobertsoa said it would be i great - ' : mistake to adjourn the discussion at this . .. ; y stage. Tfee secretary had acknowledgedto the board that he had replied to this , letter practically on his own authority., .- ■ Tho speaker failed to.see why the hMrUi should wait until the chairman arrived 1 , .; if.it wanted to "slate" the secretary. Mr. Mooro contended, that if the last j. speaker was right in ".saving that this ~' . : ..-, letter had "been on the table before any- 3 .- thing that had occurred was' the I . fault of the. 'board,- -and ' the secretary had done what he thought right: - and'proper and best,Tho.speaker fnnedi:: . to. see'the-use of wasting ..any furtherj;, ti'mb'i'n discussing .'.the "'matter. . The sec retary's' action' was a : proper one. Mr. Fitzgerald said personally he wantect,; . • ; to tell the secretary that he had;not done right,, and that-the'board did not want; . » him to do the', same again. • • Mr. M'Laren considered the board hadi., - got into a bit, of . a mix-up.. The iuotion4. before'the meeting was , that discussion). on this matter should be held over nrfili:, . the chairman was present. Spite of thw: the board was proceeding to discuss:'. the whole, question. The speaker did not want to censure either the secretary or the' chairman, at this stage. The secretary being-instructed to answer letters could only answer them according to nis ; own judgment: , ■ , ; Members: Hear, hear! That is what - the secretary has done. ■ . , . - ■ The-secretary, Mr. M'Laren continued, had received general instructions, but no specific instructions. Mr. Kirk said the.letter to which the secretary . replied figured on the agenda .-, .', paper of the board on September 20. ;- T t Members: Hear! Hear!' . That justifies . the secretary's action. ■ Continuing, Mr. Kirk.said that ,to. 1119 , • • personal knowledge the secretary stated. from time to time at. meetings of thß; Hospital Committee that certain . letters: had been handed over to .him by Mrs. j -i;.: Wilford's committee. This, said Mr. Kirk,- was-the. first occasion on which! -.f.: -lie- had knowh..the:board object to .being : 'v presented with decorations. ■■■ • . In succeeding discussion; a-number, of ■ .. . ; members agreed that the secretary, had .unadopted a justifiable course, and s um* mately his action was • endorsed..