HOSPITAL ACCOUNTS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3167, 23 August 1881, Page 2

HOSPITAL ACCOUNTS.

£To the Editor of the Dailt Tbleguiaph.] Sib, —I have at last been successful in getting from Mr G. B. Winter, whose letter appeared in your issue of yesterday, an admission that, on the face of it, is a disgrace, and reflects discredit on the whole of the members of the Hospital Committee. He has managed to point out two eases where auditors have been appointed—the first date given is the 30th January, 1880, and the second is the 2nd February, 1881, and he adds, I presume to give force to his statement, that on looking over the cash-book he finds the accounts have been audited since December last. You will at once perceive that this last instance is an. absurdity, and a mere repetition of the last date given. Besides it is not the rule in the auditing of accounts to place the signatures of the auditors in the cash-book. Thia in itself throws out a doubt as to whether theaccounts have been properly audited or not. And even admitting that I was in error in statiDg that no auditors had been appointed, this does not excuse them for not publishing a balance-sheet, but the reverse. I would ask what necesssity was there for the appointment as long as the accounts remained unpublished? Mr Winter admits that tbe accounts should have been published at the end of each year, but why was thia not done? I should not be far from the truth in saying that it is a case of wanton neglect that cannot reasonably be excused. That the Committee and the late secretary have not deserved the confidence that has been reposed in them is self-evident from the fact that the business affairs of the Hospital have been conducted by them in an unwarrantably loose manner, which has prostituted this one of our grandest of institutions to such a degree that it has become a public sea tidal. Aβ regarde me being satisfied, I shall not be until I have seen active steps taken to have tbe whole business thorougly sifted, and it will only be common justice to the public to have this done.—l am, &c, Vjekax. Napier, Aupast 23rd. 1881.