CENTRAL OTAGO HOSPITALS BOARD.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1819, 18 June 1897, Page 5

CENTRAL OTAGO HOSPITALS BOARD.

The usual statutory meeting of the above Board was held in the County Council Chambers, Clyde, on Thursday afternoon, 10th June. Preseiit--Mcs.-rs Oliver (Chairman), Sheppard, Burnett-. Rivers Pitches, Guffie, and Dickie (aeoretniy). On the motion ot Mr Pitches the meeting was adjourned till the evening. On returning, there were prt sent—Messrs Oliver (chairman), Sheppard, Rivers, Guffie, Pitches, Johnstone, and Dickie (secretary). Mr Oliver proposed that Mr Sheppard be appointed chairman for the ensuing year. Mr Sheppard declined to be nominated. Mr Johnston said he bad much pleasure in proposing Mr Oliver as chairman for the ensuing'year, and stated he thought Mr Oliver had in the past attended well to his duties as chairman. It was also necessary that the chairman should be a local man, which Mr Oliver was. The motion was seconded by Mr Sheppard. and -carried. Mr Oliver returned thanks for the honour conferred on him, but stated that he believed on such positions being rolling offices. The minutes .of previous meetings were read and confirmed. Some correspondence was read, dealing with several cases the Chairman had de?it with. On the motion of Mr Rivers, seconded by Mr Pitches, it was carried that the Chairman's action be approved in the cases

of Kelly and Meadows, and the accounts in connection with same bo passed for payment.

The balance-sheet for the year ending 31st March, 1897, was read and adopted, on the motion of Mr Guffie, seconded by Mr Pitches.

Hospital requisitions as follows were rend and laid on tho table, viz :—Nnseby, £485 2s 101; Cromwell. £532 7s 6d ; Dunstan, £SIS 1«.

The Chairman explained that why the Duustm Hospital requisition was so high was that they were applying for £l5O for a special water scheme. Ho understood that Dr Maogregor had rcpoited that the water supply w.is very unsatisfactory, and the Trustees had decided on a scheme for which they now asked this vet', Mr Johnstons said Naseby Hospital had double the number of patients of the other Hospitals, and still their requisition was the smallest.

Mr Rivers said he understood that what was really requiiod for the Dunstan Hosi pital, was a better class of water, and it was really necessary in all hospitals that they should have a good and pure supply of water. At tho same time, he thought that Dr Macgregor's rcpoit should have been attache 1 t> the requisition, or the Board should have been supplied with some further information as to how the £l5O was to he spent. Mr Pitches said he had every faith in the Dunstm Hospital Tru-te s, and that they would not nsk for anything that was not urgently required, and that the money asko 1 for wjul I be spent carefully on what it was granted for. Mr Cuifi i explained that the Naseby trustees were asking for L 75 to be spent on an operating room for tho hospitil, to supply a table and instruments The cost of the loom would be paid by sjme money the trustees had left to them by a bequest. It was absolutely necessary that an operating room be procired. He read a statement showing that 141 crses had been treated during the past year—69 medical cases, and 72 surgical. Fifty operations had been performed, 34 with chloroform ;nl 16 without. During May and Apiil of the ou*Tent year 36 patients had been treated, 17 med'eal and 19 surgical; 12 operations had been performed, nine with chloroform. With reference to the Dunstan Hospital's requisition, while not objecting to same, he held that they should have submitted the scheme they intended to adopt with regard to the Ll5O asked for a water supply. Mr Sheppard agreed with the la t speaker and said he thought one of the s Dunstan Hospital trustses might have waited on the Board and explained the scheme. The hospital requisitions as read were then passed, on the motion of Mr Guffie seconded by Mr Eivers. Mr Johnstone moved—That the following rates be struck for the year ending March 31st, 1898 :—Maniototo, L 367 8s 4d; Vincent, L 359 15s 4d ; (Jromwell Borough, L 42 7s 6d ; Naseby Borough, L 36 9s 6d ; Alexandra Borough, L 25 ls4d—Seconded by Mr Rivers and carried. The sum of L 5 was voted for petty cash.

Mr Johnstone moved—That the secretary be allowed L 5 for clerical assistance.— Seconded by Mr Guffie and carried. A vote of thanks to the chair closed the meeting.