BENEVOLENT TRUSTEES.

Evening Star, Issue 7505, 25 April 1888, Page 2

BENEVOLENT TRUSTEES.

The weekly meeting, held this afternoon, was attended by Messrs A. Solomon (chairman), Calder, Haynes, Rennie, Green, Gourley, Isaac, and Carroll. The weekly accounts amounted to Ll3l 7s sd. The Chairman reported that he had inquired into the case of Timothy Regan, the man at present in gaol but who was reported to be more fit for the Institution, and it was the opinion of the Minister of Justice and the doctor of the gaol that the man should be admitted to the Institution, —It was resolved that Regan should be admitted. Dr Maepherson signified by letter that he had received an appointment in Sydney, and therefore resigned his position as medical attendant to the Institution. As he had been compelled to leave immediately, he was unable to give notice to the Trustees, but he had made arrangements with Dr Gordon Macdonald to look after the cases until another appointment was made.—The Chairman said that he had interviewed Dr Teevan, who had formerly applied for the position, but that gentleman did not now see his way to offer his services on account of the lying-in cases having to be attended to. Dr Stcnhouse had signified his willing ness to undertake the duties on the same terms as Dr Macpherson had accepted. —viz., a year, including attendance on the midwifery cases.—ltwasresolved to appoint Dr Stenhouse to the vacancy. The Chairman said that the secretary and himself had been over all the cases in which persons were receiving cash in order to see if any instances of improper relief had crept in, and they had found no cases of the sort. Dr Batchelor wrote as follows to the chairman :—"ln reference to our conversation on the subject of practical instruction in midwifery to students of the Otago Medical School, would you kindly use your influence with the Board of Trustees to obtain permission for senior medical students of the Otago University to attend cases of midwifery in the lying-in ward of the Benevolent Institution, under the supervision of your medical officer?"—On the motion of Mr Gourley it was resolved to grant the application during the pleasure of the Trustees.

Dr Macgregor wrote acknowledging receipt of the Trustees' application for subsidy to the extent of L 96 183 on subscriptions received during the quarter ended the 31st ult., and in reply intimated that the Auditor-General had directed that no subsidy should bo givon until the sum of LI,OOO, which had bten wrongly paid to thb Institution, hiid btfcn wiptd off, Tht>

letter concluded : " In fonilcr cases of a like kind, however, the Colonial Secretary has 1 permitted the repayments by easy iustal- i ments, and should the Trustees prefer this ' course to carrying out the Audit in- : structions literally, I shall be prepared to recommend its adoption to the Colonial Secretary." The CuairmAn : This is a rather serious matter, gentlemen; and if the Auditor - General sticks to his determination, it will be very inconvenient for ua.—Mr Carroll : I thiuk we ought to resist by every ineans in our power. —The Chairman : It is not for you to resist, my dear sir; they resist, and say they will not pay. It is for you to attack. Something of this sort happened before, and I went to Wellington and got L 1,200, and Mr Robin managed to get L 1.800. Messrs IfAVNicsand Isaac thought the best thing to be done was to authorise the chairman to make the best arrangement he could in the matter.—Mr GkECn also thought this was the wisest course to adopt, adding that the LI,OOO would not have been paid if the Government thought at the time that the Trustees were not entitled to it.— The Chaikjian: Well, what do you wish me to do, gentlemen ? Shall I see Mr Fitzgerald—if he is here ?—Mr Gkken : I move that the matter be referred to you with power to act.—The Chairman : And it is understood that that power means going to Wellington if necessary ?—Several j members replied in the affirmative, but regretted that this might result in a loss of time to the chairman ; to which Mr Solomon answered that he was willing to go if the Trustees thought that by doing so he would serve the purposes of the Institution. And if, added the Chairman, I find it impossible to got out of this, I must arrange to get provision for payment in such infinitesimal doses that it will not affect the working of the Institution. The Chairman submitted a code of rules for the management of the lying-in ward. The chief provisions were (1) that no female is to remain in the Institution longer than twenty-one days after her confinement unless recommended otherwise by the medical officer ; (2) children of applicants cannot be admitted ; (3) no visitors will be allowed unless by the permission of the chairman or doctor.—The rules as presented were approved of. The first relief case on the rather lengthy list was that of a young woman who asked to be admitted to the lying-in ward. This was the first application for admission to the ward, and a short discussion ensued as to the proper way of obtaining necessary information from the applicant, it being decided that she should attend after the meeting and make the required declaration as to indigence.