HOSPITAL BOARD

Evening Star, Issue 16559, 19 October 1917, Page 8

HOSPITAL BOARD

The monthly meeting of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board was held last evening and attended by Messrs \V. E. S. Knight (chairman), It. Templeton, \V. Begg, F. G. Gumming. J. Cumming, A. Queie'h, H. M. Driver, W. T. Talboys, and i)r Roberts. Mr M. Fraer wrote resigning his position of inquiry oiticur and collector. —Accepted. ihe medical director wrote that Miss i'iuld bad resigned her position as matron of the sanatorium. —Mr Templeton moved that the resignation be accepted with regret. Miss Field, he said, had proved a most capable matron.—The motion was carried, and it was agreed that applications be invited for the position of matron. Mr Talboys moved the adoption of the Benevolent Committee's report, in which it was recommended that in reference to the expenditure and use of the 3s per week, balance over and above 10s per week maintenance charge, and 2s per week refunded in connection with old age pensions collected for pensioners who are inmates of the Benevolent Institution, the secretary be instructed to open personal accounts for those inmates to whom such balances be credited, the amount standing to the credit of each inmaie, to be available for expenditure on his or her comfort, benefit, or pleasure.—Mr Begg moved as an amendment that the matter be referred back to the committee for further consideration. He had received a letter from an inmate in which he and others objected to being penalised for those who abused their money when they received it.—Mr F. G.' Gumming seconded.—Mr Talboys, in reply, said that the pensioners only had to state what they wanted the three shillings for. The committee simply desired to see that the money was not wasted. He thought it would be a good idea to see how the committee's recommendation worked.—Tho amendment was lost, and the report adopted. Mr Templeton, in moving the adoption of the Sanatorium Committee's report, said he considered it the duty of the Government to supply beds for returned soldiers. He did not see why the responsibility of doing so should be put on the board.—Mr Talboys said that they onlyhad a certain number of beds at the sanatorium. If they were all going to be filled by soldiers, then what were they going to do with their civilians? If the Government did not make provision for soldiers at the different sanatoria they would have to provide one of their own. —The report was adopted. The Chairman, in moving the adoption of the Hospital Committee's report, said it was recommended that the subsidy to the Dental School for the treatment of children be increased from £2OO to £4OO a year.—Mr Begg said that at the meeting of the City Council Cr Bradley mentioned that the wife of a soldier, and a mother of five children, had been refused admission to the Hospital, and had been sent to the Benevolent Institution. —The Chairman replied that the Hospital was very much overcrowded. They had 246 beds there and practically 290 patients. The infirmary wards at the Benevolent Institution were an adjunct of the Hospital, and compared most favorably with the wards in the main institution. If the infirmary wards were in any other ground but at the Benevolent Institution then nothing would be heard about the matter. The infirmary wards there were well equipped and well looked after by an excellent nursing staff.—Mr Talboys said that the patients there were as well attended to as they were at the main hospital. The only thing against those infirmary wards was that they were on the Benevolent grounds.—The report was adopted. The following tenders were accepted : Supply and delivery of meat, E. F. Lawrence, at schedule prices; supply and delivery of fuel, John Mill unci Co., at schedule prices ; supply and delivery of fuel to the Pleasant Valley Sanatorium, Dunedin and Suburban Coal Company, at 23s per ton on truck at Palmerston, 24s 3d per ton at Goodwood, with bagging Is 3d per ton extra; carrying out of funerals, Hope and Kinaston—adults £1 17s 6d, children £l. The tender of John N. Armour fcr alterations to the massage department was accepted.