WAIPIATA SANATORIUM

Evening Star, Issue 21037, 26 February 1932, Page 15

WAIPIATA SANATORIUM

MEETING OF COMMITTEE The above committee mot at Dunedin on Tuesday, there being present Messrs E. Macdonald (deputy-chairman), H. E. Niven, W. Bryant, J. Rodman, A. King, J. G. Johnston, J. Ritchie, P. Aitken, and Inspector Cameron, representing the Department of Health. The Southland Hospital Board advised the appointment of Mr H. E. Niven, of Edendale, as its representative on the committee, in place of the late Mr John Matheson, and tho de-puty-chairman and Mr Ritchie formally welcomed Mr Niven to the meeting.— It was decided, on the motion of Messrs Ritchie and Bryant, that Mr Macdonald be appointed chairman of tho committee in place of the late Mr Matheson.

Miss M. Shepherd, matron of Balclutha Hospital, wrote .accepting the position of matron of Waipiata Sanatorium in succession to Miss E. A. Wilson, who had resigned, and the Direc-tor-General of Health advised that the Minister had approved of Miss Shepherd’s appointment. Correspondence re exchange of property between the committee and Mr Frank Mathias, and letters from the Wallace .Hospital Board with reference to the admission of a patient to the institution and the National Provident Fund with 8 reference to the retirement of Matron E. A. Wilson were received and left in the hands of the secretary and medical superintendent for attention.

The Medical Superintendent reported that on J anuary 31 there were 108 patients in the institution, and with the exception of 16, whose condition at present was stationary, were all doing well or improving. He stated that he had visited the different centres in the committee’s districts during the month, and recommended as suitable for treatment patients from the following districts:—Waitaki 2, South Canterbury 3, Ashburton 3, and Southland 1. The Secretary reported that at date of meeting the following boards had patients in the institution:—South Canterbury 33,. Southland 34, Ashburton 15, Waitaki 11, South Otago 8, Wallace 5, Vincent 3, Maniototo 1, Waipiata Sanatorium Committee 1; a total of 111. Of this number 8 had been in the institution for more than two years, 19 for more than one year, while the balance (804) had been under treatment for less than 12 months. Since tho last meeting of the committee 6 patients had been discharged, 5 with the disease arrested and 1 disease quiescent. He also submitted a waiting list of 19 patients, and stated that arrangements had been made for 5 others to be admitted almost immediately, leaving an actual waiting list of 14. The Farm Manager submitted a report on the milk and meat supplied to the institution during January,, and account sales of 21 pigs disposed of at .Burnside saleyards. The Department of Health forwarded a copy of tho milk'analysis of each of the dairy herd taken in November, which was received, copy to be forwarded to the farm manager.

Mr Aitken, on behalf of the Farm Committee, reported on the farm operations generally and work done during tho month.' The matter of water supply to farm buildings and erection of implement shed and sitting room fireplace for the farm hands left in the hands of tho Farm Committee with power to act, on the understanding that the buildings-could be cheaply erected, as most of the material required was at present on tho ground. The Treasurer reported on the state of the committee’s finances, showing that the' actual expenditure for the period was well below the amount estimated at the beginning of the year, and probably by March 31 the committee might be in a position to consider a further reduction in the charge to the associated boards for the maintenance of their patients. A communication was received from the Department of Health asking for information regarding the committee’s capital expenditure proposals for 19321933, and after some consideration tho treasurer and medical superintendent were directed to go into the question of procuring a suitable X-ray plant for examination purposes, there being at present in the committee’s hands an unexpended balance for capital purposes from tho previous year’s accounts. Although there is great need for the erection of tho administrative block for the better working of the institution, the committee was of tho opinion, owing to the economic conditions prevailing, that tho erection of this would require to be held over in the meantime.