NEWS OF THE DAY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22593, 23 March 1948, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

No Paper on Good Friday The Gisborne Herald will not appear on Good Friday, but will be published as usual on Saturday.

Hospital Board Finances The Cook Hospital Board yesterday adopted its finance committee’s recommendation that application be made to the Health Department for an advance of £4OOO of subsidy for the current financial year, and for authority for a bank overdraft of £24,000. Hospital Farm Surplus. The working accounts of the Cook Hospital Board’s dairy farm for February showed a surplus of £206 16s lid, the receipts totalling £339 15s 8d and the expenses £132 18s 9d. Sales of milk in bulk for January yielded £IBB 12s lid. Haulage of Coal.

With every available locomotive, i wagon and train crew pressed into ser-4k vice a record for coal haulage on the Nl Westport-Reefton-Greymouth railway line was established last week. Coa’l from the Buller mines is being railed while the Westport bar is closed to shipping. Occupied-Bed Rate With 179 discharges and five deaths balancing the 184 new admissions between January 31 and February 29 the number of occupied beds at the Cook Hospital remained static at 198. At the end of February there were 43 tuberculosis and 10 other infectious cases under treatment. Alterations to Central School. With a further increase in the school ’•oil this year, extra accommodation ■>r children at the Gisborne Central School has become necessary. At last week's _ meeting of the Hawke’s Bay 'Education _ Board approval was given 1 for alterations to various rooms in the school in order that pupils might be suitably accommodated in class-rooms-

Rate Collection Decrease A slight decrease in the percentage of rates collected to February 29. when the 10 Der cent additional charge was imposed, was reported by the secreMr E. A. Khull. at yes f erday's meeting of the Gisborne Harbour Board. The total sum collected was £4° 889 out of £43.651 levied. The percentile of rates collected this year was 98.23, as against 98.46 per cent last year. Parents’ Help With Lessons, An acknowledgement that the success of the emergency lessons during the poliomyelitis epidemic was due in a large measure to the hard work of the parents was made at a recent meeting of the Gisborne Headmasters’ Association. when thanks to all parents for their heln were expressed. The work on the whole had been neatly and conscientiously done and the association appreciated the help received from busy parents. To’aga Bay Electric Service Recently the Uawa Count.v Council wrote to the Cook Hospital Board asking it to guarantee an annual consumption of current in the Tolaga Bay Hosnital, in view of the necessity for entering in+o an agreement with the P.B. Electric-Power Board for a supply of rower from national sources. The board’s finance committee recommended that the board enter i.nto a guarantee of £SO per annum, as against the £29 paid to the Uawa County Council last year. New Telenhone Directories. The distribution of 6835 new telephone directories was commenced in the Gisborne postal district yesterday. Postmen in addition to their usual packets, each took a number of the new directories to distribute on their rounds. Tt is hoped by the postal authorities that all of the books will be distributed before Easter. This is the first directory printed since February of last year and includes the names of a number of new subscribers. Irrigation Sprinkler for Manutuke Using water from the Te _ Aral Stream, an overhead sprinking irrigtion system will be installed at the field station engaged in facial eczema research at Manutuke. Irrigation by sprinkling then will be used during the summer months to produce conditions likely to induce facial eczema in experimental lambs. Prior to and during the toxic period samples of grass will be sent to the Wallaceville animal research station for pathological examination and chemical break-down. GUts to Institutions. Gifts to the Cook Hospital for the benefit of patients were acknowledged by Miss E. M. Daly, acting-lady superintendent, at yesterday’s meeting of the Cook Hospital Board as under: Magazines and handwork material for occupational therapy department. Mrs. J. McKay: race tickets. P.B. Turf Club; reading matter. Mesdames Rail, Dennisten. and Scott, Misses Sanders. Mr. ■T. Blair, and two anonymous donors. The custodian of the Memorial Home, Mr. F. J. Butler, also reported on the receipt of a number of donations of reading matter, and a visit from the Salvation Army Band. Memorial Home Bowling Green. A nroposal that the board should consider the provision of a bowling °reen for the use of inmates of the Memorial Home was included in the visiting committee’s report submitted to yesterday’s meeting of the Cook Hospital Foard by Messrs. H. H. Barker and P. F. Barker. It was stated hv secretary, Mr. C. A. Harries, that the provision of the bowling green had been under consideration for some’ years, and part of the levelling had been done. Completion of the work could not be undertaken immediately, owing to the alternative use to which the ground had been committed. Hearing Aid Benefit. A reply to a recent inquiry by tha Cook Hospital Board to the Palmerston North Hospital Board, as to whether the latter board’s otologist could visit Gisborne to deal with applicants for the social security hearing-aid benefit, was dealt with in a report of the finance committee received at yesterday’s meeting of the Cook board. Tha ■Palmerston North board had stated that owing to the necessary test equipment being extensive, and not mobile, the proposal could not be complied with. The committee recommended that the board invite the Health Department to indicate the best method of implementing the hearing-aid benefit.

Ambulance Subsidy The increased cost of maintaining the ambulance, service—lncluding a rise, from £6 10s to £9 10s per week in the* wages of the driver—was the subject yesterday of a request from the St. John Ambulance Association to the Cook Hospital Board- The association asked for an increase in the board’s subsidy from £4OO per annum to £6OO per annum, and the increase was granted on the motion of Mr. Barker, who pointed out that the alternative to subsidising the association adequately was the conduct of the ambulance service by the board itself. It was further agreed, on the suggestion of Mr. A. M. Trafford, that the increased subsidy would be subject to the retention of the oresent charges for the use otp the ambulance. Mr. Trafford stated that ambulance fees fell heavily upon the back-country residents, and any rise in costs would be a matter of deep concern. The managing secretary, Mr. C A. Harries, stated that ambulance benefits were likely to be Included in new amendments to the social security regulations.