HAWERA HOSPITAL BOARD

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXII, Issue LXII, 23 January 1912, Page 6

HAWERA HOSPITAL BOARD

V 0 MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Hawera . , Hospital and Charitable Aid Board was ■' Jield on Monday.' Present: Messvs It. H. Nolan (chairman), W. Duirs, T. A. Bridge, J. Marx, W. Swadling, W. T. > Wells, C. Tarrant, G. W. Tayler, W. Goodland, and C. E. Harrington (secretary). . , REPRESENTATION. ' A letter was received from the Inspec-tor-General of Hospitals with reference to the proposed representation of local ■authorities on the .board under the ward or riding'system, and asking^ after consultation with the counties, whether the Board would prefer to see the members allocated among the ridings, or simply apportioned to the counties as a whole. Jl)x& Chairman said that he and Mr fe-sdiand had gone carefully into the , waiter, and tney thought that the present system was satisfactory. Mr Goodland said he did not see there was any 'necessity to go in for riding representation. JVtr Marx spoke in favor of the ward system, saying that it was. much fairer than any • other. Mr Tayler said that Rawhitiroa and Omona were really left out in the cold for there was no represeative for those districts. He- represented the Eltham - borough, but he looked after the interests of the districts referred to. Mr Goodland took it that Rawhitiroa and Omona were not left in the cold x for he considered those ' districts were " : well r#presented by Mr Tayler. Besides, there was no preferential treatment of • -any particular district. ; Air Marx said that Eltham county should be represented on. the east and Drest side of the railways. At present there were two representatives on the M&ngatoki side, while on the Omona side there was no representative, except for the borough. TVIr Swadling favored the idea of a Tepreseutative for the east portion of the Eltham county. Mr Duirs considered the riding system would be a good thing if it could be acted upon. Mr Tarrant pointed out that the Hawera County .Council's representatives ) were fairly well scattered. Mr Tayler said there was no representative for 30' miles east of Eltham. The. chairman said' he did not think' there was any provision in the , Act for .representation under the riding system. The secretary said that was so. The Chairman replied that in order to l>un^ the ward system into force there WoYiiu. require to be an amendment in the Act. ... ■ _ After further discussion it- was agreed that the various county councils be communicated with before replying to the letter f r.om tlio Inspector-General. . MAINTENANCE OF DEAF AND ■ BLIND CHILDREN. Letters were received from the Department of Education and also the Department of Hospitals and Charitable Aid, relative to claims against charitable Aid Boards for maintenance of deaf, blind, and feeble-minded children, and intimating that it. had been decided, to ] give the Board an opportunity to express its views in the individual cases , as to the ability of the relatives to contribute; and where it was found'necessary to-take;, proceedings, to obtain an 1 order of the Court, the Board would be notified by the police, so that it might be represented at the hearing if it wished. ■-:'■ ■ •■ .:■'.'- •'•'■. TENDERS FOR DRUGS. It was resolved to support the following resolution passed at the confer--enee of Hospital Boards: "That it is '■desirable that the Boards should combine for the purpose of letting a contract for the supply of leading lines of drugs and dressings to the hospitals of Dominion." The Inspector-General, in a letter covering the resolution, said —"-that if the Boards of the Dominion agreed_ to. the proposal, he would forthwith invite tenders from wholesale louses. ' , • LIGHTING THE HOSPITAL. A letter was received'from the Ha- • '-wera County Electric Light Company,' under date December 5, acknowledging' . the receipt of the Board's letter that the lighting question had again been, held over, and further saying that the company could not see its way, unless other arrangements were arrived at, to continue the supply after December 31. The . company considered the remuneration ■(4s per annum) was too small. Replying to a question, the chairman said the current had reference to tlie .X-ray plant. This had since been disconnected. The letter arrived in the holidays. A letter was also received from the - medical superintendent, pointing out the necessity for having the plant again supplied with the current. Members were in general agreement that the company had shown a want of courtesy to the Board and had acted arbitarily in cutting off the current, without the Board having had an opportunity to go into the matter. The Chairman said the matter of the supply of current to the X-ray plant had never been in question. It was only the question of lighting. It was resolved, on the motion of Messrs Bridge and Tayler, that a committee consisting of' Messrs Marx, Tayler, Goodland, Wells, and tl}e Chairman , be appointed for the purpose of considering the lighting of the hospital b.y ■electricity or other means, and to report at the next meeting, and that arrangements be made for the connection of the X-rays forthwith. Subsequently arrangements were made for the restoration of the current. SANITARY INSPECTOR'S SALARY. A letter was received from the Stratford Hospital Board with reference to the payment of the Sanitary Inspector's salary, saying the Board were under the impression that it was to be borne by the districts in proportion to their rateable value. A further letter stated that the Board had suggested -a conference to endeavor to arrive at a satisfactory solution of the difficulty that had arisen. The Chairman said his Board had.received a letter from the Inspector-Gen-«ral to the effect that he was under the impression that at the conference it was .agreed that each Board should pay one3ialf of the inspector's salary. The Chairman, Messrs Marx, Tayler, -■x iind Goodland were appointed a committee to attend the suggested conference. PROPOSED MORGUE. The Hawera Borough Council advised that it could not legally expend money on th& proposed erection of a morgue unless the land was held by the Council. PATIENTS' ACCOUNTS. The Patea Hospital Board advised ■that all claims between the two Boards liaJl been settled. This was considered satisfactory. REPORTS. _ Nurse Beetbam's report on the Maori > district work and the sanitary inspector's A report were adopted. The latter stated that one death from tiiberculosis was - notified in the Haw-era borough, and one _case of tuberculosis from the Eltham "borough. He understood the patient v froin Eltham was making arrangements to go to Cambridge sanatorium. Two '. cases of scarlet fever were notified, one v.'tfrom Awatuna West, and the other from JKapuni. J X VISITING COMMITTEE. I s ;.. The Chairman, Messrs Goodland. and were appointed a visiting com- I >■ ir.iitee.