SAMARITAN HOME.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIX, Issue 14682, 13 May 1908, Page 3

SAMARITAN HOME.

A meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Samaritan Home was held yesterday afternoon ; present—Mr ,C. Hastings Bridge (chairman). Sister Lilian, Mrs Wilson and Messrs W. If. Cooper, J. Hayes, B. P. Manhire, C. H. Winny and F. J. Board.

Mr W. M'Millan forwarded his resignation from the Board on account of his approaching absence from New Zealand.

It was decided that Mr W. Dunlop should be elected to fill the vacancy, in accordance with a suggestion from the Selwyn County Council.

Mr W. H. Cooper was appointed to represent the Board at the conference to be held in Wellington in regard to hospital and charitable aid matters. The House Committee reported that the Home contained 29 men. 42 women and nine infants. Since the previous meeting 17 men had boon admitted, nine by the committee and eight through the Court, and 11 women, three by tho committee and eight through the Court. Eight men and one woman had been discharged. Miss Rawlings had resicrned the position of sub-matron, and~Miss Clark had been appointed. It was decided that ex-Constable M. Roche should be appointed male attendant at the Home. The chairman said that the number of inmates in the Home was unusually largo, most of the new arrivals coming from the Courts. Mr Manhire said that all institutions were meeting with a similar experience. The Homes were all becoming full, and most of the new arrivals were old age pensioners. Mr Board said that it was most inadvisable to allow the maternity cases to mix with women who formed thci other section of''tl>e inmates. The Home was full, and if the congestion continued, some steps would have to be taken. ' ■ >. ' The matron stated, in answer to questions, that there were nine maternity cases in the Home. The classes were kept as separate as possible, but her own opinion was that it was a pity to have the young girls in the same institution as the older women. Tho

classes were hound to meet, because the Home gave no facilities for complete separation: The girls should nbt be allowed to overhear tho conversation of the_ women. Every bed in the institution was full, and some of the women had to sleep upstairs in the portion of the Home used by the maternity department.

Mr Winny reported that the receipts for the year ended March 31 had been £9OO 10s 9d, and the expenditure £B9B 8s 4d, leaving a credit balance of £2 2s sd.

Other matters were dealt with, and the meeting closed.