Marlborough Express. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER, 1, 1908. OUR CHARITIES.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLII, Issue 207, 1 September 1908, Page 4

Marlborough Express. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER, 1, 1908. OUR CHARITIES.

The sum of 6s lOd per head of the population of New Zealand does not appear to be a very large amount to expend upon hospitals and charitable aid in the course of a year, but the total is £315,196. In the annual report for 1907 of the InspectorGeneral this cost is said to be higher than most othei' places in the Empire. In the United Kingdom the hospital expenditure is 7£d, and, including special hospitals,' Is Id per head. This is so low-as to.suggest inefficiency, or that the callous neglect so graphically depicted by Dickens still lingers there. A better ! basis of comparison is with Australia, where the cost to the population of the entire Commonwealth is 8s 3d per head, of which 3s is fpr hospitals pure and simple, as against 2s 3£d in New Zealand. So that by comparison with our big neighbour, the expenditure, in , New Zealand is not after all unduly high. Of the £315,196 spent upon (hospital and charitable aid in New Zealand last year, the sum of £210,780 was absorbed by hospitals, and £104,416 went in charitable aid. _ Tliese show increases upon the previous year of £24,838, and £150 Respectively. Hospital expenditure increased largely in regard to rations, salaries, and new buildings, the total being.£24,B3B. As regards this substantial increase, 1639 more patients were treated in hospitals than in the year previous, and the total collective days t stay was 553,119, against 549,371; the individual average days' stay in hospital, however, being 33.57 days as against 34.71 in the previous year. The total expenditure on new buildings was £39,498 12s 2d. It is not considered probable that there will be any decrease in this expenditure for some time to come. The expenses of. several recent additions to hospitals are not included in this year's accounts, and during the coming year considerable extensions are contemplated at no less than ten hospitalSi An examination into the large, increase in salaries—£63,l7l, as against £5,652 in 1906-7—shows that the salaries were increased at fortyfour and reduced at five hospitals. At four institutions the salaries remained as they wsre last year. The chief cause of tpis increase is undoubtedly due to an1 extra demand and a difficulty, in obtaining registered nurses. In many instances, also 'the salaries of medical superinteiidei^ts have been raised, and ext'rii appointments have been made. Trained nurses comprise 31 per cent, of the total number, and the Inspector-General, after referring, to English practice, states that, considering, therefore, the eight-hours system, it. would appear that,, as a whole, the proportion of trained to, untrained nurses in the hospitals of the Dominion is riot an excessive one. There were 19,160 -patients under treatment in hospitals during the

year, an increase of 1639 over the previous year, or aboilt 2 per cent, of the population. The daily average number of patients was 1403. As usual, the proportion of male to female admissions was two to one. There were 1521 deaths, the, average deathrate of the fifty-three hospitals being 7.9 per cent:' ."Strong comment was made last year oh the fact that so many chronic cases were being treated in our hospitals* and the InspectorGeneral deplored the absence of institutions for fche reception and treatment of chronic and incurable cases which occupy our hospital beds to the exclusion of the acutely ill. The worst offenders in. this respect are, he states, our larger hospitals and those of the. West Coast; but now that an excellent chronic ward has been provided at the Costley Home, Auckland,' and the Ashburton and North Canterbury Charitable Aid Board are about to build incurable wards in connection with their institutions at Linwood and Ashburton, it %to be hoped -that Auckland and,, Christchurch respectively will; be able to free their hospitals of chronics and incurables. : Through the generosity of the Wellington people that hospital has an excellent ward for. such unfortunates. '•'Moreover," continues the report, "if the chronic Cases be treated in 1 wards connected with a charitable institution it. would prevent a great deal of hospital abuse; Many people, have no "scruples in allowing their relatives to remain in £he hospital from year's • end to year's end, without paying the hospital fees, bM the same people would make a strenuous effort to keep \ them from the liphairitable institutions. ; Many of these patients oould be treated at their own tomes, with, the occa- ! siorial assistance/ oj * a district nurse.'f. I The children's^" jk>rtion of the :\«x- ---! penditure was £18,39^ 1137 children being, either received into industrial' ■ schools or boarded.-outjat/ a total cost of £18)394, or 6s 9<l per head per week, as against; ■£16,133 expended in 1906i7. The Irispector-Gteneral jpomts out in regard %& %he four St. Helens :'■ hospitals that/jßwm tfcat tie patients are more numerous and the four,s hospitals in full awgig it is hoped that they will become practically self-sup- ! porting. TJheiSiKeH^lenf Hospitals act as training^hools1 for niidwives, stbout thirtjfnve?o£ wßojn, complete their; training :• The total cost of■■-!--mßi:nte^S&^--'-.-*aß £3667, of which £2850^ was' rSodjiped. in patients' payments and'^^probationers' fees. There were 662! patients during the year,, and 667! infants.born in the hospitals* There ;aW^ 'four maternal ■deaths, and f6^:V-" s'doathiß.-:ol''5'doathiß.-:ol'' infants during the year,i\TJiis is a,satisfactory recordj especially fe*when it is remembered that oasei Have sometimes been sent to the St.xftflens Hospitals when; complications* h»v© sfet; in'and special 4;r.eatmerit h&s t^ttv considered necesr1 sary. Intadd^wtt; to these : indoor casesf 160;outd^^ses!were attended by nuirsesifroMif^be'St. Helens Hospitals. Of th& 160 infants born, six died. ■'fT\»T»M^4x4iiio- {maternal deaths. '•'lt. will; be notic^i" concludes the InspectorHSenera^ ;]-<fih'at: ;of the infants born Mith^SticHelens Hospitals^ Wellingftoni during %© year ;nw leSa thair • 97J:; ioer> : were riiirsed by their motness^!: iThis should■ -go to show thatvtheciyi^ often ;raised as to^ tlte/'in'ajbiUt^f^^lmodern' mother to= nurse her childVis-^rat any rate as far: as New Zealato4liS concerned—greatly e^aggerated.^-if,^^ '"■ •■■ ■•■; ['"■■■ ■>■'"'