HOSPITAL SYSTEM.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 108, 7 April 1932, Page 7

HOSPITAL SYSTEM.

CIRCULAR TO BOARDS. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, April 7. A protest against the action of the president of the Hospital Boards’ Association of New Zealand, Mr Wm. Wallace, in instructing his secretary to send a certain circular letter to all hospital boards with the exception of Wellington, was entered in a resolution carried at a special meeting of the Wellington Hospital Board yesterday afternoon. The circular letter stated, inter alia, that the president desires individual boards to forward an expression of opinion upon the proposals made to the Minister of Health, and he deems it necessary that the boards should, through the members of Parliament representing their districts, forward a protest against any legislation being introduced of the nature of these proposals until the hospital boards have deliberated upon them in conferenco.

in a letter read at yesterday’s meeting, Mr Wallace gave several explanations for his action. “In my opinion,’’ ho said “tho Wellington Hospital Board, by its action in urging the Government to give legislative effect to its proposals during the emergency session of Parliament without affording ample discussion by hospital boards as a whole among themselves, placed itself outside the association in regard to this particular matter.’’ After dealing with a number of specific questions asked by the Wellington board Mr Wallace added that thus far no board had indicated support of the board’s proposal that the matter should be dealt with at the emergency session. • The chairman, Mr F. Castle, said that Mr Wallace regarded the matter ns being purely a domestic one, and ho differed from Mr Wallace in this respect. He held that every member of the association should be treated with due respect at all times; any information supplied to members of the association should be, by right, supplied to every member, and withholding anything from one was arbitrary deprivation of the rights of the association.

Dr Campbell Begg: It is violation of the articles of an incorporated body. Continuing, the chairman said that it was a matter for consideration whether the boards should forward a protest, or resign from the Hospital Boards’ Association. Deferring to Mr Wallace’s reply, Dr Campbell Begg said that the motion moved by the Wellington board had been grossly misrepresented, whether intentionally or not, he did not know. The motion was merely that the board advocated that legislation be brought down, and that copies of the motion be sent to every other board. There was no evidence that they were urging that legislative effect be given to their proposals during the emergency session of Parliament. No attempt was made to take a deputation to tho Government.

After a further discussion, in which some members expressed the opinion that the Wellington board had been hasty in pressing the proposals, an amendment moved by Mr C. M. Luke merely expressed regret at tho action of the chairman of the association in not consulting the chairman of the Wellington board. The amendment was lost by nine votes to five, and a motion, which previously had been moved bv the chairman, was carried by the same ma4ority.