Thousand of Prescriptions.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 117, 18 April 1939, Page 6

Thousand of Prescriptions.

Proscriptions dealt with at the Palmerston North Hospital during the past year totalled 17.182, of which 8284 were for out-patients. A Lengthy Sitting. The meeting of the Palmerston North Hospital Board occupied nearly 5J hours yesterday, when the main business was the consideration of the financial estimates.

Aurora Australis Display. A display of the Aurora Australis attracted the attention of people who happened to look toward the southern sky last evening. The phenomenon made its appearance at about 8 o'clock and continued for upward of a quarter of an hour. At its maximum intensity the aurora attained a lovely crimson which faded to a pink, then was lost in the oncoming night. The brilliant scene was viewed in Wellington, Hastings, Dnnnevirke, the Manawatu and Rangitikei districts, and Christchurch, among other places. It will be recalled that a similar phenomenon was enjoyed on Easter Saturday last year.

Social Security or Credit? “We have been talking a lot today about social security,” commented Mr A. E. Mansford at the meeting of the Palmerston North Hospital Board, yesterday, when he said it appeared rather to be like social credit after considering the board’s commitments of £114,000 for maintenance costs this year, £15,000 for the repayment of loans and for capital expenditure, etc., and £82,000 for new buildings. Radio Interference.

No major cases of radio interference have been experienced in Palmerston North for some considerable time, although the radio inspector is engaged continually in tracking down what are termed routine troubles. Radio registrations are rising in this district month by month, and striking evidence of their growth is provded in the fact that there are nearlv twice as many sets registered in this telegraphic district as there were two years ago. Tool Seldom Seen.

Motorists who use only the major roads in the North Island, and particularly so in this district, seldom see a tool in use which was much in evidence in former days—a knapping hammer. Yesterday one was being used on the Manawatu Gorge Road on a length where fairly large metal had been spread in building up the road surface. Its appearance brought memories of other times, before the advent of bitumen roads, when the steady swing of the hammer left behind a neat causeway of broken stone, in the production of which skill was needed in conjunction with a nice co-ordination oh toe, eye and arm..

Cost of Stimulants. "Wines, spirits and malt liquors supplied as stimulants at the Palmerston North Hospital last year through the surgery and dispensary cost the Hospital Hoard £(59 Os sd, compared with £.54 15s 8d in 1937-38, and £2B Is lOd in 1936-37. Good Wapiti Bag. With a hag of four wapiti heads, including a fine 14 pointer 55 inches in length, Mr E. J. Herrick, of Hastings, and Major It. A. Wilson, of Bulls, have spent a successful big-game expedition in the Bligh Sound district. In the course of their trip, which lasted three weeks, they saw nine wapiti hulls, six cows and three calves.

Medical Staffing. The Palmerston North Hospital Board yesterday decided that no fresh applications he invited for positions on the honorary staff, but that the present staff he retained until such time as other arrangements are made in conformity with the introduction of hospital benefits under the Social Security Act. An Old Bridge.

“On tho way back from the Blue Mountains my attention was drawn to an old stone arch bridge over which the road ran,” said Mr J. Hodgens, M.P., in commenting last evening oil his recent trip to Australia. “It is the oldest in Australia and was built by convict labour in 1841. Nevertheless it it as good to-day as the day it was built.” Statistics for Operations.

Operations performed at the Palmerston North Hospital during the past year numbered 2065. Of these 1450 were of a general surgical nature, 447 specialist operations, including tonsils and adenoids, 90 teeth extractions, and 78 blood transfusions. The figures show an increase in the number of surgical cases.

New Siren. The new fire engine acquired a short time ago hv the Palmerston North Fire Board has been fitted with a new combined siren and flashing lamp. Electrically driven, the fitting is placed in the centre of the bonnet in front of the windscreen, and adds greatly to the engine’s efficiency. The warning noise is produced when vents in the side of tho device arc suddenly opened and shut by a revolving wheel. Big Building Loan. Tho Palmerston North Hospital Board, yesterday afternoon, passed a formal resolution to apply to the Mblister of Health and to the Local Government Loans Board for authority to raise a comprehensive building loan of £82.000 for 20 years on an amortisation basis, the balance to become payable in one sum at the end of the tenth year, with interest at 3J per cent. Anzac Day.

Although tho attendance of oxservicemen from New Zealand at the dawn parade in Sydney on Anzac Hay last year has influenced the Wellington and Auckland branches of the B.S'.A. to adopt a similar procedure in their centres to preserve the memory of tlie landing at Gallipoli, a resolution to continue with the form of expression found most successful in Palmerston North during the past few years has been made by tile local branch of the association. ConsequentIv, the observance will take the usual form. Hospital Death Rate.

“Two hundred and four deaths occurred during the past year at the Palmerston North Hospital, and of these 46 occurred within 48 hours of admission. It is of interest to note that of these deaths, 40 were over the age of 70 years, and 38 between 60 and 70 years of age. The general death rate was 5.94 per cent: the amended death rate, excluding deaths within 48 hours, was 4.6. A Motorist’s Complex.

Giving evidence in a case in the Atagistrate’s Court at Palmerston North yesterday, when a defendant was charged with travelling at 70 miles an hour in a high cross-wind between Palmerston North and' Himatangi, Traffic Inspector Semple stated that the explanation given by defendant was that he could not resist passing a special type of fast car -when ho met it. The cruising speed of defendant’s car w r as 60 miles an hour. Defendant, who W'ns fined £2 last August for dangerous driving on the Awaliuri-Alanga-weka Road, was fined £5, with 12s costs, on this occasion. Many Cars.

“One day I was taken to AVoy AVov, about 30 miles north of Sydney, and wo left early on the return, thinking there might be a traffic jamb at the car ferry across the Parramatta River, this being on the only route leading north from Sydney,” said Mr J. Hodgens, ALP., in the course of an interview last evening. “AA’hen we arrived at the ferry wo found that ours was the 560th car in a line waiting to cross, the ferry taking 30 cars at a time. A companion and I walked to the ferry from where our car was parked and this took us an hour. It was three and a half hours actually, before we were across the ferry and on our way again.”

Hospital X-ray Service. During last year 8604 X-ray films, costing £957 16s 6d, were used at the Palmerston North Hospital. There is still a steady increase in the volume of work and consequently in the cost of the X-Ray department. The fees recovered from out-patients for X-Ray work during the year were £1,324 16s 4d as against £1.434 4s 3d during the preceding year. The total number of in-patients X-rayed was 2235, as against 2179 in the preceding' year, and the total number of out-patients X-rayed was 1966 as against 1954 in the preceding year. The cost of the X-ray service in 1934-35, when 4159 films were used, was £393 14s 7d.

The Weight of a Signature. An instrument so delicate that it could weigh a person’s signature was one of the many wonderful machines used in a factory which ho had visited in Detroit, United States, stated llotarian E. A. Wallace, in an address he gave to the Palmerston North Rotary Club yesterday. This machine was used in the laboratory for testing materials. Ho had been asked, while inspecting this machine, to write his name on a piece of tissue paper which had been weighed before and afterwards, and had shown a variation of .00012 of a gramme, which was the weight of his signature. This set of scales was tested each year by tbe Bureau of Standards, "Washington, to ensure its accuracy.

Awapuni Home. “Substantial additions are being made this year to the Awapuni Home, which remains full, and in the women’s section there is an acute shortage of accommodation,” reported the managing-secretary (Mr A. J. Pliillipps) to the meeting of the Palmerston North Hospital Board, yesterday afternoon. “The average number of inmates for the year was 62.4 and the average number of staff living in was 18.5,” lie added. “Difficulty in securing suitable appointees to fill positions as nursing aids lias been experienced during tbe past year. At present an attempt is being made to secure tbe services of non-resident nursing aids. It is proposed to pay a boarding allowance in tbe same way as we pay a boarding allowance to non-resident members of the hospital staff.”