HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9403, 9 January 1894, Page 6

HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

The ordinary meeting of the Auckland Hospital and Charitable Aid Board was held at the Board's offices, High-street, yesterday. Thero were present: Messrs. J. Bollard (chairman), J. M. Lennox, 0. Hesketb, J. McCabe, J. Swales, S. Ambury, J. Gordon, and H. Garratt.

Sect to the Home.—' chairman drew the attention of the Board to the case of a old woman, who had been found living in a filthy condition by Inspector Goldie.. The chairman said he had sent the woman to the Home. She was possessed of property which the Board could take for her maintenance. On the motion of Mr. Lennox, the action of the chairman was confirmed.

House Surgeon's Report.Dr. Charles J. W. Lyttle, bouse surgeon at the hospital, reported that there wore 72 males and 31 females at present in the ; institution. i Daring the past fortnight 17 males and 10 females had been admitted, and 12 males and eight females had been discharged. Three deaths had occurred during the same term. f

Costley Home. The master of the Cosbley Home, Mr. J. Moss, reported that on January 7th there were 119 males and 41 females in the Home.. During the previous three weeks one female had been admitted, and one male and one female discharged. During that term five deaths had taken place. An Offer.— McNauehton wrote, offering £10, as a settlement of the account of James Forest Bell, who had formerly been an inmate of the Contley Home. The amount of arrears was £13. The Board decided to accept tho offer. Correspondence. — A letter was read from the North Auckland Board, asking tho Board to admit an old man named Henry Faulkner to the Costley Home upon the condition that hi» son-in-law paid 10s per week" towards his support. Mr. Garratt thoughts there were plenty of people in thecountry who would be glad to board the old man at the terms. He oppoued the application. After further discussion the application was declined. • * : v ■• -' '■

Children Boarded Oct.—A report with regard to the • number of children boarded out for the quarter ending December, 1893, was laid on the table. > The report stated that in most cases the children were very satisfactorily boused, bub in - two or three the report was - unfavourable; < Applications for Rem w.—An elderly man named James Hughes, -described as a gardener, applied for relief. J He asked the Board to allows him to lire at the Princesstreeb home for a month. - The , Board decided to allow him to remain in Princesstreet until their next meeting. John Brown, a gumdigger, 65 years of age, was also, admitted to the Princes-street home' for fourteen days. Martin Dwyer having left the Home and obtained his pension, asked to be again admitted. Mr. Ambury said if a man could draw his pension and spend it, he ought to be prevented from j returning to the Home. Mr. Gordon said the man had left the Home two or threo j months back. He thought arrangements could be made for the Board to receive payment of the man's pension. The Board decided to re-admit the man provided he assigned his pension. . Leave of Absence —Leave of absence was granted to Drs. Girdler and Parcbas members of the honorary medical staff. A considerable amount of time was taken up in discussing an application received from Dr. Forbes for leave of absence. The chairman stated thab he bad granted him leave of absence, on the condition that a duly qualified man was appointed in his place. Mr. Garratt said that the business of the Board should be conducted in a proper way. He thought the letter was one of the most unwarranted pieces of presumption that he had ever known. He read a portion of the letter, which stated that the applicant had the permission of the chairman of the staff for one week's leave of absence, and that he bad intended to leave the following day. This, said Mr. Garratb, was as good as telling them that he (the doctor) was going away. So that Dr. Girdler, the chairman of the medical staff, was away, Dr. Forbes was away, as well as the secretary of the Board, the relieving officer, and the house steward. He (Mr. Garratt) thought every man should have;, a holiday, but be should have ib when ib was convenient. He moved that the leave of absence should not be sanctioned. Mr. Lennox wished the matter referred to the House Committee. He thought it was useless to discuss it in the absence of the chairman of the staff. < Mr. Gordon was of opinion that the matter should be threshed-out at once. He did not see why they should refer ib to the House Committee. Mr. Ambury supported Mr. Lennox's suggestion. The chairman said he thought the. matter would be better discussed if the chairmatk of the staff was present. For that reason he would be in favour of referring it to the House Committee.

Mb. Gordon's, Motion.— accordance with notice given at the previous meeting Mr. Gordon moved:—" That standing order No. 16 be rescinded and the following substituted. The proceedings shall be conducted in the following order:— " 1. The minutes of previous meeting shall be read and confirmed. 2. Reports from Charitable Aid Committee, reports from House Committee, reports from officers of medical and honorary staff, reports from officers (lay) of Hospital, reports from Costley Home Committee, reports from officers of Costley Home (medical), reports from officers of Costley Home (lay), reports from select committees— of which shall be read, received, and considered on motion without notice. 3. Statement of finance. 4. Motions of which previous notice had been given shall be considered. 5. Correspondence sent from office, correspondence received in office since previous meeting. 6. Statement of returns (ordered to be laid on the table) received since previous meeting. 7. The following to be' added as No. 17 : A member of the Board shall have tho right to demand that committees and appointment of persons to office, shall be appointed by ballot." He said that ho had not for some time been satisfied with standing order 16. He believed that if the above order of conducting the business was decided upon, ib would be greatly facilitated. He had always held it to be eminently unsatisfactory that the chairman should have the sole conduct as to the order of the business. If something was not done, it would ultimately lead to aorne important item being forgotten. After a considerable , amount of discussion,, the motion was carried with the exception of clauses 6 and 7, which were expunged. Infant Life Protection Act.—Mr. Gordon drew the attention of the Board to the fact that houses where the occupiers took in children under two years of age for payment should be registered under the Infant Life Protection Act.