HOSPITAL MATTERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12328, 21 July 1903, Page 6

HOSPITAL MATTERS.

THE COMMISSION OF INQUIRY'S

REPORT.

ATTITUDE OF THE HOSPITAL BOARD

NO ACTION TAKEN.

The report of the Commission set up by the local bodies to inquire into the administration of the Auckland Hospital, and the conference of local bodies held in connection therewith last week, were referred to at yesterday's meeting of the Hospital and Charitable Aid.Board. The matter was brought up by tho receipt of a letter from the town clerk covering a copy of the minutes' of a meeting of the conference of local bodies held in May last, at which the Commission of Inquiry was appointed. ""The Chairman (Mr.'.JR. J. Garland) said that in answer to an invitation from the town clerk he attended the conference of representatives of local bodies on Friday last. He explained what had taken place at the meeting, and referred to his own statement that as he had only then just officially received a- copy of the "report of the Commission he could not at that stage make any reply to the statements in the report. He also, referred to his request, made at that .meeting, for a copy of the evidence taken before the Commission and of the deliberations of the Commission. at the meetings from which thepress was excluded. This request was not complied with, and his advice to the Board was to sit tight and conduct its business, faithfully, as it had done in the past- Ho j had.previously asserted that there was not; one penny of the money spent by the Board I which had not been rightly spent, and ho asserted this again. The Board had its duty to perform, and he for ono was going to carry out the duties of his office until his time had expired. (Mr. A. P. Friend: "Hear, hear.") He did not care what the local bodies said or did. and they, as moraburs of the Board, should take no notice of the result of the sittings of the Commission until they were supplied with'the information which he hod unsuccessfully endeavoured to obtain at tho meeting oh. Friday last, and also with a copy of the report, which had nob yet been officially communicated to the Board as a body. Mr. A. P. Friend said it had occurred to him that the Board might pass such a resolution asi the following: " That the Board declines to make any comment or in any way to reply to the report of the Commission set up by the local bodies until it receives from the" local bodies tho typewritten evidence taken before the Commission, and all minutes, individual reports, records, and documents on which the Commission founded the report placed before the local bodies at the meeting on July 17." He said that the report of the Commission had gone forth to the colony, and some members of the Board had attended last week's meeting, and therefore it might be advisable to pass such a resolution as he had suggested. The Chairman: When we make our reply that can also go forth to the colony. Mr. Friend: Yes: but the one who has the first say generally has the whip-hand. Mr. A. Bruce said the Board had received nothing officially in connection with the report of the Commission, and therefore there was nothing before the meeting. ; ".. Mr. J. McLeod moved. '■'" That the chairman's report of tho proceedings at last week's meeting be received, and that be be thanked for his report." He said he was also present at the meeting last Friday, which was the most extraordinary meeting" that he had ever attended. (The Chairman: " Hear, hoar.") It was a most extraordinary thing for the meeting to resolve to adjourn for a fortnight, but at the same time to refuse to allow the Board to have the information asked for by its chairman. They would thus be no further forward at the end of the fortnight. Ho asked one of the leading members of the Commission present at the meeting what evidence the Commission had in regard to one of its particular references and recommendations. The ■ reply was, "We had no evidence at all! - ' (Laughter.) The Chairman said that his object in making his request to the meeting was to get the whole of the evidence before the Board, so that it could base its rcplv to the report and rebut the charges made by tho Commispion by means of the Commission's own 'evidence. _ As to the resolution suggested by Mr. Friend, there was no occasion for it, as the Board had not yet received the report of the Commission.

Mr. McLcod's motion having been carried, the discussion terminated.

THE BOAKD'S FINANCIAL POSITION,

Dnring tho meeting a letter was read from Dr. MacGregor (Inspector-General of Hospitals), stating that he was directed by the Government to ask what special reason, if any, existed for the Board's application to the Colonial Treasurer for an advance of £6000 under section 13 of the Hospital and Charitable Institutions Act Amendment Act, in anticipation of the Board's estimated revenue for the current year, such advance to be exclusive of tho subsidy of £1533 16s 2d, already applied for. The Chairman reported that he had sent a reply to Dr. MacGregor, nointing out (1) that the Board's overdraft was £3427, exclusive of the amount of the- June accounts, which would be about £2000; (2) that the bank would not advance more than £5963 on overdraft; (3J that the Board would not receive any appreciable income for the next three months; (4); that during the last financial yoar Hie Board was committed to an expenditure of over £2560 for the treatment of infectious diseases owing to tho fact that the Health Department and the local bodies had made no provision for such cases, a state of affairs which had landed the Board in difficulties, and which was not contemplated when it made its levy on the local bodies for the past year; (5) that owing to the Health. Department making a levy on the local bodies for the Point Chevalier hospital scheme tho Board expected to meet with considerable difficulty and delay in collecting the contributions for the current year. The Board approved of the reply sent by the chairman. ,

Chairman said that if the reply to the Board's letter was not satisfactory he would probably call "a special meeting of the Board to consider the position. /