THE HOSPITAL TRUSTEES AND THE MAYOR.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 889, 15 March 1889, Page 31

THE HOSPITAL TRUSTEES AND THE MAYOR.

Reference was made by Dr Newman at the meeting of the Hospital Trustees on Tuesday to the remarks made by the Mayor on Thursday night with respect to the charitable aid and hospital expenditure. Dr Newman said he did not think the charges of extravagance made against the Hospital Trustees by the Mayor should be allowed to go unchallenged. The public should know that there was no extravagance of the kind, and that whereas when the Trustees took the Hospital over from the Government they found gross extravagance prevailing, they had, by careful management and economy, cut down expenditure under every head. In proof of this, Dr Newman quoted from the report of Dr Macgregor, Inspector of Hospitals, in ISSG. In that report, which severely criticised other hospitals, the Wellington Hospital was referred to as follows: “Great economies and improvements have been effected since the Hospital came into the hands of the Trustees. Under Mr Rowntree’s careful management great savings had been made. By introducing a regular diet scale notable reductions were effected in all the chief items. In the matter of tea alone, taking a period of three months, the consumption was reduced nearly by a half. The wine and spirits bill was £127, as against £433 for tho previous year. All this has been effected by the energy and vigilance educed by the change from Government control. . . . . The manage-

ment of the whole is admirable, and the Hospital is one to be proud of.” Again, in his report for 1888, the Inspector-Qeneral said—“ The management of the Hospital continues to deserve the highest commendation.” Dr Newman went on to.. contend that the nursing and treatment at this Wellington Hospital were much superior to what was obtained at other similar institutions, and he pointed out that at Dunedin the expenditure would now have to be greatly increased. In his opinion the Trustees could not curtail anything except at the cost of efßoiency. Having seen the hospitals in Sydney and Melbourne he could safely say that they were not a bit more efSoient than the local one,, and the- Trustees should have had credit for eoonomy instead of extravagance. (Hear, hear.)

The Chairman (Mr Fraser) said th,e Mayor was wrong when he said the people had no control over expenditure. The City Council, the contributors, and the contributing bodies, appointed the trustees. The Rev Mr Yan Staveren thought the*should not tahe. any notice of wll&t v>' A by a Mayor and Council vrh' jS sa , visionaries as those now in '' YU 0 . suc , they were nae® Hdi>'“ - °lhce. He roared that they wottf -A to do 80 man y things Mi' Lu l " - never do anything, the • —e agreed with Dr Newman as to necessity for maintaining the efficiency of the Hospital. This ended thn discussion.