HOSPITAL TRUSTEES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13857, 21 March 1907, Page 2

HOSPITAL TRUSTEES.

The ordinary mooting of the Hospital I Trustees, held yesterday afternoon, was attended by Messrs P. Miller (chairman), i 8. Solomon, A. Tanpftr, J. M. Brown, W. j Wills, T. Mackenzie, M.H.R., J. Mill, and J. Robin. The House Committee reported that donations had been received from Mrs A. 0. Fomviok. Mrs Crolly, Mr Meroor, Mr .15. .Reynolds, Mrs . Sinclair, Mr M. J. Fyfi'e," Mrs Crawford, and Mm Romerill. The Finance Committee reported that salaries and accounts for February amounting t0.£925,8s lltl hMl!wn,.exiuprned. .and., passed for payment. The receipts for February wore £152 19s '6d, and for Hie. present month lo'date £673 Os lid. Fixed deposits to the value of £5500 becamo due on February 27 last. iiin children's ward. Mr Mackenzie said there wore a good many matters that ca.me before the J&uso Committeo which were not reported to the trustees. He understood that complaint had been made to the committee that tho children's ward was being used for womfin patients, with the result that children had lo be refused admission io the .Hospital. Mr Solomon: It is not quite correct- to say that the matter was brought before the committeo in tho way indicated by Mr Mackenzie. I brought Iho matter before the committee the otW day of my own .motion. Tho position is that, at tins time' of the Queen's Jubilee a substantial sum of money was subscribed by the publics for a .children','j ward, with a unmoor of beds specially for the uso of children. These beds, or some of them in a ]K>rtion of the building, are being used for women patients, and thai is a very wrong thing. I know of an instance wjievc a child hail to wait two weeks before it could be admitted to undergo a, surgical operation. Mr Mackenzie: As many as 11 children wore refused admission in 'February. The Chairman explained that the lower portion of the children's ward had 14 or 15 beds, which were allocated to children'. The upper floor of the wawJ. under an arrangement, was partly used by Dr Batdielor for gynecological cases, and partly h.v Dr Ferguson for onthalniic cases. A considerable sum of money was subscribed for a women's ward, but there was not sufficient to erect a separale building, and some arrangement was made to allow the upper part of the children's ward lo be used. It was .the ease that, children, as well as other patients, had been refused admission owing to the large, number of applications during the past two months. Mr Solomon: Is (hero no other part of the Hospital where the patients of Drs Batchclor and Ferguson can so? Tho Chairman: Not at present; but when the new wing in evootcd there will ■he moi'c aMommodation. There were not: sufficient children to occupy the Ms when tlus arrangement .was made to allot portion of the building to other pufposcs. He concurred in the views expressed that it. .was not a. proper thing- to have tho children's part of tlm Hospital used for other purposes than it was intended for. It was resolved, on tho motion of Mr T. Mackenzie—"That the House Committee inquire into and report at next meetins the obi net ' or which tho publio contributed the money for providing aceoinmo- ' ii.ilion for children, and to what extent i elfeet. is now baing given io comply with ■ that eflort." 1 HOSPITAL SATURDAY COLLECTION. Tho Secretary of the Hospital Saturday ! Association (Mr E. D. Grace) wrote advis- ' injr that the not amount received from the • street collection on December 1 was £812. ■ of which sum the committee had decided • to distribute £800, and oarr.v forward tho : balance to next year aa a provision for s possible contingencies. Tho Secretary t wrote: "In bunding your trustees a ' clicquc for 3533, being two-thirds' of thfl ) proceeds as decided upon ,by the public • meeiing held in the Town Hull on oct tober 25, 1906, I am .requested by my com- • mit-fee to emphasise the opinions expressed I at the several meeting in connection wif.ii 5 the association that the large amount now t forwarded represents the contribution ol > a generous public towards providing in--1 cronsnd comforts and possible medical necessities for tho sick poor. If. will 5 gratify the committee to ho able to assure ■ the annual mooting of tho association in 7 September that the money collected on s behalf of tho Hosnital Ins been fully 1 spent in tho direction desired, in ordci that it may again enlist tho zeal and > interest of the society's energetic lady V workers. s Referring to the letter, Mr Solomon res marked that the money raised was not '■ intended to take taxation ol? the rate- '' payers, and therefore could not: bo riser '' for the ordinary purposes of the Hospital. It was donated for the purpose of provid ing prr-c'ifer comforts for patients in the Hospital—to raise the r-calo of comforts. ' l Tho secretary was indruefcod to write r * thanking the. 'Hospital Saturday Asfiocia Hon for its efforts.. and to assure _th< ' wscsifttioii lhat llio suggestions container in (ho letter would rccoivo the carofu attention of the trustees.