UNOFFICIAL INFORMATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15385, 23 February 1912, Page 7

UNOFFICIAL INFORMATION

PROTEST FROM THE HOSPITAL JsOAilD. THE ONLY WAY OUT. The delibratiouß of tho Hospital and Charitable Alii ISoard were vuncu 11 little last uigki by a brief, but wjry puiuttd ttiwiibUM on iho niauuiL' in wint'li certain co.iiiiuiu.o tiUbiuviiS intended to tie private touiid it* wuy into Uiu u-iunuii oi iho jitiWi|apL-n. 'It bad Loan moved and iwuiuinl tliat the board go mto conuoittwi when Mr J. J. Clark rtio to his feet. " 1 don't set- very much use," ho said, "of itiu board going into coittiiuitte. This burd lias gone into toinmitteo on several j occasions. At last meeting wo went into I committee to deal v. ill; very iiiqionant biisincs.\ i hat should liavu been conducted ill tiiii slricloat confidence, but the next thine, wii (inil is that soma persona oonnoctcd with the board have got such a high seiisu of honour tint they communicited lliu proceedings to the press." Not content with that, lio added, they even gave the voting that took place" on a motion. It swincd to him that this breach of confidence, this want of honour, explained very largely why some pubiio bodies liad such clilheulty in transacting their business, and why they had to nny fo much more than ordinary business men. If all their business xk to bn miit|.> public and tho puopl- with whom tney were negotiating for tho sale of properly were to be informed through tho medium of tho press exactly tho sentiments of all the members of tho board, there was very little uso of their going into committee until members knew belter what going into coiniuitteo meant. The Chairman (Mr J. 11. Walker) said he thoroughly endorsed everything that Mr Clark had said. 11 wa.> a matter of extreme regret, not only with that board, but with other public Jiodios that <oiuinittoo business was communicated to the jmblic press with tho result that, in many wiscis the body concerned hud to pay considerably more than it otherwise would. H« proimsoil to };ivn noiiie of motion at (he next mooting that ill future the whole of tho l»ard's hiisiness l>e transacted with the press present. He thought they could then rely on tho hont/ur of the press. Ho had always found that if tho press was asked to make no referenco to a matter they always religiously observed tlwt. They were ipiito eafe in the hands of the prifismoro sain than by going into committee. Whether this information had emanated from the members of the lward or from tho ollioo stair ho was not propar«l to say, and it was ;i most dillicult thing to find out. After all tho talking in tho world they-would bo no fmthor forward. Hit advocated iKildiug u commutco inoetihg ot tiio wholo board, with thu press present, on tho afternoon before tho regular meeting. 110 was sorry for what had happened, and ho thought every inoiiiber oi the board was sorry. Mr Tapper said that ratJior a retlection w;ls cast on each member of the board, lie thought it would Ixi better to try to get at tho bottom of it. Every member of tho board couid say distinctly ho had had no communication with tho press. The Chairman: 1 don't like to ask the members of tho board to take a stand of that sort. Air Wilkinson said ho would like to say IM'rsomilly that ho had had nothing whatever to do with this. They had this olfence continually before tlietn. Although he had been a ttroug adrccuto of taking certain work in committee, and had op|wswl tho press being present, ho was prepared to have tho press at their meetings after what had occurred, and rely tijion them not to report nnytliing they desirttl suppressed.

tlther ineiubn showed a desire to speak, but the Chairman put tho motion to go into committee, and it was carried without furlbr comment.