WAITAKI HOSPITAL BOARD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21265, 20 February 1931, Page 10

WAITAKI HOSPITAL BOARD.

10 THE EDITOR. / Sib, —The policy outlined by the secretary and other members of the Waitakl Hospital Board at the meeting on Tuesday last made interesting reading and is worthy of some comment. Mr Rodman stated that £17,000 had been spent on Waipiata. This is a large sum, but the statement is altogether pointless owing to the fact that the period over which this amount has been expended is not stated. The secretary said that on the expenditure side the estimates were exceeded by £375. and that the receipts had fallen short by £l4O, so that between the two the board was over £SOO out. From my point of view this is rather interesting, and shows lavish expenditure during the month of January. lor the information of the I will give some details from the “ Statement of maintenance receipts and expenditure for the nine months ended December 31, 1930, as compared with the, estimates for the same period.” This statement is prepared by the secretary and issued to the members monthly. The actual receipts were £12,724 11s 3d, while the estimated receipts were £12,705 13s Cd. This shows an increase of actual receipts over estimated receipts of £lB 17s 9d. I would like to point out hero that the actual amount received from “ rents ” was £648 3s 6d, while the estimate or proportion for nine months was £B4O (a fixed amount). That gives a‘further surplus of £l9l IGs Od, which must be taker into account, thus making a total surplus of £2lO 14s 3d. For the same period the estimated payments were £14,449 9s 7d, while the actual payments were £14,225 10s 9d, giving a further surplus in favour of the board of £223 18s lOd. Therefore, between the two at December 31, 1930, the hoard was £434 13s Id within its estimates. VVc are now told by the secretary that the estimates have been exceeded by £SOO, and that means that the board lias gone to the bad in one month to the extent of £934 13s Id. Surely the public will require an explanation of this state of affairs.

The statement that there are now 15 patients in Waipiata is also interesting, when considered in conjunction with two extracts from minutes which I will quote here. At a meeting on November 18 a letter was read from the Waipiata Sanatorium Committee stating that there were several vacancies for male patients, and suggesting that two more male patients be sent. It was decided, on the motion of Messrs Rodman and MTnnes, to reaffirm the previous resolution of August 19," viz.: “That, as the board has now three more than its quota (II) at the sanatorium, it cannot agree to exceed this number.” I gave notice of motion to rescind the above resolution. At the meeting held on December 16, 1930, I duly moved that the motion restricting the number of patients to 14 be rescinded, so as to give the board the opportunity, in cases of emergency, to send patients forward when beds might again be available, The motion was lost, only Mr Dick and myself voting for it. In face of those resolutions, why are there now 15 patients in the sanatorium? burely someone has blundered. If this is not a case of glaring inconsistency, then r fu- i*' 0 , su 6gest where you can find one. 1 think the public will here note that the board has by its own action admitted that it was wrong in not rescinding the resolution of August 19 wheh given opportunity to do so.—l am, etc., John C. Kirkness. Oamaru, February 18.

TO THE EDITOR t SI , R ’TT In llis hook, “Vanished Pomps,” Lord I rederick Hamilton, describing his iierlm dancing partners, says; “They were bright, cheery girls, with most s.upendous appetites, who danced beautify Such a description with very slight alterations seems to apply very aptly to the sitting members of the Waitaki Hospital Board. They have an inordinate appetite for the sops so carefully prepared and spoon-fed by their executive officer, and they dance beautifully to the tqne piped by him, You will note that almost all the little ones asked for more, and, unlike Oliver Twist, they got it. This brings me to the point I wish to make, viz., that too manjA of the seats on our boards are filled with a type of professional public man -whose one ambition in life is to occupy seats on as many public bodies as possible, and who, through his multiplicity of duties, is unable to grasp the vital factors of any particular one. He. therefore, perforce has to be guided by the executive officers, and- invariably accepts their rulhfg without comment. As in public bodies, so in government, this rule by executive officers is the curse of New Zealand.—l am, etc., Good Form. Oamaru, February 18.