OTAGO HOSPITAL BOARD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21521, 18 December 1931, Page 17

OTAGO HOSPITAL BOARD

MONTHLY MEETING The final meeting for the year of the Otago Hospital Board was held last night, and was attended by Messrs W. E. S. Knight (chairman), G. Gallaway, W, B. Morgan, J. W. Scurr, D. M'Lennan, Dr Newlands, A. F. Quelch, Miss Runciman and Mrs Macdonald. STUDENTS IN RESIDENCE. The House Committee submitted a report on the! proposal to accommodate six final-year students at Dunedin Hospital, put forward by the deputation from the University Council, which waited on the board at its last meeting. The committee gave the approximate cost of taking the students into residence and pointed out that aditional expense would be incurred by the purchase of extra furniture and fittings for the living quarters.—Mr Gallaway moved—“ That the board refuses to entertain the proposal.”—Mr Quelch, in seconding the motion, said that value of service the board would get did not warrant the outlay. < This was not the time to go to unnecessary expense, and it seemed to him that the Hospital was sufficiently well staffed already.— Mrs Macdonald reminded the board that Sir Lindo Ferguson, who headed the deputation, had stressed the necessity of securing good house surgeons for Dunedin Hospital, and she thought that if the proposal were adopted it would be one way of getting in early to get their services.— Mr Gallaway’s motion, on being put to the meeting, carried on the casting vote of the chairman.

FIRE PROTECTION FOR WAKARI. A letter was received from the town clerk, Dunedin, declining an application for an extension of a water main for fire protection purposes at the nurses’ home, Wakari Hospital, and pointing out that the City Council could not, as a matter of policy, reticulate for fire protection purposes only.—*' It is a ridiculous situation,” declared Mr Scurr, “when the City Council has to provide I water for fire protection for everyone else, but cannot do so for nurses.” Mr Scurr added that if the nurses were not worthy of protection nobody was. The home was in an isolated position, and, as it was in the council’s area, it was that body’s duty to provide fire protection.—Mr Morgan said that the home stood on a valuable property, on which the board paid heavy rates. He suggested that the reticulation might be carried out at a small cost with unemployed labour and by using old pipes. If this were pointed out to the City Council it might reconsider its decision. —On the motion of the chairman, it was agreed that a deputation consisting of himself. Mr Scurr, and Mr Morgan should wait on the Water Committee of the council at its next meeting and request that it should again consider the matter. COMMITTEE REPORTS. The reports of the Benevolent, Sanatorium, and Finance Committees were adopted without discussion. HOSPITAL COMMITTEE. The chairman moved the adoption of the Hospital Committee’s report. —Dr Newlands referred to the clause relating to the approval of 20 applications for enrolment ns students of the Massage School. Just as had happened in some of the training colleges, he said, some of the trainees were blaming the board for not finding them employment 6n the completion of their training, and were complaining that after being trained they were left stranded. He had explained to some of these pupils that, beyond training them, the board could not take the responsibility of finding them employment, but nowadays there seemed to be a tendency to lean on any powers that happened to be handy. He had suggested to. the principal of the school that the number of trainees should be limited to under 20, but she had explained that this would hardly be fair, as some of the pupils wished to get the training, irrespective of taking up massage as a career. It might be as well for the secretary, when notifying applicants of their acceptance for training, to add a memo disclaiming any responsibility for the applicant’s future career, and pointing out that openings were not so numerous now as they used to bo. He would move in this direction—Mr Quelch seconded the motion, which was carried, and the report was adopted.