CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 2805, 18 December 1907, Page 14

CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting of the Charitable Aid Board of the united districts of Vincent, Maniototo, Tuapeka, and Otago was held in the office of the secretary (Mr T. S. Graham), Empire BuilffingS^Tyun%ain, ■ 'a^the .4th inst. The members elected, iy contributing local authorities are: — IJunedin Borough — Messrs P. Miller, H. '„. Tapley, J. H. Walker, and Dr j3atchelor ; Alexandra Borough. OtwditdP Borough, Vincent County — llr James JHazlott; Maniototo County, Nasaby Borough— Mr Patrick Kinnsr; Lawrence 'Borough, Roxburgh Borou- h* Tapanui Borough, Tuapeka Coanly— ?lr W. E. S. i-night; Bruce County, Milton .Borough, K&itangata Borough — Mr Joseph Moslfly; Balclutha Borough, Clutha County— Mr John Clarke; Taieri Ccunty, Mosgiel Borough, Green Island Xx>rough —^Messrs. M. Stevenson and T. Aitkca; Maori Hill Borough, North-East Vsiley Boi&igh Boslyn Borough— Meters ~-W. Wilkinson and F. Andeison; Waioerao County, Waikonaiti County— Mr David Roes";-' -three road boards, Bay Town diat-iet, St. Kilda Bqroagh— Mr W. J. Burk; 'Vest Harbour Borough, Port "Chalmers Borough, Pal--mencton Borough, Hawksbury Borough — Mr John Mill. All the members were ' present with the exception? of ' Mr "Hoes, - *ho forwarded an apology for hi* ahn&ce. ELECTION OF CHAIBMAN. Mr Mill moved that Mr Miller be •tacked ohairman for the ensuing yearMr Knight nominated Mr Stevenson. I Dr Batchelor seconded Mr Stevenson's tommation. Mr Miller said he had no intention^ oi taking the position of chairmen. ' Hie' was thankful^ that his name had been mentioned, but 'he had not the time to attend to the duties. He had just given up the Hospital Trustees for ~£h~at reaeon, and he recognised that there, would be considerable,work for the chairman in the coming year. He had been ffplpciiniWd a« <tn% of the representatives of th¥ -city, and 'he wosld be glad to take up the position, but be could not accept the duties of chairman, seeing that they were likely to be so arduous. .>- ». # "-y Dr Batchelor said it ifa* «w«U to; have a ohange in tho ohairnuNaship., If there was no change things were apt -to get into a groove, and that was not desirable; He was anxious also to see Mr Stevenson in- Ac position of chairpiaa. -because for £om» years past there V jjjaH|j4>e«fa some friction between town .wm»Sf«fo'7 t J'isia ** Mr Stevenson was a country representative' he trusted that geutleman would be elected to the office. ~ „ . . Mr- Mill e»id that, Sfr Mlder b*vinj? .declined nomination, he wouia propose Mr Wilkinson for fche chairmanship. Mr NViikineon would be able to? give to the office the large amount of time that the dvJxes would call for next j'ear. Mr Miller seconded the nomination of Mr Wilkinson^ He thought the cry of

town against country was dead, and the board, he felt sure, was unanimous in carrying on certain matters that 'had been instituted. So far as the claims of the different bodies were concerned, Mr WilI kinson had been on the board for three or four years, while Mr Stevenson had been a member for tweyoara. > A ballot resulted in the election of Mr Stevenson, who gained seven votes to Mr Wilkinson's six. Mr Stevenecn. took the- chair, and tbanksd. the mealing for the honour oonfenedoupon hlml .nHw wauld.'don»ibat>J«v in bis power to carry out the business of tho board fairly and squarely, and would do justice to all «^e*.— (Appiause.) - GprEBAE. . . Mr Stevenson wa# -appointed honorary treasurer. The Finance- Committee recommended that accounts anSuntuig to £631 14s for charitable aid and £33 10s 9d for the Maternity Bone bs> pMsed for payment. The receipts for November were £620 '14s, and the hank beok shoved a credit of £243 2fe 7d.— >Tbe report wae adopted. The Uazvessifcy ; <2ooaoil wrote forwarding a cb«quo lor ££>, faaiag the amount annually set aside by tfce council Jtoward* the cost of- materiel* u*ed by students in the Maternity Hospital, — Received with thanks.- *~ '■"**■ *»- •**» ' • 'a^ Comm«tto*si wetje appojnie^ ac follows:— Finance— Messrs ■ Walker, Tapley and Mili hr ; Maternity Hespita!— Dr Batehelor, Messrs Miller, Mill, and WilHnson ; Wrrks — Dr Bittehelor. JMEeaera ArkCbec&on, JWilkinsoUk Walker, ap4 'Knight. . HOSPITAL BOAED. The annual meeting of the Otago District (Hospital) Board was held at the conclusion of the Charitable Aid Board's meeting. The following, representatives of districts (named above) were present i — Messrs P. Miller, H. L. Tapley, J. H. Walker, Dr Batchelor, J. Mcsley, J. Olarke, M. Stevenson, T, Aitken, W. Wilkinson, J. Anderson, W. J. Burk, and J. Mill. Mr D. Boss forwarded an apology for nonattendance. ' TJHAXBMAJI AND TBSABI>IHSB. Qn the motion of Mr Wilkinson, seconded by Mr Mill, !Mx Stevenson was appointed ehairnwn. Mr.St^reiyoa was also appointed honorary | ~'"»itper. . "*' .- OJtJRUIAI,. The Finance Committee recommended ' that, accounts amounting to £672 18s 4«1 •be passed for payment. The receipts for November were £223 3s 7d, and the bank ; book showed a debit bal&nee of £1263. Several cases of a consumptive nature were brought Under the notice of the committee, and provided for. The. following committees were ap-pointed:—J?inanee—-Messrs Walker, Tapley, and JkliVler ; Works — Dr Batchelor, M essre Miller/ Anderson, Walker, Wjjkjj^on, and L Burls. " : ""

CENTRAX CONSUMPTIVE SANATORIUM. The Tuapeka, South Canterbury, Nelson, and Buller Hospital Boards wrote in reply 'to a circular sent to them with regard to the establishment of a general consumptive sanatorium in tb*- South Island. The Tuapeka Bocrd -favoured the idea of having a ' central ■ sanatorium. Thw 'South •Canterbury Board i stated, that it had' under consideration the proposition of an' amalgamation with the North Canterbury and Ashurton Boards for- -the purpose of «stab~ ilishiogk* .•cemumptiwi sanatorium tat Cbrist-}chßPeh,"tJw.inli»inliMwv4feing-liQ osfc thisuraBtiijutio© for the whole of* Ca&ferburfi The Nelson Board was of opinion * that each board could better treat the majority of case*,. <>r tOOßswnpfeion in it» ow* district. The JBuile» BM&t was willing to .assists, in aof movement for, an central tanatoiittta. .• The letters were referred to< the commit tee already set up to consider th« question of a central sanatorium. HOSPITAL fi^CIFBpOITT. Mr G. "M. Bruee, secrqtaqy of the Oamaru Hospital Trustees, wrote enclosing, a copy of a letter received by the trustees from the secretary of the Dunedin Hospital Trustees, to the effect that they declined responsibility in regard to any expenses incurred by patients treated in the Oamaru Hospital. The writer continued : " Your board and the Hospital Trustees have now both declined responsjjlity. You cannot both be in the right. Would \t not be {advisable' to «ome to some understanding -whereby any future coses could be amicably dealt with?" Tho Secretary said the letter referred to an Otago patient who had been treated in the Oamaru Hospital. Mr Miller remarked that a number of cases came from Oamaru to the Dunedin Hospital, for which the trustees received no payment. The Dunedin Hospital Trustees had a larger claim against the Oamaru Trustees than the latter had against the Dnnedin Trustees. It was a matter in which reciprocity muet e*ist to some extent. The letter was received. «|MCTIO1?8 pii^AJHM HOSJMTAt. The Fiaance Committee reported that the plans for the infectious diseases hospital, and tenders for the erection of the 6»rae, had been sons over again with -the architect, with the object of effecting a reduction in the cost, and that the whole matter had - been remitted to a eub-cemmittee for a report. Mr Thomas Blair's tender of £223 14s had been accepted for road-making to the proposed hospital. Dr Batchelor said he disapproved altogether with the plans submitted by the Chief Health Officer. Unfortunately, he was jn Sydney when the plans were brought before the board 1 , but he would never have agreed to them. They were far too elaborate and costly, and would involve the city in an expenditure that would be quite unnecessary. He hoped they would be cut down very niaterially. His idea of an infectious diseases hospital was that there tbftuld b* ft att-rooined^ aqttage. where a

man and his wife oould live, with accommodation for a- couple of nurses. Then there should be four small two-bedded rooms, or wards, attached. This, he thought, would meet all the requirement* of the city for a long time to come. If they put up a Large hospital it would soon be filled- with patients. People instead of attending to patients in their own homes would send them to the hospital, go* that the town would be burdened with an expense that was quite unnecessary. In Wellington there was an infectious diseases hospital with 30 or AQ beds, which were used principally for scarlet fever <$«?•• Since that • "hospital had! been established there had been scarlet fever persistently in -Wellington, and from 10 to 15 beds were always occupied. An infectious diseases hospital for scarlet fever was looked upon by medical authorities as a source of danger and very apt to- spread disease among the community instead of arresting it, and euoh, he believed, had been the case in Wellington, where scarlet fever, instead of being epidemic, was now endemic. Many easescould be better treated in their own homes than in an infectious diseases hospital. There were cases which it was desirable to place in an infectious dieeaees hospital-,-but they were exceptional. In the event of an epidemic arising, extra accommodation would have to be built. Mr Wilkinson : You could not build fast enought to overtake is. Dr Batchelor said they would at anyrate, do as much as they could. A ease of diphtheria could be better treated in the patient's home than in a hospital. Cases sent to » hospital were mostly oapee requiring surgical operation, which could, not be conducted in ac infectious diseases hospital unless there was an extensive staff. There was an isolation ward in the Du,nedm Hospital that would fulfil all requirements. If they were going in for a scarlet fewer blopk and a diphtheria block the expenditure would be very heavy. In a smaH town, like this, if they begaji oja that scale they would have to make a ward for measles, a ward far erysipelas, and ppecial wards for everything else. "' , Mr Mil]er said if he were a Hospital Trustee he Would not have diphtheria cases in the Hospital at all. The health Officer he would like to say, was not entirely to blame for the plans. The Health Officer had met the boapd and dfecuesed the plans With it, and ail the members, except himself, had agreed to the plans. They were told, too, that the building would, cost £5000. The Health Officer had now given the board a pretty free hand to alter the plans. It had come to the ears" of the board that the Southland Hospital authorities were putting up a building that was to cost £1200 or £1300, and a building a little better than that—to cost, say, £2000— would be quite sufficient for the wants of Dunedin. He believed that the housing together of scarlet fever cases was anything but a good plan. If there was a serious outbreak of scarlet fever or any other infectious disease in Dunedin the Quarantine Island^ jgu^bft J^efljfe,. grea£ ad v«p>ge.

The flans vre now in the hands of 41 sub-committee f or .j^ayision^ .