COST Of CHARITABLE AID.

Otago Witness, Issue 2856, 9 December 1908, Page 38

COST Of CHARITABLE AID.

CONTRIBUTING BODIES DISCONTENTED. CONFERENCE OF DELEGATES. A conference between representatives of bodies contributing to the funds of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards was held in Mr T. S. Graham's office on Monday morning. The following were present — Messrs John Mill (Port Chalmers), J. Dickaon (Portobello), G. Charlton (W*ifcouaiti), W. Talboys, W. Blackle (Taieri), W. E. S Knight {Maniototo), S. Solomon, H. Driver (Milton), A. Nelson (Milton), J. A. Duthks (Milton). Geddes (Green Island), J. Loudon, H. H. In^lis (Mosgiel), M. gtevenson, J. Dunn (Bclclutha), C. 15. Tates (Kaitangata), W. STlchol (Clutba). Mr Stevenson was voted to the chair. Mr Stevenson said he found himsej* somewhat at a disadvantage, having made no preparation to speak in connection with the present meeting. The conference was called in consequence of .a motion passed by the Taieri County Council affirming the desirability of the same as a means of discussing charitable aid matters. As they were- all aware, both country districts and town had been alarmed at the increasing expenditure on account of hospital and charitable aid, and seeing that an election ■was imminent it was thought that the present was a fitting opportunity of seeing whether some arrangement could not bo arrived at whereby that expenditure might in some way be reduced. He had occupied the position of chairman of the Hospital Board, and while he had attempted to keep down expenditure in every possible way, he had also tried to do his dotto \the trustees of the' Hospital. There were a number of works that had had to ibe carried out — and it ' was absolutely neecssarv that this expenditure should be faoed. "He did not think that the expenditure of last year would be recurring. Certain additions and improvements were necessary,, but it was not asked that these all carried out in one year. It was sufficient that they be extended over a considerable time. He hoped to see a full and free discussion of the matters ■under review. Mr Talboys asked if this meeting was to take the place of that called for the 11th inst. by Dr Valii-^ne. The Chairman said that the object of Dr "Valintine's meeting was to try to get local bodies to work as one body in regard to hospital and charitable aid until the billto be introduced next session became law, the provisions of the bill being to merge the Hospital Board and the Hospital Trus-. tees into one body, and the Charitable Aid Board and the Benevolent Trustees, into another body. Mr Solomon said that Mr Stevenson had stated that he (Mr Solomon) might state their side of the question. But the trustees had no side in- the question of charitable aid at all. He, personally, represented a contributing body, - and the members of shat body felt that the expenses it was Willed upon to face in connection with oh.iritable and hospital aid were increasing s at an alarming rate. The three questions , \rhieb interested them were the administration of the Dunedin Hospital as a separate institution, the administration of the other institutions controlled by the Hospital Board, and the very large question of the distribution of charitable aid. ■ He knew nothing of the distribution ofcharitaWe aid, nor of the government of those other institutions controlled by the board, but be could speak of the Dunedin ifospital, and of the great amount of care ivi'd attention given to it by Mr Stevenson, .■is for the trustees, the question of expenditure faced them continually. The scope oi the Hospital, in sympathy with the Ifrowth ef the town and district, was . gradually growing greater, and the trustees ' gelt that they could not allow the institution to stand still, though their one •ndeavour was to run that Hospital just . as cheaply as possible. There was not | one matter connected witfi the Hospital that was not subjected to severe scrutiny, and no work entailing expense was carried out unless it was absolutely necessary. But if they had a duty to the ratepayers to perform, they also had to think of the thousands of sufferers who annually sought the assistance of the institution, and see that its utility was unimpaired. He could assure the meeting that the trustees would welcome any suggestions from the meeting and loyally do their best to give effect to thorn. The expenditure at the Hospital was not extravagant. During the last ' 12 months two wards had been provided, giving accommodation to 50 or 50 more , patients, and for these 15 more nurses had j to 1 c obtained. ' Dr Batcheior said that in the past he had been elected very largely by the country districts to the position he had held as a Hospital Trustee, and before" he jvfcocd again for election he wanted the representatives of contributing bodies to cloa<rly understand the position he took up in regard to hospital affairs. He had been cornect-4 with the Hospital for 30 years, and had taken a vu»- great interest in the ' joanag'cizient of its affairs. There was no tfcjuht that there had- been the big increase of expenditure complained of, but it was rot altogether on account of the Hospital, and it was not fair to ascribe it to that. The stun of £2000 had been spent on the Infectious Diseases Hospital and '£1000 on the Consumptive Sanatorium, both of which • amounts were unavoidable, as unless the Hospital Board had undertaken the work ihe Public Health Department would have | done it and charged the ratepayers for the cost, which would, possibly, have been much greater. As for the Hospital itself, there were very large amounts expended ' on alterations, additions, and improvements, and, as well as that, there was increased expenditure on account of maintenance, incurred on account of medical attention, surgery attendance, and food. The amount spent last year on improvements included £2500 for a nurses' home. They had a large staff of nurses, who, being young women whose work was often arduous, required proper accommodation. It. was not fair that two girls should be asked to share a small bedroom between them, and trustees determined that, so far as the nurses' quarters were concerned, the Hospital should bo brought into line with the other big hospitals of the Dominion, and 24 extra bedrooms were being added. The gum of £550 had been spent on fire escapes, alter the soaro brought ajxwfc by a fire tn dhristeburoh had shown that th* recapes in Dunedin Hospital .were quit*

inadequate, and £350 had been expended in making the laundry up to date, thus effecting a considerable saving in laundresses' wages. It was absolutely necessary that the Hospital be properly equipped. The year before they came into office the expenditure on the Hospital had been gradually creeping up. and -maintenance had cost £8000. The trustees (wrongly, he believed) had allocated to maintenance £1000, together with a Government subsidy, which had been subscribed by the public for purposes of maintenance. So that, instead of the ratepayers being called upon to find £9000, they were only asked for £8000. Hospital Saturday was distinctly not for the purpose of reducing rates, and he contended that the Hospital maintenance must be regarded as totalling £9000. They were this year, therefore, to get £9000 from the board, but he had foug-ht very hard for £10.000, for he believed thMt, en account of the opening of the new pavilion, which provided 15 more beds, and a sufficient number for all persons seeking admission, the cost of maintaining the Hospital had been increased by another £1000. He did not think that the Hospital could be ran for less than £10,000. which it was the ratepayers' duty to provide, seeing that it was all required to accommodate the sick of fhe community. Whatever improvements or alterations became necessary in the building itself should be provided for by voluntary contributions from the generous public* and for such purposes not one penny should come from the funds provided by the contributing" bodies. The Dunedin public had time and again proved its generosity, having in the past raised altogether from £20,000 to £30,000 in voluntary subscriptions. Mr Talboys said, with regard to the increased cost of charitable aid, he had been a benevolent trustee for the last 10 years, and he considered that the institution was run on the most economical lines, and at the same time efficiency was considered. All oases were thoroughly investigated, and the country cases had been treated with perhaps more liberality than the town ones. The recent change of country distribution by the local bodies effected no economy, and the absurd cases reported from Wellington, where people with, property obtained charitable aid, had their parallel in some cases he could mention in Otago, where the administration was by the local body and not by the Benevolent Trustees. That system was open to the objection that influence was brought to bear on the local body. Another thing whkih had increased the eo?t of charitable aid waa compelling the Benevolent Institution to make provision for incurable cases formerly undertaken at the hospital. This overflow from the hospital and the Benevolent Home cost the latter something like £800, as four wards had to be fitted up for the accommodation of incurables. The matter of providing nurees for them was also a difficult one, as none seemed obtainable under a salary of £100 a year. T^p adequately carry out this incurable department would cost £500 a year, or more, if it were done in the way Dr Valratin* wished. He thought that, in view of the bill the Government had in hand for unifying the administrative bodies, it was most absurd that the Government had lately allowed the Maniototo district to be constituted a separate charitable aid district, instead of part of the Otago district, as before. There should be one Charitable Aid Board for Otago, and also one Hospital Board. There were_ a number of country hospitals, but a patient desiring special treatment, such as was only obtainable at the Dunedin Hospital, could on,ly be admitted there if an extra charge were paid. If Otago was one big hospital district that would not be so. Mr Loudon said that 6O far as his position was concerned his efforts had always been in the direction of cutting down expenditure so far as was possible. The trustees, ho thought, should, however, consider the claims of the University medical Jchool (the only one in the Dominion), which wa3 kept up in connection with the Dunedin Hospital, and which, therefore, should be run on modern lines. It was in the interests of the youths of the Dominion who were entering on a medical career that the hospital should bs thoroughly up to date, otherwise they would be forced to go to Britain. He considered that Dr Valintine's bill would curtail the expenditure of the administration of charitable aid. The idea was to have one controlling body, with committees for running separate institutions. There had been some abuses in ' the distribution of charitable aid. The ap- ' pointment by the Benevolent Trustees of a female inspector had done something to remedy matters in .town. There had been a suggestion unanimously approved by the trustees in the direction of coeroinjr men to support families to whom the trustees could not at present refuse relief, as otherwise it meant that the women and children would starve. He believed the Government would take steps to form a labour colony, as he h,ad an assurance from Dr Valintine that the Government was willing to take steps to force people to provide for their dependant?. That would mean considerable relief to charitable aid. With regard to incurables and their maintenance in the Benevolent Institution, he thought this was a step in the right direction, for they were cheaply kept there. He wished to see the Dunedin Hospital kept thoroughly up to date. He believed, with Dr Batcheior, that the ratepayers' money should go solely towards maintenance, and that improvements, etc., should be carried out by voluntary contribution. Mr Mill pointed out that another cause contributory to increased expenditure was the fact that in former veare they had been in th© habit of working the nursiw 10 and 12 hours per day. Now, and rightly, too, a nurse could not be worked more than eight hours per day. and that necessitated the envDloyment of eiarht or 10 more nurses. The Hospital was better run than any other in the Dominion, and it was "the intention of the trustees to maintain it in a thoroughly sound position. ■ He warned the meeting to see to .it that the Government did not throw on local bodies the whole burden of charitable aid. He believed that at Dr Valintine's meeting next Wednesday a hint to that effect would be thrown out. Mr Stevenson .=aid he was net peeking iv-eleetion a* a Hr.spital Trustee", but he understood that the trustees wore prepared to incur further expenditure this coming j-eaT to the following amounts: — X-ray room. etc. £1000; new ward, £2000 ; improvements to out-patients' d-p-partment, £1000 : sterilising room and operating theatre, £1200 : balconies. £2000; and lecture room, £600; or a total

of £7800. The total funds at their disposal for these purposes were £7066 Is 7d, made tip as follows : — Building, £2032 10s ; la.bora.tory account, £726 5s 4d ; Hospital Saturday, £953 183 6d; Campbell interest, £843 7s 9d; Brown account, £1960; last Hospital Saturday, £200; per Philip Mitchell, £150; students" fees, £200. He thought, also, that the University should pay a great deal more to the Hospital than at present. The ratepayers should not be asked to help to keep the Medical School up. Dr Batchelor: They are not. Mr Mill said that this was not the place to ' consider the management of the finances. Mr Stevenson 6aid that he had not suggested any- mismanagement. He added that the ratepayers would have to contribute £7000 less next year towards hospitals. He advocated that consumptives should be kept at th** Benevolent Home alongside the incurable ward. " He objected to the baais of rating for charitable aid, saying that the incidence of taxation fell on the landowner. The city man with an income of £1000 a year was far better able to pay than the majority of farmers. After further discussion, Mr Geddes moved that delegates be provided with a list of those gentlemen standing for election to the various bodies, so that they might have time to consider the names and choose a representative. The motion was not seconded, hnd lapsed, and shortly afterwards the meeting ended with a. vote of thanks to the chair.