CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 2856, 9 December 1908, Page 14

CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

The monthly meeting of mesobere oiddW Cbaritible Aid Board, held on Nov. 26, was (attended by Messrs M. Stevenson, F. 'Clarke, T. Aitken. W. E. S. Knight, W. .Wilkinson, W. J- Burk, J. H. Walker, J. Mill, P. Miller, and Dr Batohelor. An apology for absence from Mr Tapley was received. The Maternity Home Committee reported that Miss Matheson had resigned ocr position as charge nurse. The resignation was accepted by the committee, and jbhe leaves on December 4. — Adopted. A table of applications far relief was Submitted, and- supplies granted for three months. .* Hospital board. A meeting of the Hospital Board wasjittended by the same members as above. KEPOBT3. The Finance Committee reported having examined the various accounts for the month of October — namely Hospital Trustees, £1525 18s 7d; Fever Hospital, £515 iTs Id ; Consumptive Sanatorium, £136 4s dd; and Kaitangata Cottage Hospital, '£300; — and recommended the same to be passed for payment- The receipt amounted to £1845 63 lOd, and the Hospital fc&nk book showed a credit balance of £1674 4s 6d, and the Infectious Diseases Hospital a debit balance of £364 14s at 20th inst.— Adopted. The report from Dr Rosa Collier re Rock and Pillar Sanatorium was left for Che consideration of the incoming board , to deal with. TJOBBESPONDENCE. The Secretary Dunedin Hospital wrote (requesting the board to take the necessary •leps to obtain payment from two patients from Waitaki district, who had been treated in the Dunedin Hospital. — Referred jto the incoming board. The following letters were referred to ithe Finance Committee, with power to deal wirfj same:— (l) Letter from the Hospital Trustees asking for £2000 for extension for Nurses' Home. Copy of letter sent by secretary : " Your letters of August 20 and October 22 were referred to the Finance Committee to deal with, and, after. the board's .solicitors *'op%idh , had been- obtained and considered, the committee requested me to inform the {Hospital Trustees as regards the claim re- J iferred to in your letter of August 22, for ,£550 for fire escapes and water service. ! As soon as your trustees send in th# arafn* "fcect's original certificate and the accounts incurred For this work the board will pajrr same; but they wish it to be clearly tmaerBtood that if the sum of £550 is not required as voted, and the trustees desire to devote the balance for expenditure, that fchey apply to the board in the matter. In answer to yours of October 22, re requisition of £2000, Nurses' Home building account, the committee wish me to ask yon to forward the architect's certificate for progress payments on this from time to time, and the board will duly discharge fearoe and return you the certificates. The certificates have been forwarded and cheques Bent on to trustees for amount of architect's certificates." (2) Re increase of pay. for board's patients demanded by Mrs •M'Kinlay.— Mrs M'Kinlay has been advised that as she arranged with the hoard to the end of the year they oannot see their way to accede to the request. (3) " Accounts due to Fever Hospital from patients wore left to the secretary to go through and report to the committee. (4) Tenders 'were received and opened for the addition to the Fever Hospital, and the tender of Alex. Dempster, for £465, has been accepted, and the work has been commenced. — Mr Mill said he was eorry' the question of payment on architect's certificates had been referred to in the report, as Buoh a request had not accompanied grants from the board heretofore, and the decision to demand such was only carried by the easting -vote of the chairman. He thought the board should have trusted the Hospital Trustees to expend properly the amounts voted to them by the board. Mr Millar said he was sure the Hospital trustees would spend the moneys voted 2hem in the bast possible manner, but at lhe same time be thought the board should RfH be asked to hand over money before it was actually wanted. By forwarding krehitecte' certificates the trustees could be paid from time to time as required. Dr Batohelor said he thought it would >nly be fair to the Hospital Trustees to tell them that while requiring the architect's ttsrtifioate for work in progress, there would 9* no objection to the trustees taking funds •totec" for one fund to temporarily assist another work. Mr Wilkinson said that if the moneys •aked for was not expended, the trustees faad no ri^ht to Axeive it. Mr Clarke pointed out that, though the trustees oUr-aed £550 for fire eeoapes and Jwator service, only £280 had been spent on £uch works. After further discussion, and a motion fcad been carried to increase the matron's payment for the board's patients by £25 per year, the report was adopted. VALEDICTORY. The Chairman said that a« that was the last meeting of the board he would attend he desired to thank memberb for the loyal support they had given him while he occupied the chair. During hie term they had bad difficult questions to deal with. amonsjßt them the grants to industrial school children, on which he had expressed liis i fcp;nion6 freely. He desired to**hwrir -those- f teembere wljo were retiring ?rom the board. | •specially Mr Miller and Dr Satoholor. B» i

j did not wish, and never expected, to work l\ *with a better class of men than those who ymrere retiring. He had differed from them ' occasionally, but such differences had nevei , interfered with their personal friendship. ' ff it had not been for the assistance those ! .psembers had so readily given him bis • *eria of office would not have been nearly so pleasant. In losing the services of Ma: 1 Miller and Dr Batchelor the incoming board and the ratepayer* would lose valuable and experienced representatives, and it must necessarily take new members some considerable time to bcome acquainted ' irrtk the -duties they would have to undertake. To Messrs Clarke and il<36ely, as ! representing the country interests, he also • desired to express his thanks for the close 1 attention they had given to the business .'• of the board. Personally, he would not be . fitting as a .member of the board in future, 1 as the Taieri Council had not elected him, I bat that would give him more time — he Vas glad to haye — to attend to hie own business, and co would be to his advantage. - There was a great 'loal of work to be done • in' the coming year that would require olose and careful attention. The Fever Hospital I bad been started, and there was the Sanal torium for Consunrptrvea to be improved, | and the establishment of a Hospital for j Incurables in the district undertaken. Those j were important matters needing careful j .management. Tbe Hobk and Pillar SanaI torium was costing them £1500 a year, but under present conditions he thought that money might as well be pitched into the j harbour Be again thanked members for 1 their hearty support during his term of \ office. i Air Miller explained that he had not in- | tended to ocoupjr a seat at the board when - chosen without asking hiß consent last year. The work of the board was fast becoming as important as that of the Hospital, and he thought the City Council had done a wise thing in electing their own members to represent fhem on the board, and find out how the large sums voted from the rates were being expended. He did not personally a.gree with the action taken by the board in connection with tiie payments for industrial school children, but thought such a matter would have been better left : ior Government action. He believed they had taken too much upon themselves- «8 a local bodyj for the question of a sanatorium was not a matter for a local body to deal with at all, but was a Government question. ■ The future he would remind members was bristling with large and increasing expen- , diture, and they should endeavour to urge the Government to make adequate provision for such work as the care of incurables and proper treatment in sanatoria. He thanked tlje chairman for his appreciative remarks. 'Mr Mill said that members of the board 4nust al) admit the great services their chairman had rendered to the board by taking a great deal of work upon his own shoulders. Dr Batohelor had, as members knew, led them in the right way from time to time, and Mr Miller's knowledge obtained while acting on various local bodies had been very valuable. The country members had also given a tfreat deal of their time to the business of the board, and were entitled to thanks. Mr Walker said he was sorry their chairman's services were to be lost to the board, for whatever differences members had had — and it would not be right if they had not sometimes differed — they mu6t agree ,that their chairman had spared no labour in his work. ■ Mr Aitken briefly acknowledged the valuable services rendered to the board by tne chairman and retiring membere. Mr Burk said he thought it was a pity so many old members were leaving them, because they had got a good grip of the business they were called upon to deal with, and it would necessarily take new members a long time to acquire that knowledge. He thanked the chairman for the very kindly way in which he had presided over their meetings. Dr Batchelor thanked the chairman for the very kind remarks he had made. If the work done during the past year had not been satisfactory to all, it had to be remembered that the board's actions most be in accordance with the acts by which they were governed. Many reforms had been brought about, but there was still very much to be done in the way of j improvement. They had endeavoured to work in a systematic manner, but he regretted that so much work had been left to their chairman. If again elected, he would want to see tbe Dunedin Hospital conducted 'as a. modern hospital should be, and he thought that could not be done -for a less expenditure than £10,000 a year. Such a. sum should keep the Hospital up to date end on a level with other large hospitals in New Zealand, which, he maintained, it was not at the present time. Mr Clarke also acknowledged the references that had been made to his services as a member of the board. Mr Steven«on, in replying, said it was very satisfactory to him to know that he retired from the board possessing the confidence of his fellow members. Hs. thought, however, he ought not to leave tlie chair witnout referring to. the very •efficient way in which their secretary (Mr Graham) had assisted him, not only during office hours, but on evenings, and even by attending to the board's business in bis own house For such \a.luable servlcee Mr Graham deserved" the special thanks of the board. The work was increasing three-fold, and if vanned to reta.ni euoh valuable- service* he felt that the salary attached to the position should be increased, and moved that it be • reconi- .

: mendation to the incoming board to in- > crease the secretary's salary, and that a i recognition for his past services be recorded r on the minutes. Mr Graham; in thanking the board for s its appreciation, pointed out that members i - elected for one/ year only had not sufficient ' time to obtain a good grip of their • duties. That being, so, it seemed to him • co short a term of office was bad for "the • country and worse for "the board. Such ; retiring members as 'the chairman, Dr > Batchelor, and Mr .Miller knew that the | work of the board was vary heavy indeed, and was increasing by leaps an-d bounds, i No chairman in the past had devoted so , much time to the business of the board , as Mr Stevenson— indeed, he had given i his en-tire time and attention to it, and , had even continued to' work for it on Sunday* occasionally. The motion submitted by the chairman , was carried unanimously, and the meeting closed. The annual meeting of the newly-elected Charitable Aid Board, held on the 2nd iirst., was attended by Messrs Mill, Walker, Mosley, Nicol, "Knight, Talboys, Aitken, Tapley, Gilkison, M'Faclane, Anderson, Wilkinson, and Keast. Mi Wilkinson was voted to the chair. ELECTION OF OHAiBMAN On the motion of Mr J. Mosley, -seconded by Mr J. Mill, the boavd unanimously appointed Mr J. H. Walker ohaicnmn and treasurer of the board, .the mover, seconder, ■ and Mr "Wilkinson paying a high tribute to the time and work devoted by Mr Walk-ex to the work of the board. Mr Walker, on taking the chair, thanked the members for their unanimity in eleoting him to the position, and assured them he would give to the duties of the office his most earnest attention. GENERAL. Mr J. Mill expressed pleasure at seeing •o many of the old members returned to the new board, and said he was gdad to ccc his old friend Mr.J. Mosley back again. Dr Valintine, inspector-general, wrote, stating that with a, view to placing charitable aid ina.tlers on a, more satisfactory basis it had been decided to hold a. conference of the -four Otago boards on December 11, -at 8 p.m., and he asked .members of the board to be present at the conference. — The Chairman said the conference would be a very important one, and he hcped that aa many of the members £6 possible would be present. He thought it would be a matter of courtesy to invite Dr Batchelor and Messrs Stevenson and Millar, old members of the board, to be present at the conference, as their experience would be of much value in dealing with the subjects to be brought up. — Mr J. Mill endorsed the chairman's remark as to the importance of the confer- ' ence, and said be understood it was tke in- j tention to throw the whole financial respon•ibility of charitable aid on the local bodies; and he did not think this should be done. — On the motioa of Mr Wilkinson, it was decided to suggest to the department that Messrs Stteyenson and Miller and Dr Batche lor be invited to attend the conference. ' Messrs Tapley, Mill, Anderson, and Wilj kinson were appointed a Works, Finance, and Maternity Committee. The bank book showed a credit of £1600. It was resolved to alter the date of meet- i i ing of the board from the fourth Thursday i in each month to the fourth Tuesday. On the motion of Mr J. Mill, it was resolved to increase the secretary's salary by j 1 £100 per annum, half of the increase to b« paid by the Hospital Board and half by the j Charitable Aid Board. This increase, it was ! pointed out, would bring the secretary* J salary up to £300 per annum, out of which he paid for the services of an assistant. j j A hearty vote of thanks was, on the j motion of Mr Mill, passed to the retired ' ' members of the board — Dr Batchelor, Messrs M. Stevenson, P. Miller, and Clark — for ! the time and attention they had devoted to th* business during their respective terms ■of office. Special reference "was made by j j several members of the board to the value of the services of Dr Batchelor, Mr Miller, ' and Mr Stevenson (the late chairman). I In reply to* question by Mr Knight, the ! Chairman stated that no immediate action j -would be taken to pay over certain sum* of money withheld from the Benevolent Trustees until a motion standing on the books had been rescinded, or until the coming conference had been held. — Mr Talbovs said the amounts referred to were promised by the board to the trustees for certain works at the Benevolent Institution, and on thie underat&dning the contracts were let. The Benevolent Trustees had paid the amounts, and they had in consequence been placed in an awkward position. The effect of holding baok the money was that two of the wards < ; at the institution were unfinished and could not be occupied. — Mj Tapley said there was i no doubt the board had authorised the urustees to go on with the work, and there was i no doubt the money should be paid.