WAIPIATA SANATORIUM.

Otago Witness, Issue 3764, 4 May 1926, Page 76

WAIPIATA SANATORIUM .

MEETING OF COMMITTEE. The monthly meeting of tho Waipiata Sanatorium Committee was held in Dunedin on Tuesday. Present: Mr J. Mafche* son (chairman), the Rev. T. \V. Potts, tha Hon. R. Scott, the Hon. A. S* Malcolm, Messrs W. Bryant, A. Fraser, J. Ritchie, J. Horrell, and Dr R. A. Shore (Assistant Medical Officer of Health), representing tha department. Leave of absence was granted to Mr F. W. Watt, and the Standing Orders were suspended to enable. Mr Bryant to vote on behalf of ihe Ashburton Board. The Secretary reported having made arrangements with the Maniototo Hospital Board in regard, to bringing the sanatorium nursing stiff within the provisions of the hospital employees’ superannuation scheme with the National Provident Fund. The action of the chairman was approved in the matter of supplying members of the South Otago Hospital Board with a summary of the medical superintendent’s report regarding the treatment of patients in Waipiata Sanatorium from May, 1923, to March 31, 1926. Dr C. E- Adams, Dominion Observatory, Wellington, wrote relative to Dr Kidd (medical superintendent) recording and reporting earthquakes in the Central Otago district.—Received, arrangements to bo made with Dr Kidd as requested. The Chief Postmaster. Dunedin, advised that arrangements had been made for a mail service for the sanatorium between Waipiata and Patearoa three days a week. —Received, the department to be thanked. The secretary of the Hospital Boards’ Association forwarded a report on an inter, view between members of the association and the Hon. J. A. Young (Minister of Health) regarding additional Government assistance for capital expenditure to hospital boards for consumptive sanatoria in the South Island owing to the fact that the consumptive sanatoria in the North Island were owned and controlled by the Government the North Island hospital boards paying only the maintenance charges of their patients in these institutions. It was noted that the Minister’s reply to the association was of a sympathetic nature, and the communication was received. The Director-general of Health advised that the Minister had approved of the committee’s capital expenditure of £IO,OOO on additional accommodation for the ensuing year, and in this connection Messrs Potts and Scott moved:—“That authority bo given to the committee’s architect, in conjunction with the medical superintendent and the department, to prepare plans ..and estimates with a view to tenders bein<r invited for the different works proposed.”— Carried. Dr A. Kidd reported that at date all. the available beds in the institution were occupied—namely, 30 males and 30 submitted the weather report for the month of March, and reported on his visits to tho different centres and the number of patients there examined.—The report was adopted and a requisition from the matron for extra eutlerv was granted. It was decided to forward copies of the medical superintendent’s report regarding the condition of some of the patients to the hospital boards concerned. The Secretary reported that at present the different boards had patients in the institution: South Canterbury 19, Southland lj\ Ashburton nine, Waitaki seven, South Otago four, Wallace one, Maniototo two, and one private patient, and there were 36 suitable patients on the waiting list from the different districts seeking admission to the institution.—Adopted. Mr A. P. Aldridge, engineer, reported that he expected to have tne hydro-electric plant working within a week’s time, and as "engineer to the Otago Electric Power Board, asked whether the committee would be prepared to consider the disposal of its surplus energy to the Naseby and Ranfiirly districts. The report was adopted and consideration of the matter of surplus power held over until the plant is in working order, other details in connection with the scheme being left in the hands of the chairman, Mr Ritchie, and the secretary, to interview Mr Aldridge, and with power to act, Mr E. R. Wilson, architect, reported cn the progress of Mr M'Lellan’s contract for the extensions to the present patients’ pavilions, stating that he hoped to have the work completed by the end of May. He forwarded a certificate for a third progress payment of £I2OO to the contractor. He also reported on the working of the septio tanks and the necessity for carrying the effluent further away from the tanks. The report was received, the payment to the contractor approved The natter of the septic tank held over to enable the Health Authorities to confer with Mr Wilson on same. The Hon. R. Scott reported fully on the different matters that had engaged the committee’s attention in connection with the farm since last meeting, and the report was adopted, the matter of boundary fencing between the committee’s property and that of Mr Hastie being left in the hands of Messrs Scott and Ritchie and the Farm Manager, with power to act. The Treasurer reported that there was a credit balance at the bank of £4974 10s 3d, and a copy of the committee’s estimates 1926-27, providing for a levy of £IO,OOO for capital expenditure, had been forwarded to the department and the different associated boards.—The report was adapted. Accounts and salaries totalling £2445 7s lid were passed for payment. It was decided to hold the next meeting ol the committee in Dunedin on Tuesday, June 1, 1926.