HOSPITAL AFFAIRS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14355, 21 July 1917, Page 6

HOSPITAL AFFAIRS.

BOARD AGAIN ASKS poll ROYAL COMMISSION. Mil. S l l ER R ATI A OCT. PTS niAIRMAXSiIir. , The refusal of the Minister' m charge of hospitals of the request for:, a- Royal' Commission to investigate the hospital unrest occasioned a lengthy and animated discussion at last evening's meeting of the Hospital Board. Upon the telegram from the Hon. . G. W. Russell (as already published), declining the request, being read. Mr Sherratt .moved tliat the Board should write again to the Government, and point out the urgent necessity j of. holding a, Royal Commission. — -Mr . Jvpmvay seconded. ' Dr. Collins moved as an amendment that a letter should be written to the Minister, thanking liim for his reply, /and. informing him that the Board would Use its" utmost endeavors to briii"' tlio ' Gisborne -.hospital to the same satisfactory state of control and efficiency that obtains m- other hospitals throughout the Dominion, as the board recognised that their- by-laws provided all the machinery to that end. Whether that amendment was 1 lost or carried he was going to ask that; when the motion- was sent to the Minister, the amendment should also he : sent. He did so because m the multitude of counsels there might be wisdom, even though m the minority.. Proceeding, the speaker commented upon the action of the Chairman m respect of the original application for the Royal Commission, declaring that the Chairman had usurped his powers to obtain? the end he desired. The ' amendment should ho sent to show the Minister that m the o-pinibn of the .minority he had displayed judgment m his answer, that the minority saw eye to eye with him, and possessed equal common sense. \ Mr Holden seconded, stating it had j been deckled to ask. for a Royal Commission, but the Minister did not think fit to grant it. Now they were going to move for it again. The Minister had pointed out the large expense, and' that they (the A Board); had the machinery here to deal with the administration of the hospital. Personally he had been "up against*" the Royal Commission from < the ; first. They as members . had been put- there by the 'ratepayers to run the institution ; if they were not capable of carrying out their duties' and had- to go to the Minister a sacond time and had to ask him to ;run the institution, then, they should hand m their resignations. The opposition was going on, and they were coming at the same thing again. It was not a fair tiling. Mr F. J. Lysnar suggested that they should embody both the .motion and amendment. Members knew that the by-laws. -were sufficient for the administration of the hospital. They recognised that, but still the Board wanted a Royal Commission. He did not think they had a possible chance of getting a Royal. Commission, because the Minister was not going to - . have his officers drawn through the "mud" if the Board, was. I Tlie Chairman: His officers don't require a Royal Commission. Mr Lysnar : Apparently they do, or you would not be asking 'for a commission. Mr Jex Blake declared he Avas opposed to Mr Sherratt „ motion. If they .were not capable of running the m- ! stitution better then . they shoqld bury their heads. A certain programme had been laid down to be earned out, and j now that was to be altered. They had asked for the Matron's resignation, and ■ this had beeii allowed to stand over pending the Minister's reply, but now, because certain of. the public — a few . women — thought the Matron should have a fair trial (they did not understand the question), the programme was to be altered. He thought they had settled tlie matter, and now he under- ! stood that certain members were taking a different stand. He required to record his objection. Mr Lewis said the voice of the public would be expressed that evening. They had had an expression of opinion ; put through the press, signed by many '. people, and it was now proposed to ask the Minister again. That was giving hira a second chance, because if the did not decide. to do Avhat was ' right and just* then the public would step m, and he thought the public was going to do so. Although the Minister might not \wish to grant, it, he (the speaker) thought the. public would demand it. ."Why should it be denied? Why should not tlie opposition members grant an honorable and a just trial? MemSbers were . asking for a fair, honorable, and just trial j as to why there was this unrest m tlie hospital. Dr. Collins: It is the -Minister, not the "opposition," who has refused to give a "fair trial." - : y Mr Lewis, continuing, said they 'wanted the matter settled once and for all. They were quite aware of the machinery ,of the Board, but tliere was a spirit outside of that that was brought to bear, and the Board was not getting a fair trial. If tho Minister was not going to give a fair, honest, and just trial, well, he thought the public would take a hand and demand it. Dr. Collins claimed the -right to speak to the imotion. Mr Kenway raised a point of order, asking if Dr. Collins had not lost his right m moving the amendment. — The Chairman held tliat he. bad not. — Mr Kenway said he would accept the ruling. Di\ Colling (to the Chairman) : Surely I can ffive you a. little advice. • The Chairman : I don't want it. Resumingj Dr. Collins said it was not often one saw a member get up like Mr Sherratt had done aiid move a resolution m such terse words without giving rea*son. He would take Mr Sherratt and dissect him, and the attitude he had taken up. Mr Shefratt, he pointed out, was the Chief Magistrate of the city, and was a man who was possessed of a judicial mind,, and one could expect all that one should expect of him. Mr Sherratt : Never mind praising me. Dr. Collins, continuing, said that m addition to' holding the Chief Magistracy, of the town, Mr Sherratt was zealous ofhis high office, and was, m fact, all', he ought to be. •It seemed to him an extraordinary thing that a man possessing Mr Sherratt's qualifications should ask for Royal Commission a second tiriie.'Why put the public to this expense? Why a public inquiry? Why create all this ferment amongst ratepayers? What was the necessity for it when they had a man like Air Sherratt,. and when a word^ from him would obviate any my, quiry? If the public had created m their minds dissatisfaction, the Board should <lbofc-to : KBrVShcWfatt to:; make # public statement.' ' i! ' '•'..'. Mr Johnston: They would have to hang , youi first. . >" Dr.' Collins :'"They generally pick on the worst man m the community for hanging, £„d,^bu,_d they not pick you? (Laughter.) „-•''/ oMvj Johnston': They would piok' me a ( long time ' after you, (Renewed: laughter.) - ":• " ■ •'• ! ; Mr Lysnar: Oh, he ought to be m ■Ireland.; .(More laughter.) , Di%. Collins went on to say that when they, found that on -May 22, 1917, Air. Sherratt moved • tliat" -the Board'' Should , ask- the matron to tender her jresigria-/ tion, and when the Mayor of the> town ' moved that .the .public and tlio' Board ' should recognise the position, the 1 Mayor Wia« the person to.go to to get the reason why there was unr v est, and -why there iwas t unsatisfactory 'management. : Mr Johnston : /There i is no un'smtisfaetory management. \ ii j s ail m your head. \ ; f•; , ', ' \ ■'-. * Dr.' Collins." In mine* and Mi? 'Sher- • raft's. • Is it all m our Imaginations? Mr Johnston- Y^s, a* gopd' deal of it. P*. Collins .-f : Arid aftei*. the/resolution pa&ed You 'sit in.' judgment i%arfling the sin' of/ your fellow-members? \ '). v - Mr CT<ftnßtsii:,'Yes. D\i Collins VA You are an optiftiist m youp. judgmon't.'- In view of thisryesqlu- „-- tioiii'he said, was it necessary to.ask for \ ,a Royal If ! tho manage- , mentVwas nofc.: satisfactory, ■ a ffcll and h frank 'statement by those that^inovod ( that resolution swould bo sufficiefijfc, and <

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it would come from a man who was the most respected gentleman m Gisborne. -Mr Johnston : Hear, hear. „ Dr. Collins: You still grumbling? Mr Johnston : No, I said "Hear, hear." Dr. Collins went o„ to say they had to consider the conflicting- interests' whiMi' there were such, and lie would lay down that the conflicting interests, were the conflicting interests of th'e local bodies and the Waikohu County. Mr Johnston : You have been tryii% to make trouble. Mr Lysnar: Are you going to allow interjections? If so, i will interject, too. The member, is "stonewalling." ' ; , Resuming, Dr. Collins said there, was a petition at the Waikohu County office to- withdraw from the Cook hospital. ! Who .signed that, and who was at the' bottom of it? When conflicting interests arose like that, how could members ad- j judi-cate and run a hospital m the best interests of the collective bodies? That; was one of the "conflicting interests/ Add that to tlie "unrest at the hospital," what did it mean? Separation. With conflicting interests like that could you ; expect any hospital to run on smooth! lines? A Royal Commission might try! Ito arrange that local bodies should nofij I have conflicting interests, and that where they arose the law should compel those responsible to resign. The Chairman : Are you suggesting that the members for Waikohu Dr. Collins: I am not speaking of m- 1 l dividuals, .but only m general terms; i Continuing,- -the. speaker referred to the J letter forwarded by the Chairman to the Minister, ' declaring that he had only .saved himself from a vote of censure respecting -same. Tho Chairman, he asserted, usurped his. position in-order to get the Royal Commission. Criticising the Chairman at length on the subject, he declared the Chairman had got what he -a straight answer to a foolish Tliey were not satisfied. Now they were asking- for a public inquiry/backed up by a petition signed by people who "knew* no more about the hospital than, that fire-grate. People, he added, had been rung up on the. telephone by a, lady. Whose telephone? And on vrhose business premises?' . He knew. Who were the factors to an inquiry — the ratepayers aiul the Government. Who was -going to represent tho inquiry with a divided Board? Aiid who -was going to take any notice of their finding? Who obtained the list of signatures, and who wrote the letter ? When they had found this out, and when the public meeting about the state of affairs at- the hospital had been held and they had had 'the inquiry, who was -going -to take any notice? 'His hope was that the agitation would go on that moreuof the population' would be roped m, and the bigger the offence they were going to give ihe Minister, and the quicker he would come up- and 'settle things himself and wisely so. Who were tho authors . of these letters ? They were known to him. They would ccc the benignant influence andi who was still trying to foment:. unrest. When the facts came out, as they had come but that day, they would be able, to point to those who had accentuated the position, to the authors bf the letters— those who were .still ; fomenting trouble and would not acknowledge defeat. This matter could 'have, been settled, long ago ; if this Board and if the individual members were sincere, they would lmve voted the 'Uhairman leave the chair, they would liave voted him, out, and the unrest would go. . Mr Lewis said the speaker had-accus-ed the members for ; Waikohu— r- > Dr. Collins : I never made any accusatlon at_ all; - I was speaking- generally. > xi m I s sa^ d he -w a s a member of the Waikohu County Council some years ago. - a J \ #Mr Lysnar : How long is this discussion to go on ? Mr Lewis: I was the mover -then of a motion to start a cottage hospital. That was a long time before we knew of any unrest m the present institution. Mr Lysnar : That is not an accusation. Mr Lewis: Yes, by innuendo. • Dr.' Collins: I was speaking of no one m particular. • I say there is a requisition on some table and .now deny it. Mr Lewis : It is not" signed by any member of this^Board. The speaker, he added, ha.d a knack of hinting. Mr Kenway rose to a point of order. Mr. -Lewis: Although the' doctor -says we were not, I say we were accused Dr. Collins : Nothing of the sort. Mr Lewis; We were accused and you know- it.. I leave it to the chairman td say whether -.there was not an insinuation. ■ - ; Dri Collins: Would you expect yoiir brother to call you a rogue ? (laughter. ) Mr Lewis: After all, Dr. Collins speech, what is : m it? Mr Lysnar: Chair, chair. (Disorder.) Mr McCliskie, quoting from Mark Twain about people whb took a long time to say nothing, regretted the time limit was not m vogue.. He had much pleasure m supporting the motion. They should- demand an inquiry. They were told great minds thought alike. The four reasons- the Minister had given 1 were just sirtiilar to the reasons given by a member 'of the Board that' the Commission would not be grant cd. Great minds m Gisborne and Wellington thought alike. Dr. Collins sAnd a. greater mind quoting them. Don't forget Mark Twain. (Laughter.) , • .;'•■■ •-. ■ „. , Mr McCliskie' AVent oh to declare that all Dr. •Collins had said could have been said m five minutes. He used big woVds; being educated ; words that confused poor ordinary mortals . like himself . i Dr; Collins: It 1 takes longer to drive a nail into hard wood than soft. Mr. MoCliskie: declared a Royal Commission .Vvas required to get at' the bottom of things — not the sort of enquiries that had.been held. He supported the : Board demanding ; an inquiry. Mr Lysnar: That is liof. the motion. Mr . MoChskie: . That, is what it amounts to. Mr Johnston said reference had been made to "unrest" m the hospital. There was no. unrest m the Gisborne hospital. Never . was ; it- better •> managed ; never were the-, patients - better attended to .than. m;.tho ihospital to-day,, and there was. no niore capable \ybman m New Zealand than the matron. He know what he-was talking about. He visited the [hospital weekly and sometimes twice a week. - The patients all said there was no trouble, and if there was trouble it was with the ; Board down, m town and m Dr. Collins head. -.■"'"■ ■ JDx. CollinsrAnd; m Mr Lysnar's. , Mr Johnston:. He is on'lv a newcomer. .-. !■.-: I " ■ * Dr. Collins: Then m Mr ' Jones' arid Mr Jex -Blake's, t Mr Johnston declared that an inquiry would bear- out his contention, whether .the inquiry was made by the Magistrate, the Mayor, or some person of unprejudiced opinion. y". Dr. Collins :. Allow me? Mr .Johnston.: .You know nothing about the management: of a hospital, i can lend you a. pamphlet I have m my pockqt on. a hospital inquiry ' at Auckland. '.'■..':• i. . ", Dr. Collins : I will indemnify the press to publish that to-morrow. Take that. I , Mr Johnston repeated there was no linre st. Thi' nurses were all doing their \ utmost for. the) , patients. i ■.t Mr G.. ,E. Jones remarked that Mr Johnston had said the hospital was run/, ning smoothly, and there was no cause to complain. I£ that was so, why the