HOSPITAL BOARD.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 6265, 11 July 1890, Page 3

HOSPITAL BOARD.

Ihe ordinary monthly meeting of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board was held today. Present—Mr W. M. Moore (in the chair), Dr Hogg, Messrs D. M. Boss, M. Quinn, D. McLaren, and B. A. Barker. Before the business was opened Mr Ross said be would ash the board for an expression of sympathy for the loss of Mrs Perry, as the deceased lady had been closely connected with charitable matters for many years. To the hospital she had given many kindly and useful gifts, in air beds and other articles, and she would be much missed by the poor of the district. He would ask the board for an expression of sympathy with the bereaved family. He did not propose to move a resolution. The chairman said he was sure the board endorsed Mr Boss's remarks. Among the correspondence inward were letters relating to claims upon other boards for cost of maintaining persons coming from their respective districts. The Oamaru board refused to pay a claim for £8 10s made in respect of a man who came from Oamaru about five days less than six months before he became chargoabl to this

board. The Oamaru board declined responsibility on the ground that tlm man had not lived in their district for the six months next before he become a charge.—The facts to be laid before the board’s and the amount to bo sued for if he advises that course. _ . The Dunedin board declined responsibility respecting an old man, a recipient of charitable aid, who bad come from Dunedin and became chargeable here, but the fact that he came from Dunedin was not discovered till after six months had elapsed and the Dunedin board therefore repudiated the notice of claim.— This case to bo referred to the board’s solicitor.

A letter from Mr Turnbull respecting the Bill to vest the barracks and and site in the board, stated that the Government would give the buildings and two sections they stood upon, but would not give the two sections at the back. The Board had belter, Mr Turnbull thought, take what they could get now.—The chairman had replied leaving the matter in Mr Turnbull’s hands. A man named A. Anderson, of Leeston, wrote refusing to pay the claim for hospital treatment of bis deceased brother, £47 7s sd, He had no communication with his brother for 18 years, and never promised to pay the claim. The deceased also had grown up sons who should bo looked to.

Mr Jowsey said the writer certainly gave him to understand that he would pay.—This matter also to be laid before the solicitor. Three offers to take children to board were received. The Mount Peel Road Board asked that tbe local bodies be consulted about the distribution of charitable aid in their respective districts. - Members supposed that this had been done, but it appeared that the lists sent out to the local bodies hitherto had only been lists of hospital patients. It was agreed that the suggestion should bo acted upon. Mr 8. Wolf wrote respecting balance of £5 Os 3d of a fund collected by the Garrison Bond on the death of Bandsman Watts, offering to band it to the board, with a suggestion that it bo invested for the childton, who are now in charge of the board —lt was resolved to thank the members of th 1 band for their attention in the matter, and that the secretary receive the amount, aud also realise a few assets left on the decease of Mrs Watts, and place both sums to the general account in the meantime. Messrs Perry and Perry reported tbe result of the law suit Grace v, the Board, and quoted tho judge’s remarks on the plaintiff s conduct. 'They also reported that the Daly case had been settled at the rate of 10s in the £l, the best that could be done, The Fitzgerald case had been postponed.—The chairman observed that no remark was required from tho board on tho Grace case after those made by tho judge. A long discussion took place on a petition presented by Mr Boss from delegates of the Friendly Societies in Timaru district as follows : •• Mr Chairman and Gentlemen —

“We the undersigned delegates of the various Friendly Societies in Timaru district respectfully request the Hospital and Ohaiitable Aid Board to give the following petition their favourable consideration.

‘ jl. That members of[friendly societies who may be suffering from any complicated disease, or from any severe accident, being dissatisfied with the treatment of the medical officer of their society, may be allowed to consult the hospital surgeon free of charge. “ 2. That the fees for members of friendly societies, should they require to'go into the hospital for medical treatment or surgical operation, be fixed at not more than 20s per week.

“ 3. That in the opinion of this Conference members of Friendly Societies are justly entitled to these concessions, for besides paying their quota of rates to maintain the Hospital and Charitable Aid they contribute by weekly instalments to reserve funds, while in health and strength, for their maintenance during sickness and distress, and for securing medical attendance in case of sickness or accident, and by these self reliant exertions relieve the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board of a very large amount, of expenditure from year to year.” The petition was signed by delegates representing the Oddfellows, 240 members ; Foresters, 300 members; Hibernians, 80 members ; Druids, 151 members. These are the members of Timaru lodges only, but the petitioners stated they had the co-operation and syrapathy’of the other lodges in South Canterbury, making a total of 951 members.

Mr Bobs bespoke favourable consideration of the petition as the members of Friendly Societies by their self-reliance and thrift contributed largely to reduce the claims upon the board for charitable aid, if not for hospital expenditure. The chairman said the board had nothing to do with the first clause.

Mr McLaren was surprised at Mr Boss supporting such a petition. If he had been a clap-trap politician, seeking £2OO a year for going to Wellington he could have understood it, bat knowing Mr Ross was not one of these he could not. He had notice of this petition a week ago and the more he had thought about it, the more absurd it appeared to be. It amounted to these people asking for a bribe to be offered to industry and thrift. They asked the ratepayers to relieve them of so much of the cost of keeping them in the hospital if they had to go there, because they were thrifty people. He contended that everyone who showed his thrift by becoming possessed of property or of a deposit in a savings bank was equally deserving of the same consideration. Mr Boss asked Mr McLaren to withdraw the word “ bribe.” There was no such motive in the mind of the petitioners. What they really meant was that the charge at present was too high, and that anyone should be admitted for 20s a week, as 35s a week was too much for a working man to pay. With wages at 6s a day, 36s a week, how could a working man after leaving the hospital pay 35s a week ? The petitioners desired the charge to be reduced to a reasonable amount so that a mao might be able to pay it, and avoid being treated as a pauper. Mr McLaren said he did not mean that the petitioners had the idea of a bribe in their minds, bat it amounted to that, Mr Boss continued that if a working man had by thrift managed to get a house of his own, or any property, he remained liable to the board and might loss his home. It was simply a question whether the charge should not be lower to a working man, a member of a friendly society especially. Mr McLaren considered it would be much more honest to tell a man what bo bad cost the board. Every one knew that if a man was not able to pay be was not pressed to pay. He was convinced that half the working men would resent being “ let off ” on the ground of charity. Dr Hogg (representative of Mackenzie County) seated he had received a resolution in the same terms as the petition, from the Fairlie Creek Lodge. The Friendly Societies were admirable institutions and did much to provide against sickness and demands for charitable aid. He had a scheme to propose which he thought would meet their case excellently. It was that the various Friendly Societies should by a special contribution raise a “hospital fund," and be calculated that (correcting his figures to those now before the board) a contribution of 2ii per week per member would provide a fund sufficient to maintain an average of six patients at 5s per day all the year round. There could not possibly be such an average, but that was the basis he had reckoned on, and he thought the members would find so small a contribution no hardship. The effect would be that any member requiring to go to the hospital would have nothing atuil to pay, and his ordinary sick pay would be free for the support of his family. He did not mean that’ the fund should be handed to the hospital, but that it should be used to pay for beds as required, so that if the average demand for hospital treatment was only throe beds, the fund would accumulate, and need not be collected every year. Mr Boss thought that a very good idea.

Mr Mooro reported that he had met delegates from the Geraldine lodges and stated the results of their conference. The best conclusion they arrived at was that if the charge was reduced to £l a week, the lodges should be responsible for the amount. He He was not, however, satisfied with that conr elusion. He admitted the lodges were entitled to some consideration, as they certainly saved

expense in charitable aid, otherwise he could not advocate any arrangementjwith them, and he would not agree to any reduction in thoir case unless they guaranteed to pay tho fixed amount in every case. , . Mr Quinn admitted that the societies deserved consideration,Jprovided abuses could bo guarded against. He suggested that a committee be appointed to confer with tho societies. Mr McLaren drew attention to the anomaly of the system of reducing the charge on prompt payment. This only suited the well-to-do, who could pay at onoo ; tho poor man who needed time had to pay full rates- He then moved, pursuant to notice, to rescind all previous resolutions relating to fixing of fees, and this was carried. Mr McLaren then moved, and Mr Quinn seconded, that the charge bo the actual cost, based on tho cost per patient during each preceding year. Last year the cost was 4s 9d per patient per day, and the motion fixed this as the charge for the current year. Further discussion took place on this motion, Mr McLaren protesting against any "class” distinctions at all. Mr Ross fought for a reduced fee for working men, but gave way on being assured that, as in the past so in in the future, no one would be harassed who could not pay, and every case would be treated on its merits.

Dr Hogg’s suggestion was also discussed and warmly approved, and a suggestion was made that a committee should be appointed to bring it under the notice of the societies. (The meeting however separated leaving this undone, but members agreed that it might be otherwise placed before tho societies to save time.) . The action of the committee appointed for tbe purpose, in accepting tenders for supplies was approved. A pressing request from the Waimate Hospital for payment of contribution, as they were running on an expensive overdraft,could not be complied with at once as this board is also overdrawn ; but it was resolved to pay tho amount as soon as the W aimate County Council pays its contribution. Charitable aid accounts amounting to £439 3s 41 and hospital accounts £174 0s 6d were passed for payment.