HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD

Southland Times, Issue 17654, 11 February 1916, Page 2

HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD

MONTHLY MEETING. The Southland Hospital and Charitable Aid Board met yesterday, there being present Mr A. F. Hawke (chairman), I. L. Petrie, J. Cockburn, T. Fraser, C. Kerse, J. S. A-. McDougall, J. Fleming, C Robertson, H. E. Niven, John. MacGibbon and Mrs Cruickshanks. CORRESPONDENCE. The Inspector - General of Hospitals wrote stating that under section 14 of the Amendment Act. 1933, it was found that in sub-section 1 of section 7 of the principal Act, the Board of a district in which a person has established settlement is liable if that person receives relief from or at the.expense of another Board.—Received. Tlie Commissioner of Crown Lands. Dunedin, informed the Board that the Otago Land Board had decided to grant it a license of five years over unoccupied Crown land at Frankton.—Received. The.secretary of the St. George School Committee asked if tire IJoard would be agreeable to allow the use of a small portion of the grounds at Kew for holding a school picnic. Refused, owing to proximity of grounds'to tlie hospital. Ruby R. Boyce applied , for the position of probationer at the Southland Hospital. Rita Booth, Temuka, and Florence M. Cuttross, Dunedin, applied for similar positions. Names to be added to the list. The AY.C.T.U., Tuataperc, enquired regarding obtaining a district nurse, and under what conditions they were appointed, etc. plied. REPORTS. —Executive Committee. — 1. Accounts and salaries totalling £1356 14s Bd, were examined and recommended to the Board for payment. 2. The treasurer reported that tlve Board’s receipts were £343 9s 7d, payments £1873 4s Id; Dr. balance Bank of New Zealand, '3l/1/16. £722 4s Id. 3. The committee report having gone into the matter of hospital maintenance accounts as between the Otago and Southland Boards’ and recommends that eight accounts totalling £46 5s be paid to tlie Otago Board, and steps be taken to recover the amounts from four of the patients, who received the treatment, and that the Otago Board be written to regarding the settlement of amounts due this Board for maintenance of Otago residents in Southland institutions. It was also decided to pay tire Maniototo Hospital Board an account of £6 15s for maintenance of a Southland resident in Naseby Hospital and take steps to recover the amount from the patient’s father. 4. The committee report having received from the secretary a schedule of accounts totalling £1823 Is 6d for maintenance of patients in Southland Hospital from Ist April, 1312> to 31st December, 1916, which recommends the Board to write off as irrecoverable, and recommend that the action in this matter be deferred till next meeting. 5. Owing to the incease in the Board's office, the committee recommend that applications be invited for a temporary clerk with the knowledge of the keeping of accounts at a salary of £175 per annum to begin by the next meeting of the board. 6. Three applications for charitable aid were received during the month and dealt with as follows;—one granted 15s per week as stores: one admitted to Lome Farm Home; and one refused. 7. At the request of the A r ictoria Home Committee it was decided to have a girl returned to Australia. 8. The secretary’s action in arranging for a recipient of charitable aid in the country to transfer her property to the Board on certain specified conditions, as was the chairman’s action in paying the costs of transfer of three children from the Lake County to the St. Vincent de Pauli Home, Dunedin, on a clear understanding that their maintenance therein would not be chargeable to this Board was approved. 9. Applications from relatives of two volunteers for active service for refunds of amounts paid to the Southland Hospital for treatment in that institution for minor operations to fit them for service were held over for further inquiries, neither of the patients having been esidents of the Board’s district when admitted to the hospital. 10. The committee acknowledge with thanks receipt of a donation to the Board’s charitable aid funds of £9 14s 8d from Knapdale residents, per Mr AY. H. Miller. 11. The Charitable Aid Inspector recommended that two recipients in Invercargill in receipt of 10s and 7s per week respectively be struck off the list, the former’s husbamj having resumed work, and the latter having been granted to old age pension, while the weekly allowance of a country recir piant was increased from 4s to 7s 6d per week. 12. District Nurce Pryce, Invercargill, reported having attended 24 patients and made 11s visits for January, while District Nurse Sommerville, Stewart. Island, reported that site had attended 12 patients, and made 36 visits for the same period. 13. The secretary reported that the weekly expenditure on out-door relief at present was £lB 11s 6d, as against £l6 5s for the corresponding period last year. —Secretary’s Kepart.— Southland Hospital. This institution keeps very busy, the Medical Superintendent reporting that during the month of January 175 patients received treatment, while on the. 20th of that month there were no less than 89 patients in the hospital. (These figures are records for tlie Southland Hospital.) The contractor for the additions to the Nurses’ Homo is getting on with his work, and is at present engaged on the inside wont. The contractor for the new hot water supply for the A r ictoria wing is geeting on with tame and will be ready to fit in the new sectional boiler next week. Dispenser Clerk, Southland Hospital— Mr .Morey, who at present holds this position, resigned at the last meeting of the Board, and as lie leaves for tlie north to-morrow, the Chairman, after conferring with the Medical Superintendent, recommends Mr Maurice Tangney, of Invercargill, to fill the position.

Gore Hospital Water Supply. —Owing to the illness of Mr Redman, the Board’s Health Inspector, we were unable to get a report on this work as directed at our last meeting. I therefore asked Dr Roger's to obtain a report ami estimate of cost of putting the system in order from a firm of local plumbers,_aml their report can bo considered later along with one from Dr Rogers on the same subject.

Egg Laying Competition. —Tho Southdand Egg Circle are going on with this at the Board’s Kew property, and I understand arrangements have been made by the Circle for the erection of the pens and housing to be in readiness for the competition to commence on April Ist.

District Nurses. Acting’ District .Nurse Ayson, Invercargill, having left to engage in nursing duties for the military authorities at the seat of war, the chairman authorised the appointment of Nurse Edith Pryce, of Invercargill, as acting - district nurse at the same salary as Nurse Ayson was rcceving. Nurse Pryce is registered in New Zealand, was formerly Sister in the Riverton Hospital, and received her training in English Hospitals.

Public Health. Health Inspector Redman has been off duty through Illhealth since onr January meeting. I was unsuccessful In obtaining a relieving Inspector from Dunedin, Christchurch or Wellington, In the meantime .1. Cowan of our Kew Hospital is carrying out the duties until Inspector Redman is able to resume duty. —Doctor Southland Hospital. — Patients remaining Ist January, 1916, -16 males, 29 females: admitted during January, 54 males, 47 females; discharged January, 1916, 47 males, 40 females; died. 5 mates, 3 females; remaining Ist February, 1916, 4 7 males and 39 females. Matron Ewart is at present on holiday, her place being taken by Sister Browne, from (lore. Miss Ewart returns on Febuary, 10th. I purpose taking my holiday on February, 12th. During my absence Dr Dempster will bo in charge of the. Institution. The number of inpatients still keeps high, and wo had as many as 89 in the Institution during the month. —Matron Southland Hospital.— Tlie results of the December State examination arc out and the four probationers who sat (Nurses Eggleton, Gibbon, Sims and Crompton) have all passed witli credit. Nurse Gibbon returned from holidays on January 27th, and th.en went t,o Gore to relieve Nurse Eggleton for her holidays, who has sinf'e sent in her resignation. Kindly acknowledge donations from the following; Mrs W,

D. Hunt, Mrs Hugh Mair, Miss Thompson, Mrs Howler, Mrs Rodgers, Mrs Henderson, Mrs Miller, Mrs Kennard, Miss Duff, A. C. Rowe and “a Friend.” —Gore Hospital.— Patients remaining Ist January, 1916, 14 males, 5 females, admitted during January, 14 males, 8 females; discharged during January, 1916, 17 males, 3 females; died, 2 males, 3 females; remaining Ist February, 1916, 9 males and 7 females. —Lake County Hospital.— Patients remaining Ist January, 1916, 3 males, 1 female; admitted during Jantinary, 4 males, 1 female; discharged during January, 1 male, 1 female; remaining Ist February, 6 males and 1 female. —Kew Hospital. Patients remaining Ist January, 1916, 1 male, 2 females: admitted during Janauary, 5 males, 3 females; discharged during January, 2 males, 2 females; died,, 1 male; remaining Ist Ftebru£(ry, 3 males and 3 females. —Lome Farm Home.— There were 65 inmates in the Home on February, Ist, viz.: 20 men, S women, 33 boys, and 24 girls. Admitted during the month one man and 3 girls; two boys were taken to live with their parents, two were placed in situations, and two others were committed to the Industrial School. X have had considerable trouble lately with the water supply, owing to a slight fall in the wall, which caused the pipes and both pumps to become choked, and after getting everything again in working order. I find that the water is now not coming into the well fast enough to keep up the supply needed. I think it would be advisable to have it thoroughly cleaned out and probably deepened a little. The children spent a very enjoyable day at the Bluff on the 21st, their annual picnic, several of the residents being particularly kind to them, for which I desire to thank them. Mrs Crulckshank kindly invited the children to Rosedale for the afternoon on the 28th. where they were more than k'indly treated. For donations I s’ish to thank Mcsdairfes A. C. Millar, Jobson, Drew, Crulckshank, Messrs Mint, Rogers, Cheyne, St, John’s Bible Class, Teviot street Church, and the Temperance Hall picnic. —Health Officer. — The Acting Inspector of Health (Mr J. Cowan) reported that notifications of infectious diseases to the number of 26 were received during the month of January, 1916. viz;— Scarlet fever 11, diphtheria 12, tuberculosis 3; total, 24!. These were from the following districts: —lnvercargill 16, Gore 2, Bluff 4, Queenstown 2, Waikaka 1, and Birchwood 1.