CLAIMED AFTER 28 YEARS
PROPERTY OF MAN WHO DIED RING, CHAIN AND LOCKET A plain gold ring, a watch chain and a locket containing a faded yellow curl and a miniature photograph lay on the table at the monthly meeting of the Southland Hospital Board yesterday. The articles were the property of a man who died in the Southland Hospital in 1908. His widow asked at the time that the ring be returned to her, but was told by the Hospital Board that it was to be kept to defray her husband’s maintenance expenses. Yesterday her son laid successful claim to the ring. A letter received from him by the board stated:—
“On reading the remarks made at a meeting of your board I noticed that a collection of jewellery is in your possession. I am in hopes that a ring of my father’s, who died in your hospital, about 25 years ago, might be returned to me. My mother told me that he wore the ring when he died; but she missed it from his finger afterwards. Inquiries at the office revealed that the ring was to be kept to help pay my father’s maintenance. If it it is in your 20 years’ collection I would be very pleased to have it.” The secretary (Mr T. Pry de) said he had looked for the ring when he received the letter and had found it in the board’s strong box, along with the chain and locket, among a collection of articles which had accumulated over a long period of years. “I was not concerned with the hospital at that time,” Mr Pryde added, “but the ring was handed to me by the late secretary of the Hospital Trust. During my connection with the board no rings have been sold.”
Members mentioned that the case should serve to show that there was little truth in Dr D. G. McMillan’s suggestion that hospital boards sold the personal property of deceased patients. “It shows very clearly,” said the chairman, Mr T. Golden, “that there should be no limit to the time property is kept.”
After further discussion it was decided that the articles should be forwarded to the address named in the letter.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ST19360918.2.79
Bibliographic details
Southland Times, Issue 22998, 18 September 1936, Page 8
Word Count
370CLAIMED AFTER 28 YEARS Southland Times, Issue 22998, 18 September 1936, Page 8
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Southland Times. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Log in