HOSPITAL BOARD.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 18, 26 February 1914, Page 9

HOSPITAL BOARD.

THE MONTHLY MEETING. At the monthly meeting of the. Norlh Canterbury Hospital and Charitable Aid Board there were present: —Messrs F. Horrell (chairman), J. - Davidson, H. B. Sorensen, W. H. Cooper, W. W. Tanner, W. M 'Millan, A. H. Turnbull, R. Moore, O. Bradley, J. Ashley, George Scott, H. J., Otley, J. D. Hall, Dr. Fenwick, Mrs Christie, , ■ and Mrs Wilson. Miss M. Thurston, Lady Superintendent, reported that the following iustitu- ✓ tions were working well and without friction: —Kaikoura Hospital, Akaroa Hospital, Bottle La,ke Hospital, Jubilee Home Infirmary Wards, and Infirmary Wards, Tuarangi, which are very full cf heavy nursing, so extra help had been given them. The Lyttelton Casualty Ward had not been quite so busy as y usual. * HOSPITAL AFFAIRS. The Hospital Committee reported that it had cancelled the contract for keeping the grounds of the Kaikoura tal in order, as the work was carried put in a very unsatisfactory manner. Mr Robertson, senior house surgeon to the hospital for the past year, had completed his engagement, and' Dr Sinclair had taken his position. Dr Widdowson is to leave at the end of this month, when the positions of junior hor.se surgeons would be filled by Drs flercus and Trotter. The provision of meal sto employees .of the hospital' had been discontinued. The new build- : course of erection are now progrossing rapidly, and materials are coming to hand freely. The contractor for the administration black is hopeful of catching up much of the time lost. ' through the strike. The patients' v £ees ; collected for the four weeks to' February 12 amounted to £426 7/10,-against £3BO 15/3 for the corresponding period- , • of 1913 V \ PUBLIC HEALTH MATTERS. The Public Health Committee reported. that the health inspectors had enquired during January into ten cases ■ , [of scarlet fever, five of diphtheria,, one - r jof enteric fever, 19 of tuberculosis, | three of puerperal fever, six of chickenpox, one of erysipelas, and one of, infantile paralysis; 35 disinfections - were carried out, and 118 other inspections and enquiries were made. - ' Acting on the advice of the Canterbury .division of the British Medical "As-" I sociation, the eorrimittee had asked all . doctors practising in the North Ctoter-Ai* bury hospital di strict _to notify -such ~' cases of infantile paralysis as may occur in their practice. So far information of A seven eases had been received. * Following the usual course, the number of searlet fever leases at Bottle Lake ■ Hospital liad decreased to eight. • Eight tenders- were received for the ; V l . extension of Bottle Lake Hospital, and that of Mr J. Searle had been accepted - at £I4BO. The\architect's estimate was, -• £1420. / Mr Cuthbert liad siibmitteu a report on the drainage and sanitary fittings at-the-sanatorium. * The system may be 7 regarded as ,gpj«usrally satisfactory, and . - the board vwas asked t<£ authorise the committee to give effect to certain small, improvements - suggested, provided they met with the .approval of the Heathcote County Council, which is the local authority -for the district. A The asphalt under the verandahs, at the sanatorium had become much broken by the patients' lounges, and it'. is proposed to. put down concrete instead at, a cost of £35. •, • L \" The Drainage''Board had forwarded ' an agreement, to be sealed by "...the'" board, which governed the discharge of effluent: from the septic tank at - the . sanatorium into the Heathcote River, - an annual fee of £1 being charged. Th& committee had the matter under consideration when it was pointed out that' the Ileatllcote County Council, disputed the right of the Drainage Board - to control the river. It was decided to ~ seek the advice of the:board's solicitors as to whether the agreement should be entered into. Since the above decision, it had come to public knowledge that the question of control was likely to b5 settled between the bodies principallyconcerned. The chairman of the board •' therefore consulted the chairman of the committee, and it was decided to • tak® no action with regard to an opinion, but to leave it to the boawl to decide whether it would not be wise tp seal the agreement and pay the fee claimed, on the understanding that a refund may be applied for in the event of it being shown that the Drainage Board . has up right to .make-such charge. The report was adopted. FINANCE. It was reported by the Finance Committee that a contract had been entered :• into with Mr J. Smith for the .plumbingwork in the administration block at . £455; It was originally contemplated that this would be done by the.board's staff —the estimate for the work beinga,bout £520. ~ The Tramway Board had purchased 2.38 perches of Twigger land at the corner of Lincoln Road and St. Leonard Street, for the purpose of widening the street. - . Contributions from local authorities \vere coming in more freely, and it was: anticipated that most of the accounts will be closed March 31.