HOSPITAL FINANCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 January 1923, Page 4

HOSPITAL FINANCE.

AFFAIRS OF TARANAKI BOARD HEAVY COSTS LAST YEAR. A return presented to the Taranaki Hospital Board yesterday showed that the revenue for the nine months ended December 31 was £24,424 7r 8d and the expenditure £26,097 3s 3d. The estimates for the period were £25,436 Is lid and £24,210 16s fid respectively. The total expenditure for the same period last year was €20,726 2s sd, t'he increase being accounted for chiefly by the expenditure of £2809 on the, Opunake Hospital, furniture for the nurses’ home, boiler and boiler house extras and X-ray and hospital equip* rnent. The details of the return show considerable savings in the cost of provisions for the hospital, the ’Rangiateui Home and for feed on the farm, while laundry and cleaning expenses at the hospital were reduced by about £llO for the period. Outdoor relief cost nearly £3OO more than for the corresponding period of 1921. Mr. E. Gilmour tiaid he would like to congratulate the general manager (Mr. E. Holden) on the savings he had effected for t'he board since, he had been appointed. The appointment had been criticised, but he thought the say’ ’s shown on the balance sheet had justified their action. He moved a vote of thanks to Mr. Holden, while he also congratulated the farm committee on the decreased coat of running the farm. The chairman ('My. M. Fraser) endorsed Mr. Gilmour’s remarks and said •that the way in which Mr. Holden had managed to keep down the bank overdraft, and the way he had looked after the finances of the board, slurtved that he was possessed of financial abilities above the ordinary.