ALLEGATION OF LEAKAGE

Taranaki Daily News, 20 June 1934, Page 7

ALLEGATION OF LEAKAGE

HOSPITAL BOARD COMPLAINT APPOINTMENTS TO THE STAFF. EXCHANGES BETWEEN MEMBERS. CONFIDENCE QUESTION RAISED.

Described as a scandal which had been proceeding for years, alleged leakages of Taranaki Hospital Board committees’ information to outsiders before matters had been discussed in open meeting by the board, formed the subject of a lively discussion at yesterday’s board meeting during which Mr. R. J. Deare told the chairman (Mr. P. E. Stainton) that he was getting near the borderline in certain remarks he had made. Mr. Deare took strong exception to the chairman’s remark. ' The matter was brought up by the chairman and related to the appointment of a carpenter-joiner to the board’s staff. If persons could not keep board affairs to themselves they were not worthy of seats on the board, the chairman said. An applicant for a position on the board’s staff had known he was eliminated, and the three applicants left in for final selection within a comparatively short period after the consideration of the applications by the house and finance committee on June 12. It had been all around the town. The man had said he knew who voted on the matter. Mr. S. Vickers: It has been going on for years. It is a scandal. The man he referred to had not been floundering or guessing; he had been correct in his statements, said the chairman. He was a member in attendance when the committee discussed the applications, Mr. E. R. C. Gilmour said. He was thunderstruck when, an applicant came to him and told him what had occurred. This man had told him he wished he knew who gave the casting vote which eliminated him. This leakage of information had been going on for years, Mr. C. H. Barnitt said. NAME WANTED. Mr. A. Corkill: “If you name the man I will move he resign from the board.” After discussion between Mr. Deare and Mr. Stainton, Mr. Deare said it was not his habit to open discussions with members of the staff.. He trusted that because he happened to spend a good deal of time in supervisory work around the grounds he was not being singled out. The chairman: If any member of the staff opens discussions with you it is your duty to try to find out where the information came from.

The chairman stated that no member of the office staff was aware of what had taken place at the«toommittee meeting. The information was in the minute book, and was not “written up” until after the information had leaked out.

Mr. Deare: I object to the suggestion that I am on familiar terms with a member of the staff. Mr. J. Brennan: An instance of leakage that cost the board a lot of money was the furnishing of the Tabor ward. Mr. H. E. Blyde suggested in the first place without reflecting on the staff in any way that the matter of the confidence of all board matters be mentioned to them. It would narrow down the possible outlets of information.

Mr. Vickers suggested the recommendation include the board. It was decided that the general manager (Mr. E. Holden) broach the matter to his staff.

A paragraph in the minutes of the house and finance committee meeting of May 31 stated that it was decided that the selected applicants for the position of carpenter-joiner be asked to interview the committee on June 12 and that meanwhile the general manager be authorised to employ Mr. N. ; C. Bullot in that capacity. There were present at the committee meeting of May 31 Messrs.' P. E. Stainton (chairman), S. Vickers, J. Gibbs, A. J. Brennan and E. B. Davies. The committee’s minutes of its meeting of June 12 stated that there were present Messrs. P. E. Stainton (chairman), S. Vickers, A. J. Brennan, J. Gibbs and E. B. Davies. Mr. E Gilmour was in attendance. It was stated that the eight applicants for the position of carpenterjoiner who had been selected by the committee were interviewed, after which it was resolved to eliminate four men (named) and to seek for. further- information regarding the capabilities of. three others (named), when a recommendation would.be made to the board. On the committee’s recommendation to the board yesterday, Mr. Brunton was appointed.