HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

Timaru Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 1662, 16 January 1895, Page 4

HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

_ The monthly meeting of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board was held yesterday. Present : — Messrs J. Jackson (chairman), Moore, Hill, White, Hardie, Coltman and Gillingham. The chairman said there was not much to report. There was a large demand for charitable aid, the chief increase being from families left without breadwinners. The finances were not m a satisfactory condition. The overdraft now was £361 10s lid. The accounts to be paid £380 would raise the overdraft to £742. The board had only arranged for an overdraft of £500 so that this amount would be considerably exceeded. Two of the local bodies had not sent m their contributions, amounting to £280 4s 2d. If these were paid the board could apply to the Government for the subsidy. They ought not to have to pay interest on such a sum, when the interest had to be drawn from the charitable aid funds. He would ask the secretary to remind the local bodies of their duty. There were three patients m the hospital who had exceeded the limit of stay, having been m 112, 83, and 69 days. One patientwho had been a long time m the hospital died this week. Dr McGregor, the Inspector, paid a surprise visit to the hospital, arriving at 7.30 m the morning, was at the barracks just after 8, and he left Tiniaru at noon, before he (the chairman) knew that Dr McGregor had been here. Dr McGregor expressed himself satisfied with what he saw. The secretary stated that besides the two local bodies mentioned by the chairman, the Levels district had still to pay. Correspondence was read as follows :— From McKinnon and sons, solicitors, Aberdeen, asking the name of the Board's officer authorised to receive and give discharge for moneys, a Mrs Beattie having left the hospital a legacy of £50. A good many yaars ago a young man named William Hew Beattie, who had been a captain m the Madras Cavalry, but had to leave the service, went to New Zealand, fell into bad health, and got refuge m his distress m the Timaru Hospital. In gratitude for the kindness and attention shown her son Mrs Beattie bequeathed a legacy of £50 to the hospital, free of government charges.— A reply had been sent that the draft could be sent to the chairman.— The Shairman remarked that it was gratifying to find that the services of thehospital had been so much appreciated. — Mr Moore said such appreciation came more frequently from foreign quarters than from home. An ex-patient who had been pressed for payment of an account of £12 odd, offered a promissory note at four months', as he was going Home to get money, and on his return would pay the claim. — The offer was accepted. Mr Hill produced a letter written tc him by Mr J. R. Hooper, Auckland, against whom the Board have a claim for £27 11s 3d for hospital services to his father. He asserted that he had to write to Mr Hill because he got no replies tc letters to the Board. The secretary denied this, and showed from his letter book that he had sent letters and telegrams. The Board had had 'no letters to reply to. Hooper had written to the chairman and to himsell privately, mixing up private matters^ He wrote to ask if the letter he received himself was a private one or not, anil Hooper replied that it was private. The chairman explained his connection with Hooper's private affairs, to show that Hooper certainly had nothing to complain of on that score. Hooper's letter to Mr Hill that he had taken legal advice, which was to the effect that his circumstances being what they are, the board could not compel him to pay for his father.— The board having placed the matter m the hands of their solicitors, decided, after considerable discussion, to allow the proceedings to go on. The returns of patients treated during December was presented, — under treatment on December Ist, 21, received during the month 17, total treated 38 ; discharged (one by death) 20 ; remaining on 31st, 18 ; out patients treated, 17. The chairman suggested that the question of the hospital charge might be considered, and reduced from 4s to 3s pei day, and Mr Hill gave notice to move m this direction at next meeting. Charitable aid cases were then taken. T. Green, who was promised half fare Home for himself, wife, and adopted child if he could raise the other half, waited on the board to state that by a hard struggle he had raised his half. He read a letter from his wife's brother at Home promising to look after them if they got Home. — The board to carry out the arrangement made. A widow m receipt of aid waited on the board to ask for further assistance. She was left with six children, of whom two have been sent to Burnham. She asked that the rest— aged 12, 7, 5, and I years— be sent there, so that she would be able to go to service. She could not pay any rent nor buy clothing, nor go tc work without leaving the children running about the streets. If she could get the children away she might be able to contribute something towards their cost. At present she receives ration orders to 26s 8d per month and coal. The applicant having retired, her case was discussed at length. It was pointed out that boarding out would be cheaper than Burnham, to say nothing 'of its superiority on other grounds, — Mr Hill thought it would be better to increase the allowance, and allow the woman tc keep her own children ; it would cost less than boarding out.— Mr Coltmnii referred to i similar cases m his district wherein smaller allowances were made. and lie was opposed to increasing the allowance, when the state of the. finances indicated a need for paring down rathei than increases. Several suggestions were made, and filially it was decided not to increase the present allowance, nor tc do anything so long as the woman's circumstances remain as at present, it being understood that charitable people are supplying the family with clothing, A country resident, who owes the hospital £89, waited on the Board to asl< fora concession. He had a vife and len chihlrcn to keep from n .small farm of 20 acies, which belonged to some oi the children under a trust. If the Board would let him off with £10 he would try to pay that after harvest. — It was decided to make inquiries to verify the applicant's statements as to his property, foi report to the next meeting. Mr Jowsey stated that he had behaved badly m a bargain he made to supply some potatoes in^part payment, making promises and breaking them. The applicant explained that the children's trustees forbade him to bring m the potatoes, because he would need them for the support of his children. The chairman mentioned a case, recently arisen m Timaru, wherein a widower died leaving five children, and a small cottage which he left by will to his eldest boy, who is 14 years of age, and is employed at 10s a week. Two of the children had been or were to be adopted, leaving two to come into the hands of the Board, as there were no relatives m the colony. The property was said to be a small one, not worth fighting for if any claim could be made upon it. — The matter was left to the chairman and secretary to deal with. The chairman reported the cese of a single woman of 25 who haa recently returned from Wellington with au infant, This was the fourth she had brought to him. Two had been adopted, one boarded out, and now there was another. She came down to her mother, at Geraldine, and lie sent her back, with a note requesting Mr White to look into the case. —Mr White said that MrsOrbell had interested herself m the ease. The mother (herself m receipt of charitable aid) turned the girl out of doors, but took her m again on hearing that the Board were going to do something. — The secretary stated that the case was not one for this board at all, as the girl had been away from the district for a year and a half to

two years, m Nelson most of the time. — On this it wasdecided to refer the girl to the board at Wellington, where she came from. J. Menzies, an inmate of the barracks, suffering from paralysis of the lower limbs through an accident, asked the board to send him to Rotorua, where, he was advised, the treatment was likely to benefit him.— Not entertained. A number of other cases of charitable aid were dealt with on correspondence. The secretary's report on the charitable aid cased was taken district by district, and a few alterations m allowances ordered. The Temuka portion was held over, owing to the absence of the local member. In one case m the Rangitata district, a mother m charge of her children is to be warned that if she does not keep them cleaner the allowance will be stopped. i An anonymous letter challenging the fairness of* an allowance made at Waimate,was replied to by Mr Coltman, who denied the assertions made. In view of the state of the finances a resolution was passed authorising the increase of the overdraft from £500 to £750 if necessary. Hospital accounts £191 3s 3d and Charitable Aid accounts £189 11s 6dwere passed for payment. An item m the former, £5 2s for aerated waters for three months was considered excessive, and the medical staff's attention is to bo drawn to it. Mr Hill • gave notice to move at next meeting to rescind a resolution fixing the hospital charge at 4s per day, and that the charge m future be 3s per day.