HOSPITAL BOARD.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13635, 1 July 1908, Page 2

HOSPITAL BOARD.

The monthly meetingiojf the. South Canterbury Hospital /and*" Board *a» held Messrs J;; Talbot; <chairm«m}# Qipigham, Lvall, Mltilhi, Craigie. Bett was ralso present. Apologies, were received fr6m ; dilessrs Buxton,;, Studholme, Maelin. (fclfroan, and LeCren. Mr left the district* resigned on the Board, and the secretary wa« 'instructed to advise the Leels County' Council by "whom Mr LeUren was appointed, and to take any necessary, steps to have the vacancy filled. FINANCES. The chairman stated that the balance in the bank; was £1992 17s 9d. The payments made were: Hospital £370 Is 2d, children's ward £SO. Wa'unat* Hospital contract £460, Wainiate Trustees levy £6oo;c¥aTstable aid Jsis/7 3s Id,-Tal-bot Hospital, £125 2s Id, total £1872 6* 4d; leaving &■ balance of £l2O lis ?6d. Some of the local bodies' contributions had come to hand. The only account to be passed that was out of the ordinary was one for furniture for the Talbot .Hospital, about £75, which had been made necessary by the large number of patients admitted.

The chairman then mentioned the case of the blind man McCarthy, and Mr Craigie made a statement, u nd a discussion followed, as reported elsewhere. REPORTS. Mr Butler, for himself and '''Messrs Lyall and Mullin, reported that as desired they had inspected the corridors and otheV parte which were said to be in need of renovation, and they recommended thai the corridors be painted, the kitchens be well cleaned and whitewashed. The matron desired to have a gas heater attached to each kitchen range, as more economical at times than the ranges. The committee also visited the Talbot Hospital and tonnd everything satisfactory except the -eptic tank, which was not working well, apparently because it was too small, 'lhey recommended that the bath water be diverted from the tank. They also visited the Old Men's Home and found everything satisfactory. Dr Beti, resident surgeon, said the septic tank had always been unsatisfactory, and always must be, owing to the amount of disinfectants used. 'the disinfectants could not be separated, and they mui>t kill the microbes. It was wry difficult to know what to do. He bad consulted Dr Pinch, who was unable to suggest anything. Mr Butler said the sub-committee had only considered the quantity and recommended its reduction. The tank was only a tov for such 'an (institution.

It was agreed that the work, recommended by the sub-committee be done, and that Mr l'urnbnll report on the septic tank. Mr Turnbull came' in later, and stated that 'when building the hospital he speci ally asked the jnaters of ine tank it autikeptics would prevent ita working, and their'reply was tuat they would not. 'lhe Health Department' recommended the tanks, and one was being put in at Waiinato .now under the Department's super TALBOT HOSPITAL.' The caretaker, Talbot iluspita], ie ported that there were twelve cases r iu (be hospital; 16 had been discharged' during the month, and there had been one aeath. He requisitioned some deck' chairs and some furwtuie for the nurses' quarters.

v These quarters were said to b« very bare ' and the • furniture was ordered to be got. '". Ihe working of the ground was dmeraed and an agreement lor cropping aud cleaning it was approved. TIMARL HOSPITAL.

The .secretary reported that'there were 50 patients admitted during May,' making 93 treated llwt r *>onth, and of these 50 ' remained at the'*mt"df the'month. '.There were 29. men and .-4-women in tbcTOld Men's Home, and there 'had been/one death,(in the hospital)> , -There been five temporary .adjnissipns'vand one permanent 4t*v4t traiUpld. age pensioner coming theatre was completed except some painting inside. The, cost pt buildings and all fittings, including some-not originally' contemplated, was £538, or, £BB in excess of his estimate... - The. Waimat* additions were nearly, completed. The drainage scheme there had-, been enlarged to- apply to the whole-institution and was [being carried out under-the supervision of the Health Department, and including ihe septic tank its' cost would be about' £250. -

Ibe manager of the gss company wrote " that if there was, as bad been, staled, J any defect in the lighting in tbe'hospi--7 tal, it must.be due to the internal fittings, ■> as then was plenty of pretenre at«£he >t meter. He suggested that it might be due to neglect .of. the burners and mantlet., and submitted an*offer to keep ~ the lights in order and secure satisfaction, at a fixed Tate per lamp per montb. An offer was received from Scott Bros, to install electric light -throughout the hospital, quoting a price for 178 lamps and » total of 3490 candle power. lt> was decided to bold oyer both offers for » fuller'meeting, and in the meantime not to publish* toe offers. Tenders were received for the ,erection of shelters for consumptives in the Timarn Hospital grounds, two double and two single. The lowest teadero were accepted, viz.:—For the cor6truction, Miller Bros., £206; for painting, B. J. North, £lB 6s 6d; for plumbing, Xesbitt, £8 18s. There were five otherv tenders for construction ranging up to £240. Mr Craigie reminded the Board that tbey had an honorary staff Qt four attending the Timarn Hospital without any payment, and that being the case it would only be reasonable for the Board to pay any member's cab-fare, if be hud to take a cab to reach the hospital, in bad wea . ther for instance. The Board agreed 1 that it would be fair to pay when ne cessary. ' Mr Craigie produced a sketch, of an . ornamental brass plate, with inscription, to be fixed in tfce children's ward. The inscription proposed was as fallows: "This Children's Ward was erected with funds subscribed by the-people, of South , Canterbury as a tribute to tie memory of the lata Bt. Hon. Bichd. J, Seddon, P.C., Premier of New Zealand, 1891-190?, (Completed JniS* 1908)." - „ ' „ "Mr Craigie' suggested that when the w«Td wsjs„. finished, -which would take. * few week*,yen,.there.should be gome opening ceremony. It was possible, that Lady Plunket would visit Tnnaru, end if she did "so her ladyship might be asked to open the wardDr Bert pointed out the need for an' up* to-dato apparatus for the disinfection of , clothing and bedding, by high pressure steam, and quoted some correspondence on the subject, from which jfe appeared , . that, there, is as yet oply pne euch. an; , paratus in the colony. It was sens out to the Cbristchurch exhibition and was secured for the Cashmere sanatorium. The cost was stated to be about £2OO, and the Board thought this pr-t it out of teach for the present. Dr Bett also recommended -the. acquisition of apparatus far examining eye cases, cost abput £2O; and spoke of the difficulty of bicycling to the Talbot Hospiiel in wet weather.—The Board postponed consideration of the fprmer, and gave J>r Bett authority to get a cab when necessary. Some difficulty having cropped up regarding the use of * the ambulance, the chairman and Mr Craigie were requested ' to examine the rules regarding it and recommend any amendments deemed deejr- i able. , ' < CHARITABLE AID;, ■ ] I Charitable aid cases were deals- with. < I A request front' Fairlie for payment of < * rent for a man df^ jixty-iix, who is keep-

ing two young children,' was granted, ? f«tt, three: months- ••- >" Oh an application for contained assistance ifbtear girl :^^,*ad f ais*iasv now when she could earn her o\«hti decided to'make one, more ;payniieiM.^v.»■ : A case of a young wp'qi«nt r of Pleasant Point, unmarried, '■• bufc4*#i &hree , illegitimattfchiidren, aged 5 years and 7 months, applied? to; havJe'fethe chddren taken off her handV:ed;tM4.*he could go out to a' situation by the secretary; with in; addition. Mr Bntler further information to the Tejportsj.;fewhich stated that ;the -woman cash, her share of the proceeds ;jo|;Vt|ie sale of a house belonging -to her; «nd|h«r brothers. Inquiry had been made. jonJjer behalf; by a minister at the, ;Poi«t the reception of the children into fcHMe at Christchurch, and the reply the children, could only be : a Magistrate's : order, '.„•.', This ;iti would compel the Board to pay for them—7s 6d a week each. The question ; : . had been discussed whether-fhe/£2O? should he Expended in bringing back from Australia, the father of the youngest child. The money was now in the bands of a lawyer in Timaru.—The Board agreed that it would not be. worth while to try and fetch the man back, and decided to give temporary help in the meantime, the secretary and Mr Butler to try to find homes for the children, as boarding-out would be cheaper, than the Home.

Extra assistance to purchase boots for children of a recipient of aid at Fairlie was granted. Mr J. Fraser, Waitohi, reported on the caße of a family of fatherless children, to whom the Board agreed to allow £1 a week, on the amount of a subscription made be handed' 6ver. £IOO had been collected, and Mr Fraser sent in £SO and explained that the balance was being held over in the meantime, pending future developments. 'lhe family were now doing well. The £SO, with subsidy, said ihe cbairmany would cany the family over two years, and something might crop up by that t/ime.—The Board accepted and thanked Mr Fraser for his letter, and the interest be had taken in the family. HOSPITAL CONFERENCE. The chairman made a report on the Hospital Boards Conference, after which accounts were passed and: the Board rose at 3.4 p.m.

*■ >ln past'viime itiie? first thing,?*>».« to a. bum or scald was., to excludp; the air. To do this the victim had to either apply a. pas<£ .of ■ oil ahd. flolir or else bandage the scalded part, thiis adding tb bis sufferings. AH that is now heoeesary is to apply Chamberlain's Pain Balm. This liniment giws immediate relief, also heals the part in one-third the time taken by any-oth<?r application; but what is. More WomVrfnl sill is- that-there' is never any iscar left after Chamberlain's Pain Balm » nsed. For Kale *verywh*»rft...