HOSPITAL BOARD.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13676, 19 August 1908, Page 2

HOSPITAL BOARD.

The monthlv meeting of the- South Canterbury Hospital arid Charitable Aid Board" was held yesterday. Pies'tnt : Messrs J. Talbot' (chairman), ,W, S. Maslin, M. Mullin, F. R. GiUingham, G. Lyall, 1\ Studholme, W. Coltinan, and G. Butler. ' > ' CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT, The chairman expressed the Board's sympathy with Mr GiUingham in the loss of his son last month. He apologised for the absence of Mr Craigie and Mr Buxton. The' latter had been very ill. in Wellington, but was now understood to be improving. As to the financial position there was a credit balance ..of £1690 19s 6d. There were accounts U> pav, £1364 os lid, leaving a, credit of. £326 15s 7d. A balance of subsidy ..due. £434, would give them a balance of between £7OO and £BOO. The payments for September should therefore be about met. The contributions from the local bodies should then be coming -in, so that they would be able to tide over all right. The reason they were running short .was the payment of some large sums on contacts—Wuimate Hospital £4OO, consumptive shelters £l2O, operating theatre £ll2. These' - payments would about clear ofi the liabilities on account of those contracts. The Seddon Memorial was practically; finished, and. also the operating theatre, hut there were some details to be attended to, and the theatre would not be available for use for some little,time. The Old Men's Home was now quite full, there being 32 men and 5 women in it, and every available bed was occupied. '/. A • good' many of theoccupants were old age. pensioners, A DOUBLE MEMBER.

The Levels County Council nominated Mr George Butler (already' their representative; to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Mr F. J.. LeCren. A little discussion' took place on the question- whether the position was allowable. It was explained that the County Council thought it was not worth while appointing a member as; there would be a general election 1 of the Council hi' November. The chairman . said Mr Butler would onl„- count as prie'in making up a quorum:. Mr" Butler thought he ought to have two votes in cai:e he wished to exercise theni. G-.hrT members laughed and said that c-.uld not be allowed. If the:fCouncil iike-1 to disfranchise itself that was their affair. TIMARU HOSPITAL. The matron reported that as instructed she had taken on an additional pitbalioner, and it'had been necessary to f. r-nii-h an additional bedroom; a/id two candidates had' been taken on, t!»ee months' trial. ,: .' , = ' "'"."' Mr Butler as 'visitor,' spoke of '.he painting done at the hospital as satisfactory except that as pointed out, the white of the walls was' lonui.ned down to the floor, and in washing the floors the white must become discoloured. She wished to have the skirting painted in black or some- dark colour.; "Ihis would not cost much and he that it be done. Mr Lyall concurred, and the Board agreed to have it t'on-t-. The secretary reported that the nuinbpr of patients admitted during iuiy. vas 48, making J37 treated, and 39 ;--'mv.vd at the end of the month: The resident Burgeon stated that nine of the patients had exceeded two ;uon(hs' i lav. } . TALBOT HOSPITAL.. The caretaker of the Talbot Hospital reported that there- wase at present. 11 patients in the hospital, suffering from, scarlet fever. Five had been discharged, cured, and two through death, during the past month. Two patients had been sent into the, house, one with scarlet, fever, one with' measles, for Mrs. Nicholls to attend to. Mr Turnbull, architect, had had the bath water cut .oil from- the septic tank, and the drains had been attended to. •

Mr Butler for Sir Lyall and- himself reported that they had visited the Talbob Hospital and found the septic tank much, improved by cutting off the bath water. At any rate'the tank had" been greatly relieved. He was also satisfied with the distribution of the drainage over the ground. Regarding the two' patients sent" by him into the house, Dr. Bett explained that one was a man who had beeri living by himself at Pleasant Point, and contracted measles. ••' • He was sent to the Talbot Hfcspital because lie bad no one. to look after him, and was accepted for that reason. It would not have done to put him in the ward, or h'e would'have taken scarlet fever and have given the other patients measles. The other was' a. young person sent in from a house where two sisters had died of scarlet fever,7but she Jhad'not- developed, it: • In a 'day or:t%p.va : : rash appeared atd. she was., -then put into:- the -ward. 'An endeavour was \ made .by ,the> secretary to get someone ! to tike in ' the : measles patient, but withdut.c" success, * and' as he had nowheTe to .go he 'was- • kept ■ on. ivas; no: longer>.classed as minfecfious/idKease'.' ' He Kyould been taf&uiin'but' that he [was living by himself.'' .(■ • .'■'::'■' ...' v ■"\ : ,'"- ■■.• <-y ;4 '■'• RttPORIy f s

>3si&'. architect,;-'Mr j. IS. : ■■■ i-ufnbiili, rethat ;the- Seddon : Memorial-> Ward was' now completed,- except some exterior painting, which' desirable to leave as long as possible:/to allow the plaster to become thoroughly-;dry. Good pro r gres;s was being"-m'ade' : "w;Mh the .co.nsumptive'.shelters, andifeliey. .should be" complete - next month. the question;'6Pi:otJ" water supply with the engineer "-.of ■ /ills '-.s-iaundiyv and had come to" thef c3nclusion 'jvithVa.";Ta'ngye pump;to secure'.-, circula'tiqn v the-suggestion of storage tahjts,'ivas;, the, best /itteans of getting a supply s 'fr6jin v :thp waste : stream. This would mean^;firing"• '.the. boiler/ ths whole week, ''^herea&iit. was now : : closed down on Thui-s'day'/';-: jTie'; additional cost would -be for fuel and wages 'of_.inan'^fpV;«tM.4 , s.?&'t«'''t-h«'' : &ing.-' The'.!'.alteratton"i•'','to.'•^til§^ at Talbot Hospital had,vbeen icompleted-,- and -field, drains : laid, • sola's? to • dii"ti'ibute the-, drain- 1 age as- much .as, possible. / The additional wards and nurses'-rooms- at Waimate Hospital were ; f completed, except for a, few minor details which; would be attended to this .Vnionth: - Architect's certificates were received for £l2O to Miller Bros;, first payment on account of £206 for shelters; £ll2 19s 2d -to J. ;Dohald, , final payment" on operating theatre : cqntrWci £587 ./{other items—sanitary fittings £2B Is 'lO3, hotwater service, .£62 9& v 2d. additional work £lB6 10s'-Id^'total ;£B6l 4s;;fil); £l5O to R. Fpnseca,''' A fourth->:'i)a-ymeht on account of £664 10s for Seddon Memorial Ward (leaving £l4 due). Mr Lyall as a visitor, said the -walk of the Seddon 'Memorial- Ward" were still very damp, and did not- seem to be improved at- all; arid the internal wards were equally bad. Mr "Butler-"'thought that, the-fault-riiust-"be in the material. Perhaps salt-water sand was Used. At nil event;;' the walls seemed "to be the 1 same month after 7 month. The* chairman supposed that 'the walls' had been painted too soon, and, Mr Gillingham said that would explain it; the moisture had been unablei to escape,.-.

The architect cauie in later, and said that way- the explanation, f The iontractor . did. the painting before he • was instructed to do so. As it was the contractor's mistake -he was gojng_ to make it good by scraping . off the , paint and. painting afresh when the walls were dry, - _i . MISCELLANEOUS.; The Board agreed: ,to . the. additional fee .required (£2 a year) to obtain a.continuous telephone service. Some correspondence was. read regard-

ing a, claim by an old age pensioner in the, Homy to' haw. returned to him the amount/ of his pension for some time that he was in the hospital. He had written to the Kegiotrar of Old Age Pensions about, it, and that officer applied for ■information. This had been sent, and.no reply had yet came, to hand. The Board considered'that the pensioner was still on their hands as a charitable aid recipient when ■ in the hospital and therefore the pension should not be refunded. Mr Gillingham and the secretary were authorised to deal with a case of cottage Tent- at Fairlie. . '■' The secretary stated that a man with a family of j-oung children had been given temporary aid. He had .since obtained employment, and had promised to pay for what he had had. One old man 'of 72 had been admitted into the Home, taking up the last bed. •A RESIGNATION. •■ Mr W. Goltman, representative of the Borough of Vfaimate, tendered his resignation, as he is about to remove to Auckland. In his letter he thanked the Board , for the consideration that had been-'shown'" him throughout the many years he had been a member.. The chairman said he personally, and others would agree 'with him, exceedingly regretted that Mr Goltman was leaving them. He had been an excellent member, who always thought out well any lino he took tip or :-ahy,r.:--iecornmendation he made. Waimate had had a very able member, and "he hoped, but did not expect, that they would get another as good. He'hoped %hat Mr Goltman .would succeed as he deserved where he was going. • • Messrs Gillingham and' Maslin spoke to the same effect, and Mr Goltman thanked them for their; kind expressions. He wished the Board'every, success in the future and that their meetings would be as harmonious in future as they had been in the. past. •" 'Accounts: -were passed and the Board rose- ■