THAMES NEWS.

Thames Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 10380, 5 December 1912, Page 4

THAMES NEWS.

HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID.

MONTHLY MEETING OF BO'ASRD 1.

IMPOiRTAINT MATTERS DIS-

CUSSED 1.

Last night the members of the Thames Hospital and! Charitable Aid Board assembled for the monthly mieetinig. There were present Messrs T. Kfllgour (chairman), W. Baker, J, Riowe, W. J. McCormick, B. Law, C. Lloyd, W. M!cWattai's,..J. Nathan, and C. Franklin. . . ■•■MINUTES, ETC. - ■' ■ The minutes of the last meeting and the outward correspondence were read by the secretary (Mr J. El Blanks) and adopted... The members j present also gave consider ationl to the accounts presented for payment, whicih were subsequently passed for payment. These ' amounted to £329 10s 6d. CONCESSIONS TO LODGE PATIENTS. In this connection Mr W. Simpionds, secretary to the Thames; United Friendly Societies' Hospital Conference, wrote as under: "I am directed by the Executive of the above conference to acknowledge the receipt of youivfavour of 4th inst, covering a resolution of your Board. In reply I am directed to ask you to be good enough to convey to your trustees the best thanks of the members of the conference for the concesj eions hitherto enjoyed and to express to them the wish that our finances may again permit of us renewing "our application for the concession that at (present we cannot avail ourselves: of. Agaira thanking 1 you personally for yow unifomu kindness and courtesy.'

. Mil- 1 W. j; Searle, secretary of the Loyal Karangahake Lodge, wrote as follows:

"At a meeting of representatives of the undermentioned lodges in* the Ohinemiuri district, I was instructed to inquire if your Board would be willing to extend to their metaibers and! wives and families, if affiliated Iwjith the Auckland Oddfellows aaid; Druids District 'Hospital Funds, the same concessions of'half'fees, as at present given to the members of the Thames Hospital Conferencie. Awaiting the favour of airi] eSarly reply: Loyal Karangahiake Lodge, Loyal Jubilee Lodge (Paeroa), Loyal Waitekawri and Golden dross 'Lodge (Oddfellows), Star of Paeroa Lodge, Victoria Lodge (Waikino), Alexandra Lodge (Karangahake) (Druids). With reference to a reply' .to Mr Searle's letter explaining the position that the Board took up, Mr Rbwe explained 1 that the reason the letter was sent was that a. reply was required before December so that the up-coun-try lodges could discuss the matter. It was pointed out to the lodges that as there was no reciprocity in. the manner indicated between Auckland andl Thames the same arrangement as existed at Thames' could not be come to. The Kairangahake lodgjefe wished to include the wives and 1 children; of -members whereas at the Thames Conference it had been decided to cut them out.

M!r Nafchan-:- -What does it cost? Mr Rows: Well, to secure the concession the friendly societies make a levy of 5s per yeair, but to include wives and children it would mean a levy of from 15s to 2Os per year. _ M!r N!aitihia,ni asked what the meeting had to- dare about the dointfg of the conference? They do not "ear© what members were chargedl so long e-3 the hbspital fees Were" paid. Mr Riowe explained that the Hospital Co-nfeirfinoe made themselves-l-esptonlsible for the payment. Mfr Nathan sia.idf.tihe .meeting was one of the memlbers of the Hospital and Charitable.Aid Bosfi-d, and was not fte Friendly Societies' 'OkfeU enoe. - . • . ......

; Mr Rbwe siaid he '.Was! 'pcrfeafcly iuwairq of that, but the position was that the BbawL took in these pialtients a* a reduced rate. 2-3 rd the usual charge, and the Hospital Conference madlei itself responsible for the payment of these fees.

■Mr Nathan: What we want • to know is if the same concession will be given to others provided the payment .is guaranteed?

At ai later stage Mi* Banks-, in answer to a qiiestiion., -said there wins i.'o iUTangement -withr Aucklaiid as ■there wais..at" Thaimes.. . "

. Mi- Blo'we. esplained that with the T'onferertcie gtiaraaiteeinia:- the payment the Board.: really seoiired; an advantage', for there was no loso, pud if the sain«> airangement could be made far all -paitdentsi the Board Would be better off. (H'eair.)

.Ma 1 Lloyd sai<J that there ' were some lodges at Karangahaike and elsewhere who hadl hiadi ■some trouible'at the Conference meeting, arid they ■vyere prepated to miak© such • K *levy «'a would pay.for /tfaecost of treatmeaat of members' wives or childiren "at the Thames Hospital. The Thames Conference had declined to levy the increased amount' necessary to include the wives a-nd children, but these lodges would make the increased levy, andi as the Hospital Conference did 1 guarantee to the Rb'arcl thle payment for such cases. i Ho thought the Board as business mem should accept the proposal. The Chairnmn. : I for one would 11* willing 1 to accept so lonjr as the . payment is guaranteed. I M!r Rows: So would I. | M*r Nathan : But why ■was a. reply ■ semt to the letter before the Board dealt with it! Mr Rowe said he had" been asked to explain the position so that the lodges could deal .'with the matter before December, amdi he hadstatedi fhat there Was no reciprocal airrangel-