HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3798, 17 June 1880, Page 4

HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

The Hospital and Charitable Aid Board held an ordinary meeting yesterday .afternoon, at the usual time and place. The .following members were present — Mr H. Thomson (Chairman), Dr Turnbull, the Mayors of Christchurch and Sydenham, and Mr Hawkes. HOSPITAL COSIMITTBK. The Hospital Committee reported that during the past fortnight 32 patients had been; admitted into the Hospital, and 26 discharged, leaving 88 patients in the institution. During; the same period 4 deaths had occurred. ! STIMULANTS. ! The Mayor of Christchurch moved thej adoption of the following report of the same ; Committee :— " The Hospital Committee havo ' had under their consideration the advisa- ; bility or otherwise of allowing stimulants, and having consulted with the House Surgeon, beg to recommend that the day and night nurses and their assistants, aB well as the dressers and laundry maids, be allowed one pint of beer daily, or four ounces of brandy in lieu thereof, and at the discretion of the House Surgeon." Mr Hawkes seconded the motion. In the course of the discussion which took place upon the motion, it was stated that the oosfc of the beer would amount to about £70 a year. The Board Cnally resolved to defer . their decision till the , next meeting in order . to allow of information being obtained as to tbe practice followed at.<o ther hospitals in New Zealand. OBPHAH&QB. The Orphanage Committee reported that the work they recommended njas being proceeded with. KAIKOUBA COUNBS", -COUNCIL. The Chairman read the tfollowing correspondence : — • " Colonial Secretary!* Office, ".jJune 3, 1880. " Sir, —Adverting to Mr March's letter of May .4 .stating that £11 lfis;Sd had beon received from the Kaikoura County Council for the maintenance, &c, of patients in tho Christchurch Hospital, I have the honour to enclose, for tho information of tho Board, a .copy of a memorandum by the Assistant Controller and Auditor, who points .ou^that the money deducted sfrom the Kaikoura. Oounty Council cannofc legally be refunded -to that body, but that payments made on account of Kaikoura patients treated in the Christchurch Hospital should be returned to them, and .to .request you to be so .good as to repay to .fcho County the amount above quoted, and ,any .sums that may have since been received ;hy ; •the Board -from the same source on the same l Account. — I fiave, kc, ■" G. S. Coopbe." Memorandum 203. — Thic claim cannot be passed fqr The Christchurch Hospital is maintained in the first instance by tne Govornment, the cost.pf maintenance being ultimately recovered fron: the Counties and Boroughs using the institution, in tho manner provided py section 6 of "Tie Financial Arrangements Act, 1878;" Under that provision tho County of Kaikoura has contributed— on a basis ficed by law — a sum of £14 to the maintenance of the Hospital. It happens that the sum, co contributed, is ; considerably in excess of that which would have been required had tho mm payable under the Aot been proportionate to th* patients sent by the County, instead of boing as it is, proportionate to the subsidy payable io the County. That ia, however, no reason why the .law should be set aside. It is obvious that tf the proposod refund ba made, the Q9v&P&& nt > in ordw to recoup itself tho

total sam expended on the Hospital, as it is required by law to do — must rrcovor the amount from some other body, and ifc is only nic< ssary to ask what other body is to make -good the sum deficient (Le. refunded) in order to perceive how entirely indefensible -.the proposed refund is. The Government has rightly deducted the sum of £111 from the County subsidy, and the cost of the Christchurch Hospital being completely provided for by law, it has no right to the sum paid by the County to the Hospital Committee, and that sum (£ll 12s 9d) should I accordingly be refunded.— C. J. Batkin, Assistant Controller and Auditor. May 25, -18S0. Dr Turnbull moved— "That tbe roply to tV communication be left, to the Chairman." The motion was secoLded and carried. VFBVBB PATIENTS. A letter was read from the Chairman of the Board of Health, enclosing a letter from Dr Nedwill, requesting information as to whether nny case of typhoid fever, save one, had been admitted into the hospital Bince March 22, and as to the nature of the diseases from which certain patients named had died. The letter was referred to the House Surgeon. After disposing of some Charitable Aid business, the Board adjourned at half-past five o'clock.