HOSPITAL GOVERNMENT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10443, 24 April 1912, Page 3

HOSPITAL GOVERNMENT.

MR F. HORRELL AGAIN CHAIRMAN OF HOSPITAL BOARD. At a special meeting of the North Canterbury Hospital and Charitab'o Aid Board to-day Mr F. Horrell retired from the position of chairman, which he has held for two years. In retiring Mr Horrell said that his term of office, having drawn to its close according to the Act, he wished before leaving tho chair to tender cordial thanks to all the members of the Board for the courtesy and consideration extended to him for two years past. He wiw thoroughly cognisant of the fact that the amalgamation of the two Boards would absorb a great deal of the time of any person who undertook the office of chairman, and it was needless to say that such had been the case, for the records would provo that bis attendance at the Board's office and the large number of meetings, besides visits to institutions, etc. had averaged almost three per "week. AN hen it was remembered that there were peldom fewer than ten meetings per month, and Sundays and Saturdays were deducted from thirty days, it would be obvious that tho intervals were short. However, ho bad been able to devote tho time, and it had given lum pleasure to do the work as well as he could, although that might not have been quite up to the standard that was perhaps expected from ono entrusted with, so important a public position. He would very briefly refer to the progress the Board had thus far made in endeavouring to improve the institutions under its control. flio children's and tho women s surgical wards had been completed; the nurses homo had been enlarged; new offices bad been designed and were now occupied. being tho first portion of a comprehensive nl an of administration buildings; tlie laundry, the boiler and machinery bouses, and various appliances * for beating and lightin" had' all been greatly unproved; a cottage hospital at I\mkourn had been erected and would shortly be ready for occupation : a new building erected at the Lin wood Refuge, which had enabled the Board to transfer certain inmates from the Samaritan Home, possession of tho latter being resumed by the Government, an extension of the Orphanage at \\ altham and of tho accommodation at Bottle Lake, besides various improvements at the W oolston and Tuarangi Homes, and also temporary provision for advanced consumptives at the Christchurch Hospital, pending the greater work of carrying the laudable intentions of generous donors into effect by erecting a suitable home in commemoration of King George's Coronation. on the Sanatorium site. With regard to the future, the aim of the Board should be to renovate the old wards of the Hospital and to provide for the isolation of infected patients, as well as tho erection of fever wards on the most approved principles : but such work naturally required the outlay of considerable sums of money, which could only be from the contributing sources, by instalments extending over a term of years, and tho raising of such means would fall to the lot of the successors of some of the present members of tho Board, and should therefore not be attempted too hastily by ourselves. On the motion of Mr H. B. Sorenson, Mr Horrell was elected chairman for a third term, and thanked the members for their vote.

The following committees were elected Hospital - Messrs Sorensen. M'Millan, Hall and Turn bull, Rev W. J. L. Closs and Mrs Wilson. Public Health—Messrs Allison, Tanner, Boag, Spencer, Bradley and Henderson.

Institutions Messrs Tanner, Scott, Henderson, Turnbull and Flower and Mrs Cunnington. Charitable Aid—Messrs Cook, Bong and Spencer, Rev W. J. J,. C'loss. Mesdames hnsom and Wilson. I 1 inance--Mes.srs Davison, Sorensen, Allison, M Millan, Moore and Scott.