A SQUARE DEAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12408, 28 August 1918, Page 5

A SQUARE DEAL.

HOSPITAL DOCTORS AND MATRON. Tho Hospital Committee, reporting to tho Hospital Board to-day, stated that it had given careful consideration to a letter circulated by the chairman of tho boardj making reference to tho disadvantage under ■which some of the ex-honorary members of tho hospital staff were suffering by having volunteered early in tho war for military duty and without any limit of time, whilst others had been released from military duty and enabled to return to their respective practices after an absence of about a year. Tho committee recommends the board to. make representation to the military authorities in' favour of the release from duty of Dra Acland, Neil Guthrie, Newton and Orchard, of course, assuming that the gentlemen mentioned were desirous of returning to New Zealand. All of these doctors had been absent;for a considerable time, some front the com- ; mencetneut of the war. The committee also reported that it had taken into consideration tho position of the acting-lady superintendent, who to her disadvantage, was loyally standing by the hospital year after year. When in March, 1916, leave of absence was granted to Miss Thurston, nobody in New Zealand /'anticipated that the war would run into tho fifth year, and th e end not bo in sight. The committee now suggested that the position be placed before Miss Thurston, who would no doubt recognise tho position in which Miss Muir was placed, and either return to take up her duties ' or resign rather than aggravate a diffl- ■ cult position for one who, though inducements had offered, had stuck to her post and her promise to “stand - by.”' , , Tfr H. B. Sorensen, in moving that the clause referring to the matron should be deleted, said that a prinmple was involved, and the board having given certain leave of absence could not abrogate its obligations siteply because the war did not finish. If the clause were adopted, the same thing should be done in regard to doc-,, tors, storekeepers and ‘others. 1 1 - Mr W. M’Millau seconded the mo-’ tion. Mr W. H. Cooper said‘that he disagreed with Mr Sorensen. When Miss ihurston had volunteered, very nobly, ’ tor nursing sendee, it was generally thought that the war would be finished in a few months or a year. At that • time the lady appointed: to succeed T Miss Thurston was . doubtless looking round for'- a better position, and now «.• Dr, Fox assured the board'that Miss Muir had suffered loss through being " compelled to stay in Christchurch withput security of tenure., At tho meetmg of the committee the principal op- d position had come from Mr Sorensen, uho had spoken as if an earthquake t : would happen if Miss Thurston resign-, '• od. At present she was in England,end nobody knew when she would return, if she did return. All that Dr box and Miss Muir wanted to know was wiiether. r ,.Miss /Thurston was going to .■ come back.; r f,lf not, Miss Muir should - be appointed permanently to a posi- i tion in which she had given aa great satisfaction as Miss Thurston. f: .Mrs Christie remarked -that Mia» : f Muir did, not want to know. .. . "f Mr Cooper said that he was glad of the correction, but Dr Fox did want-, '■ to know.;- - ■ •Mr S- a Andrew spoke in support of Mr Cooper’s view. Mr H. .J, .Otley said that the board had no power to go back on its contract with Miss' Thurston during the period of the war. He asked that the minute ou the subject should be read. Mrs Green said that the board was not now asked to break any contract, as Miss Thurston had only staved a ■ mouth in tho position that she had obtamed leave of absence to go to. The secretary tMr W. S. Wharton) ir- m! le mmuto .- "’lnch showed that • Miss-.Thurston had applied for leave to take up the matTonship of the New Zealand Military Hospital at Walton-on-lhames, and leave' of absence had been granted for i that purpose. Mr Otley said that he was prepared to see that no pecuniary loss occurred to the present matron, but sacrifices were being made on every hand. Mr F. Horrell, the chairman, said that Miss Thurston was getting a bigger salary than the board ever paid ' her, plus travelling expenses, so that there was no financial sacrifice. Mr Sorensen said ho was hound to say that Miss Muir had made no application of any kind for a variation of the arrangements she entered into, and she had stood by them loyally. But the fact that Miss ‘Thurston had been promoted was no argument. The proposal to delete the clause was rejected by 12 votes to 5. The report as a whole was then adopted.