COMMITTEE SYSTEM FAILS.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12766, 22 June 1911, Page 4

COMMITTEE SYSTEM FAILS.

HOSPITAL BOARD REVERTS TO EXECUTIVE.

Members of the Wanganui Hospital and' Charitable Aid Board ~havo for some time been expressing dissatisfaction with the system on which the Board's business is carried out. The method of referring the work to committees, who present their decisions to the main Board for approval, has; not found favour, .particularly with^he country members, who have! to devbtk two days to committee and Board work. The matter was therefore thrashed out at a meeting of the Board yesterday, when there wei-e present 13 out or 14 members.

Mr. E. E. Fletcher moved, pursuant to' notice, that the resolution of the Board setting up committees bo. rescinded. He pronounced, the committees tv failure, and urged1 the Board to revert to tho old. system of the executive, when everything went smoothly—more so than,"now—ana it saved a considei\ablp^;lflmoUjnt of the members' time.. He CQldtl not see why there was any need for 'meeting two days a month. He sujgg'dst&d! that the executive should consist of Vfche town representatives and the'Wailgariui' and Waitotava County represen^itivee. v Mr. Punch seconllod bepa|ise ho did not see the need of meeting on two days if one day w oil Id do. '■'.'•' — Mr. A. G-. Bignell strenuously ojppoSed the motion. He referred to the time o,f the. executive when .the administration was entirely in the hands of the chairman arid ; secretary. To break this down the committees had: been set up. The chairman had boasted about the expedition with which the business had been transacted, and Mr. Bignell a!sked if it was reasonable to suppose that tho business could be properly dono in an hour. The town members formed the majority of the committees and-the country members had been put on' as ii matter ot courtesy. If they were ■■will ing to -undertake the work there was no reason why they should not do so. The country members' action was not fair to the town men.

Mr. Battle could not agreed with Mr. Fletcher, who had overlooked the great amount of extra work which the committees had done in connection with the Taihape Hospital. Tlie fact that the Taihapc members did not attend did not prove that the committee system Was wrong, but that the Taihape members had no interest when their own business -was on. H6s suggested that the comnntfcees should, bo smaller and should meet in the evenings. It had been proved that Wednesday was an inconvenient day. The committeo system was the right one, and at any rate should be continued for another six months; till the end of the Board's term. He thought perhaps the committees could bo split up between Taihape and Wanganui, for it was impossible that the chairman of the Institutions Committee could be in touch with Taihape. He remarked incidentally that during the last month he had paid 25s for telephone messages to Taihapc.

Mr. J. Williams opposed the retrograde stop. He had learned from experience that, it was impossible properly to consider the business of'the Board at a big meeting. It must be done by committee. The success of the old system was duo to the ability of the chairman and of the secretary. ' Mr. G. Spriggens also opposed the motion, and remarked that there Was no call on the country-.members to attend the committees: They had been put on only for courtesy sake. He defended the committee system. Mr. 13. P. Lethbridge defended the country members regarding their .attendances at the meetings, and thanked Mr. Spriggens for his remarks that they had been put on the committees only out of courtesy.

Mr. R. K. Simpson and Mr. Fraser also supported the motion, the latter contending that the present ..system was not the-most economical. ;\Mr. Allah Robinson, while agreeing that there was a'great deal in what Mr. /liigncll had said j, supported the motion.

Mr. G. J. Bennett wanted to know what was proposed to be done and how the Taihape business was to be carried out in Wanganui.

Mr. Bignoll again repeated that the executive was a myth. Mr. Punch strongly deprecated tho raising of to\vn v. country. TJie re-., marks regarding the chairman and secretary were complimentary to them, but a.reflection on the members.

Mr, W. .Ritchie supported ,the motion. The 'night' meetings were simply a move to "kill off" the country members. He did not believe in the committees from the start ,\ and he did not think they had been.a success. /

After considerable further discussion the motion was carried by 8 to 4 N Mr. Fletcher then moved that tho executive consist of -Messrs. Battle, Spriggens, Bignell, Williams. Letlibridge, Robinson, Ritchie and ■'Fletcher. Mr. Bignell said he Would allow his name to go on condition that the oxocutivo elected its own chairman and held regular meetings. _ This executive was eventually agreed on and the quorum was fixed at three" tho meetings to be held at 11 o'clock on the day of the ordinary meeting. Mr. T. H. Battle was unanimously elected chairman.