SYDNEY HOSPITAL

Waikato Times, Volume 100, Issue 16750, 17 March 1926, Page 4

SYDNEY HOSPITAL

A BETTER YEAR. QUESTION OF REMOVAL. Should the Sydney Hospital be moved? Mr Garland (the lion, treasurer) told the annual general meeting last week that it should not. It would be tantamount, he said, to removing Westminster Abbey to Petticoat Lam 1 . The meeting was well attended, the visitors including Archbishop Kelly, who paid a fine tribute to the work of the hospital and expressed the hope that the Government, while continuing its support, would leave the institution to the management of those who worked for it. Dr. A. J. Brady described the balance sheet as comparatively satisfactory', and expressed the hope tjiat matters would go on improving. He moved the adoption of the annual report and balance sheet. In seconding the motion, which was carried, Mr Charles Garland said that the discrepancy between revenue and exDcndilurc had been reduced from £28,000 in 1918. to £12,300. Dr. Brady was re-elected president, and Mr John Travers, M.L.G., and Mr J, A. Murdoch, M.L.C., were reelected vice-presidents. Mr Charles Garland was again appointed hon. treasurer. Sir Arthur Riokard, Dr. Steer Bowker, Mr A. J. McLachlan, and Mr H. Giblin were re-elected as directors, and Mr A. Howie was elected to fill the vacancy caused by the retirement of Mr S. S. Cohen. The Report. The annual report disclosed that £86,975 had been received from all sources, which, excluding a special payment of £50,000 by the Government in 1924 lo reduce the overdraft, was £6046 in excess of the previous year's receipts. The Government subsidy amounted to £49,581. Disbursements were set down at £88,092. The industrial agreement of 1924 and the oombined hospitals agreement of 1925, together with the increase in the living wage declared by the Board of Trade, were stated to be responsible for the increase in expenditure of £3833.

The report stated that the preparation of approved plans and specifications for a six-storey building on the site of the present casualty department was in the hands of the Government archhitccl, and every effort would be made to call tenders at an early date, so as to make the new nurses' home scheme an accomplished fact.

In his report the medical superintendent stated that the staff had had to contend with the usual difficulties, mainly due to lack of accommodation; but in spite of the fact that no extra space of beds had been available the year's work showed a marked increase. Operations had numbered 5658, which was 410 over the previous year's total. This had necessitated working all three theatres morning and afternoon on most days, and often in the evening. The casualty department was reported to have dealt with no fewer than 88,421 attendances, and the radiographic department was shown to have examined 12,628 patients. The total number of patients admitted for the year was 6150. Millions of Cases. In regard to the casualty department Mr George Black, M.L.C., mentioned the interesting fact that the hospital had treated over 5,000,000 cases during the past twenty years. This, he said, was chiefly because the institution was in the centre of the casualty district —and this, in turn, was the most powerful argument against the removal of the hospital. The meeting was presided over by the Minister for Health (Mr Cann), who, after presenting a number of prizes to nurses, promised to do his utmost to further the interests of the hospital. In this regard he said that the plans and specifications for the new building had been completed, and tenders would be called in six weeks. As for the suggested removal to a new site, he did not think there was any likelihood of anything of the kind taking place. The annual meeting of the Sydney Hospital Auxiliary followed, and a valuable record of work was reported. The balance sheet showed a credit of £663.