PROGRESS THROUGH YEARS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 156, 6 May 1940, Page 5

PROGRESS THROUGH YEARS

THE HOSPITAL BOARD THIRTY-SEVEN YEARS AGO COUNTIES' REPRESENTATIVES From notes supplied by Mr F. J. Burt, of Matata,, Avho holds a long record on local bodies, and Avho has been a member of the Board since) its inception, Ave are able to supply some details concerning the activities of the Bay of Plenty Hospital Board from 1903 to 1917. The Board Avas formed at the end of 1902. At the meeting of January 17th, 1903, a letter Avas received from the Inspector of Hospitals giving the number of representatives to which each contributing body Avas entitled. This shows that at that time the county of Tauranga Avas allowed four members, county of Opotiki three and Whakatane county two. At the same meeting a letten Avas received from the Te Puke Farmers' Union asking for a subsidy from the Board to assist in paying the salary of a medical practitioner. The Board granted the Farmers' Union £2 10s per quarter. Apparently salaries Avere not high in those days. The leA r ies passed at the meeting for the year 1903-4 Avere as folloavs: Tauranga County, £50 17s lid; Opotiki County, £50 Is 7d; Whakatane County, £34 ss; Tauranga Borough, £13 10s 9d. The total being £148 15s 3d. Going on the number of members allowed the respective contributing bodies it seems as though 16s 4d paid by the Tauranga County aboA-e the figure payable by the Opotiki County allowed the former body a cheap A r ote. Next Meeting. There Avas little of consequence discussed at the next meeting of the Board, which Avas held on April 1. Following on the request from and the grant to the Te Puke Farmers' Union, a letter AA r as receiA T ed from the Whakatane Medical Committee asking for a subsidj'. Knowing no favourites the Board decided to offer Whakatane the same terms as Te Puke. It seems as though this AA r as accepted. September 2, 1903, saAv the next meeting of the body and again there Avas nothing to excite comment. November 11th, Avas singularly devoid of business* seemingly the only correspondence received in the t;wo months being a request from the Whakatane Medical Committee for the quarter's subsidy. January 6th, AA r as the first meeting of the 1904 and others followed on February 3rd, March 2nd, May, June and July. Hospital for Te Puke. 1906 saAA T Te Puke desirous of a hospital and the Board agreed to consider the granting of £50 toAvards the building fund. In June a deputation comprising Dr Frazerhurst and Messrs CraAvford and Ryburn Avaited on the Board., It was decided that on £70 being forthcoming and paid to the Board, the Board Avould grant £50 on the understanding that the £70 Avould be returned to the subscribers if the Government refused a subsidy. The demands of the large Bay of Plenty district Avere increasing and at the beginning of 1907 a request was receiA T ed for the erection of a cottage hospital at Opotiki and in the same year a committee Avas form ed to go into the question of a hospital for Tauranga. Rise in Revenue. The levy for 1907-8 Avas fixed at l/20d in the £ and the various bodies then contributed as folloAvs: Tauranga County, £74 7s 9d; Opotiki County, £66 Is; Whakatane County* £50 7s 2d; Tauranga Borough, £19 13s lid. At the meeting on May Ist, a letter Avas read from the Opotiki County objecting to the levy as by that time the toAvn district had ceased to be part of the county. The figure Avas altered to meet I this objection. Early in 1908 East Taupo came into the Board's district. The Board strongly objected to this. The revenue of the Board Avas steadily mounting and the allocations for 1908-9 Avere: Tauranga County, £125 19s; Tauranga Borough, £19 16s; Opotiki County, £55 10s; Opotiki ToAvn Board, £11 8s; Whakatane County, £48 16s 6d; East Taupo, £74 19s. The total being £336 8s 6d v In June of that year it Avas resolved to ask the Tauranga County and Borough Councils if they would consider a separate hospital district in order to establish a cottage hospital at Tauranga.

In August the matter was carried further and a committee was appointed to report on the selection of a site for a contagious diseases hospital and the cost of erection. It was also decided to get into touch with the Minister of Health, through the Member for the district, and ask for a special grant for the local hospital* There was a proposal at this time that "Rotorua should be included in the Board's district and the Board strongly objected to this. Advice received* at the end of the year stated that the proposal had been cancelled £500 Mark Reached. In 1910 the levies had reached £505 and the Board's duties were increasing. At that time the Secretary's salary Avas £25 per annum. The first meeting to be held in Whakatane was on May 11, 1910, and the personnel of the Board liad undergone substantial changes. It was decided to hold the general meetings of the Board in Whakatane every quarter. Cottage hospitals were again to the fore with deputations waiting on the Board from Te Puke and Opotiki, and at the beginning of 1911 it was decided to undertake the establishment of hospitals at these points. However, the hospitals were still in the air towards the end iof the year as it was remarked In August that, as the elections were near, the Board should reaffirm its intentions in regard to the hospitals. New Chairman. December 13, 1911, saw the election of Mr Alex.. Peebles as Chairman of the Beard and he and Mr Burt at that time represented Whakatane. In March a letter was received from the Inspector-General of Hospitals asking the Board to erect a cottage hospital at Opotiki forthwith. On July 26, a letter from the Minister of Health informed the Board that he was surprised to learn that there was no. hospital accommodation at Tauranga and Opotiki and asked the Board to provide one at Opotiki. In 1912 there was a motion put before the Board to divide the Bay of Plenty Hospital Board district, with Opotiki and Whakatane on one side and Tauranga on the other. A tender for the erection of a hospital at Opotiki was accepted it was decided to call tenders for one at Tauranga. A tender was accepted in 1913. Another application was received from Te Puke for assistance in establishing a hospital there but the Board replied that as it had already built two hospitals in that year, there could of necessity be nothing doing. Developments. Passing to March, 1915, we find that Mr Burt mentioned that the people of Matata wanted to secure a resident doctor and there seemed no power whereby the Board could assist. He moved that application be made to have amending legislation put through providing authority for Hospital Boards to strike a rate over a special area for maintenance of a medical man. This was carried. The matter, however, seems to have come to nought. Late in 1915 the Inspector-Gen-eral of Hospitals wrote advising that he could not sanction further hospitals in the district during the war( this was in refernce to a request for a hospital at Whakatane) but would investigate the position in 1916. In March, 1916, the Whakatane Chamber of Commerce was active and asking the Board what it proposed to do in the matter of a hospital at Whakatane and at the same time Taneatua residents were busy and had subscribed £343 for the erection of a hospital at the Puketi Native Reserve. A motion to accept this money was lost, only the Chairman and one member voting for it. Champagne? The liquor account for champagne consumed at the Opotiki Hospital caused considerable discussion and it was decided to write to the Medical Superintendent pointing out the excessive amount of liquor sont to the Hospital. Te Puke was still hammering away at the idea of a cottage liospitaj. A nursing home was being opened and would the Board please svbsidjse it? It did and £52 was the sum; for one year. At the September meeting advice was received from the Health Officer at Auckland concerning the Board's proposal to use Nurse .Shepherd's

home at Whakatane as a hospital. It Avas pointed out that the Board should lease the Home and run it or defer action until l)r Valentine was in the district. In the course of this letter Whakatane Avas referred to as 'an isolated district.' Later Activities. | In February,- 1917, the Board accepted a tender for an isolation ward at Tauranga, the amount being £867. At the same time developments in Whakatane necessitated the utilising of portion of the Anglican Mission Home as a temporary hospital and to conclude the meeting the Chairman Avas given authority to make enquiries for a suitable site in Whakatane for the establishment of a permanent hospital. In .Tune the Chairman reported j that he had selected a site oni the property of Messrs Soutar Bros and Dr Valentine also had thought that it would be suitable. Between this year and 1920 considerable alterations took place in the affairs of the Board and chief of these Avas the division of the district to exclude Tauranga. In May, 1922, a tender for £12,135 Avas accepted for the erection of the hospital at Whakatane and in 1925 Opotiki became a separate district. m * f • In the intervening' years there has been a greater administrative responsibility placed on the Hospital Board and wi"t'li the rapid groAVth of the district it is expected that the responsibilities avill still further increase. The levies collected hoav amount to £5,289, made up by the Whaka-i tane County- contribution of £4,351 and the Whakatane Borough, £938. Additions to the building's ha\ r e been found necessary from time to time to cope with the increased number of patients and this increase is considerable. Over the last two years the occupied bed rate has risen from 40 to 53 per day. Al together, there has been astound ing development, and this especially applies to the last 15 years. Whakatane noAV possesses an up-to-date hospital, Avitli a first-class staff, capable of serving' the needs of the Avide district of which this town is the centre.