PRESS AND PUBLIC.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 849, 22 June 1910, Page 8

PRESS AND PUBLIC.

HOSPITAL BOARD AND REPORTERS. A DECISION CONFIRMED. COMMITTEE MEETINGS TO BE PRIVATE. A lively discussion took.place at the mooting of tho Hospital and Charitable Aid Board yesterday on tho following motion, of which notice had been given by Mr. F. T. Moore:— "That whereas the Hospital Committee and the Charitable Aid Committee are administrative units of the board superintending , tho administration of public institutions, the resolution passed at last meeting excluding the press from meetings of such committee be rescinded." The chairman (Mr. J. G. W. Aitken) ruled that the motion could only be brought forward with ; the unanimous consent of tho meeting. No objection was raised, and Mr. Mooro spoke in favour of the motion. The board, he said, had divided itself into two bodies, eleven members forming one body, to administer the hospital institutions, and nine members forming the other body for charitable aid administration. This had been done because tho board itself was too large a body to manage both departments. Ho considered it a mistake to exclude the press from meetings of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Committees, since it was public money that was being spent; He was hotly opposed to all secret methods. Men would do at secret meetings things which they would not do in public council. They had just had an example of 'this. The other day tho Finance Committee of the City CouncilRuled Out of Order. The chairman: I cannot allow reflections to be made on any public body. Mr. Moore': Well, without mentioning names, they decided in committee " Tho chairman, amidst laughter, ruled the allusion out of order. , Mr. Moore denied tho argument that applicants for charitable relief _ should not have to make their applications in tho presence of tho press. Honest poverty was not a disgrace, and could claim a right to relief. For every bona fide.case of want, four or.fivo wero duo 'to drunkenness or some other fault. He had received expressions or approval from representative bodies in connection with his movement to secure publicity of business. Ho know that tho Hospital Committee was going to ask for definite administrative powers,so that it should no longer have to bring the' most unimportant • matters before the board. The Motion Seconded. The Eev. H. Van Stavercu, in seconding the motion, urged that the community had a right to know how its money was being spent. He had sat on the Charitable Aid Board for years, and found that the pross was always ready to withhold from publication anvt'hing which the community had not a "right to ; know. No applicants foi relief need be afraid to attend because the pross was represented. The committees would make far fewer mistakes and bring fewer petty matters before the board if tho press was present. ' , , , , Mr M'Larcn declared that ho was just as much in favour of publicity m publio affairs as anyone, but they should consider the nature of the board's functions. The Act had constituted one body to look after hospitals and charitable aid together, and if they were going to convert it into two independent .sections they would bo defeating tho whole purpose of the Act and doing a wrong thing. ■Ho emphatically denied that four out of .six applications for relief were not cases of genuine'want. Ho believed that tho necessity was due, in most cases, to social causes, and the feelings of. the applicants should bo considered. Though the press would never think of using the. names of applicants, their circumstances might bo set forth .in such a manner that their identity was- revealed. The names of all applicants were placed before the board, which was open to tho press, and could review any matter publicly. He, thought thero was a good deal of "pretend business" about this agitation, a desire to make a fictitious show of democratic principles. Thero was sufficient means at present for making public any matter with which the .board had to do. , is tho Press of a High Class? Mr A 'H. Hindmarsh thought that the sole question to consider was whether tho committees would do their work more efficiently if the press was admitted. Much of tho. business that came before tho committees was condential.' "It is all' very wen, said Mr. Hindmarsh, "to say that the press of Wellington is of such a high class. Is it? Some of the press may bo all right, but other organs are not quite so particular." ■ Mr. J. E. Fitzgerald urged that Mr. Mooro had failed to adduce any new arguments. Admitting that the rjress was a very good pross, was the journalism in Wellington all that could bo desired? AVas'it good journalism that prompted a AVelliugton paper to publish remarks about tho secretary before the matter was passed by the board? Was it good journalism to print a rofercnce"to or make remarks about Dr. Hardwick Smith's salary before it was passed by. the board? He meant to oppose the motion. The Hospital and Charitable Aid Committees wero committees under the Act, and should carry out their duties in the manner of committees. . Various Opinions. Mr. 6. T. Lundon, speaking in, favour of tho motion, urged that as the public were their masters they were entitled to information through tha press. At the Benevolent Trustees the press had always shown a proper consideration for the feelings of applicants, for relief, and somo of the advice given, to applicants at th© meetings was such that only good was done by its publication. The press hail rarely erred except on the side of mercy, and, .if the public knew as much as some of them knew of how public business —not by them—could bo transacted, some men who were tho public's representatives might lie its representatives no longer. (Hear, hear.) Mr. J. J. Devino urged that no new arguments had been adduced for tho admission of the press. Ho hoped that tho board would not display a vacillating policy so early in its career by rescinding the previous motion. Tho Act had taken away the powers of the former bodies, whoso work was' not done, in the first instance, by the committees, and given them to the board. Mr. D. Robertson gave a forcible illustration of tho disadvantage of tho present, system. "You see this big document," ho said, holding up a report. "Three-quarters of it is composed of matters that I , know nothing about, but I would know about many of them if they had been reported in the press." He believed that tho former boards did as efficient work as was being done under the new system, and did it as economically. Ho bad never known one case whom the press had been asked not to publish anything a.nd bad published it. Mr. It. C. Kirk spoko against Uio nioI toon.

M;\ J. W. M'Ewon expressed a. wish to seo tho light let in' on all committees. They could trust tho good sense of tho pross to keep out intformation which should not bo published. "Too Much Electioneering." Mr. B. R. Gardener supported tho motion. He could not see any need for Eeorecy at tho meeting of a committee which contained eleven members out of twenty on tho board, and in which tho biggest part of the administrative work went on. Thero was too much electioneering business in connection with the board. In tho course of further discussion, the statement that tho Hospital Committee intended asking for definite administrative powers was denied. ' Tbo drairman stated that the board had no power to delegate tho administration, of either hospitals or charitable aid to any of its committees. In any case, wore the members ou tho Hospital side prepared to delegate the whole of their work as regards oharitablo aid to the nine members of tho Charitable. Aid Committee, or wero tho Charitable Aid members prepared to delegato all their hospital work to tho members of tho Hospital Committee? . The motion was negatived by nine votes to seven.