"CERTAINLY CURIOUS."

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 955, 24 October 1910, Page 2

"CERTAINLY CURIOUS."

;: 'cost oe; HoskiAi ?EoVisio^(-.;=y i ;A somewhat in .regard! ..• r to the/expenditure, on r ,pfoviMons;in the/: . \hospitals is quoted in the'' annual-; re-; ... : port, of the Inspector-General of Hospitals.. >V ' .'."Take, for examplo, our four chief iiosi'.Y 1 pitals," - says the, Inspector-General.. ."It -..- ■■ ■'_ '. williie seen that .the.total l , cost; of some ~; 1 foodstuffs in the Dunedin-, and ■Christ; ;. • church Hospitals, with, respectively ais- -■:..' . average', of 151 and 111 daily occupied beds, '.-.■.' • was greater than that of. the Auckland ■'■'.-. ; and : Wellington Hospitals, with respeo-. •■ tivcly' 242 and 223 occupied beds.;■ For- '; instance,'.the actual cost/of ■'■ meat,':;fish. ■ and-poultry, butter,- eggs, arid bread waa '.;' •greater in the Diinedin than in the ■ Wcl-..i. ;.:.. lington' Hospital. It is ■ ho; .doubt'; true 1 '- . that, the fare in the smaller;.hospitals is■".-. more varied, but this cannot explain the .■/ discrepancy;-nor.■could,itlbe explained hr .'-' the diffc-iencc in -the local prices'-of; foodi , . stuffs.: It is certainly' cuniiis that the. :'■-. cost of butter, eggs,'and bread/is.,greater ;'. in tho. Christchurch'than v in'; the'Weli,' U; • lington Hospital,' with more .than.double' '.■ , the beds. Tho tables throughout.'the re>: ! .. port .show a similar ■disproportion.: . In.'-.:. last year's.report it was pointed but'thas V-:'-' hospital authorities should take good care>" to get what they pay for, and.that:there : v is no waste. Some boards have done good ■'. work in this respect, but others, are still . ■very slack, and some officials worse than.. ; . slack;' but,they are gradually being got '■':'. ' ■ rid of." '■: -■■-„■." ; --'. ; ' ; :: '..' ;■.':•-'"i-.-.'U'. : 'Y