TAGS AND CRITICISM.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1419, 22 April 1912, Page 5

TAGS AND CRITICISM.

t&VESTLANDHOSPIVAL BOARD'S BALANCE SHEET. INQUIRY DEMANDED. HtOP.OSED.-INDIfINATION MEETING(By iTeleiraph.<-S P eotal OorroEpondcnt.) Hokitika, April 20. For, «omo n\onths past a feeling Ims been provalejit that tho administration of ttio finiuicial atfaira of tho Wpilland Hopfl)itaJ3 and Cliaritablo Aid Board \ua not, boon of tho most economical nature, Atput six months ngo tlio Hokitika. Bnrov«h, Council passed a "rcßolutioiraiMn? ( as n, coutributorj- l»dy to tho extent of Vloarly JCSOO per nnauin) to bo allowed to inspect the board's books and vouchers. One of ihv jirincipal reasons for (ho council 8 (notion was tho fact that tlio Ijonrd s to.lance-sheot hud boeu held up by tho ;iudit office. Tho council's reijuest wati duly presented to tho Webtland Hospitals nnd Charitable Aid Hoard. Iho raerabers of that body did not lake at ail liindly to tho borough Council's action. Indeed, some of the members ot tlio board strongly resented any interference. Ono of tlm siieakcrs (Mr.' T. 1 Hriico,, Mayor of Ko») declared that ho was u very old nn"iil;er of tho board, nnd no was thoroughly conversant with th« adminiaralion of "charitable aid. In Iho cd\ii'» of his remarks, Mr. bnice stated ho received .Cli as. per meeting by way of |ravellin|{ expenses, ami he d«siied to lake thu opportunity of raying that unless ho rnceivwl tho amount montioned lie would discontinue being a member of tho boar.l. Another ineinW of tho board (!u\ T. Kennedy) said that the urgent necessity which appeared tu exist in regard to the inspection of the boanl's books was on account of tho

"cursed election," wliilo tho Mayor of lvumara (Mr, J. A. Murdoch) characterised the request for information aa emanating from a lot of "meddlesome iiiiittii's." Nothing could be done, so the Borough Council could only await tho return of (ho balance-sheet. The document came ta hand a few days m;o after bi'jiiff nwuy about nine months, and the HokUika Bor/Mgh Council at its meeting last evenir,ff received a cony of llio balance-sheet. The town cleric announced that the Auditor-General had the following togs-to tho balance-sheet:—

No. I Tag.—(a) Jia 55., to J. K. Daweon, for payment of photo, of Westlaiid Hospital Trustees, (b) M 10s., to .1. Mrocldehurst, for presentation of sold and greenstone key for opening ceremony of the new ward, (c) .£25, to. T,;J. M'Guigan, chairman of the lwnrd, for proceeding to Wellington ro Otira Hospital building, (il) .CI 10s., to T. Grificn, Albion Hotel, Grey mouth, expenses of members attending tho Grey meeting (this payment was made in Addition to an allowance of ,£2 2s. drawn by each membra,), (e) Jils, to J. Cameron, for hit'o of doublet buggy to South Westland • for chairman and others, (f) £2 25., to T. J. M'Guigan, chairman of tho board, attend* ing conference nt Grey re health matters. (s) £2a 55., for T. J. .Jjl'Guigaur'chairman of tho board, for visiting South Wcstlami and installing Dr. Cairns as medical oft Seer. Section, 52 of tho Hospital and Charitable Aid Act, 1909, provides for tins travelling expenses for members attending and visiting institutions, bul thoro is no institution in South 'Westland.

No. 2 Tag.—Travelling expense* «nd allowances to tho amount of J1213 17s; (id. have been drawn by' the secretary. The Audit Office considers this amount excessive. No. 3 Tag.—The payment of £i 4s. to Mr. Kennedy, a member of tho board, for supervising tho erection of laundry nnd outhouses at tho hospital 6urgeon's residence, Kuinara, contravenes tho principle of tho trustee law that a, trustee should not benefit from his relation to his trust.

No. i Tag.—Tho payment of allowance to members instead of actual travelling expenses is not in accordanco with tho provisions of tho Hospitals and Charitable Aid Act, 1909.

No. 5 Tag.—No details have been given of .£7 10s. to T. Kennedy, a member o£ tho board, as a refund of expenses incurred in placing tho Jl'Ewcu children in an industrial homo.

No. C tag: No receipts othor than those of tho secretary of tho society have been produced for the expenditure of J!, , )" 17s. 2d. Nt grants to ,tho Hokitika Benevolent Society.

No. 7 tag: In the opinion of the Audit Office tho chhrges of allowance. l ) for travelling, both from members of (he board and Hie secretary, nre on a scnle far in excess of that contemplated by tho statute, with (ho additional objectionable, features that in several cases the details' of such charges and payments are not available for audit.

Mr. 11. M. Ooulson opened the discussion on tlio balance-sheet by moving tho> following resolution:—

"That the Wostland Hospital and Charitable Aid Board's balance-sheet bo received, and laid on the table, mid that a public indignation meeting bn cnlled to consider and discuss (he snme, and, further, that the borough representatives on tho board bo requested to make a thorough investigation as to how tho travelling exponsos and alowancos to tlio secretary, chairman, and members are made up, and also to furnish a statement shoving tlio full amount drawn by each member for the year ending March 31, 1!)11, and to report (o the said ■incotiiiff."

Mr. Coulson strongly condemned " the extravagance nf the board, lie specially condemned (ho chairman's action in drawing £2"> in payment of expenses of a trip to Wellington. Ho took' exception to tho cum of £K for buggy hire, naid to J. Cameron in connection- with the chairman's visit to South Westland. Tho, latter had evidently been drawn in addi-1 tion to tho .£25 ss. It therefore cost ,£4O, ss. for installing Dr. Cairns as modical' officer in South Westland. The payment, declared the speaker, kas illegal, because, members were not entitled to draw expenses for visiting South Westland, as there was no hospital there. Discussing tho big, which referred to an item oi< £'I\3 17s. Gd., drawn by the secretary by. way of (ravelling expenses, etc., in addi« tion to his salary of .£2OO-per annum, Councillor Coulfon said (ho Audit Ollic« had quito properly taken exception to (his amount. Continuing, Mr. Coulson said ho considered the list of tap reflected -th« greatest scnmlnl in tho history of publio bodies in llokitika, "Ho was not certain, but it appeared to him that, according to tho board's balance-sheet, . tho 'secretary had drawn altogether for tho year JUin, while the chairman by tho same process of reasoning had .407, making u total of .CiSO. The borough levy, tho speaker reminded councillors, amounted to «CSJ2. Ho expressed the opinion that the AuditorGeneral should .bo complimented for the straightforward and lucid way he had tagged the balance-sheet. The action,-ho said, was a credit to tlio auditor.

After <a elipi't discussion, the council adjourned until next Tuesday evening, when tho matter will bo fully discussed.

llpfcrrinpj jo the discussion at the Borough Council meeting this morning's "West Const Times says:—We very earnestly invite even- member of (ho community, (.'specially those who are rain, payers, and aro thereby contributors lo tho funds of the Wcstliuul Boai'd, to r«i<j and carefully digest Uk> report. Tlie lac* Bpnak for themselves, but tho public will not nllow the matter Iα pass without protost, nor without demanding some ex« Slauatiou from thn Ijoiird. Tho matter omands the fullest inquiry, and wo feet that tho balance-sheet in riuestion iJiouht be brought under tho noiico of tho .Aliiv ietor in charge of (ho Department whiclij controls hospital ami charitable aid mat tors.