A WESTLAND BOARD.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1444, 20 May 1912, Page 6

A WESTLAND BOARD.

TROUBLE OVER EXPENSES.

RESULTS OF INQUIRY

(Special to The Dominion.)

Hokitika, May 17. The sub-committee appointed by the Hokitika Borough Council to inquire into the expenditure of the W'olland Hospital and Charitable Aid Board submitted its report to tho Borough Council at its meeting to-night. It will bo remembered that, the agitation for an investigation was begun when the board's balance-sheet was returned. from the Audit Department, and had numerous tags attached to it. The following is the text of the council's sub-committee's report:— In accordance with the resolution of tho council, a committee consisting of the Mayor, Councillor Coulson, and the lown Clerk have gone through the accounts and vouchers of the Charitable Aid Board an connection with tho bal?£°i for tho . year clldin S )lluch 31, cli OUl ' committee, in tho examination oi tho accounts, found that in many cases the details were most meagre, particularly in regard to certain amounts drawn i:i secretary and member.-. Some details of an insignificant character had been put in some of tho vouchors, and theso your committee understand were inserted at the request of the Audit Inspector for more details. In reference ro the accounts for supplies and contracts, without an exhaustive examination; involving much more time than it had at its disposal, your committee could not say whether they were economically administered, but with regard to" the amounts for travelling expenses and allowances, these have been drawn without restraint. It finds tlint the Secretary drew .£213 19s. Gd. for allowances and' travelling expeuses, of which the actual travelling expenses are set down at «£7l 3s. Gd., leaving ,£142 16s. as the amount of the allowance. llie expenses are set down in lump sums without any details whatever. On making inquiry as to the large amount drawn for allowances, your committee were informed that a sum of £2 2s. per day was allowed the chairman and secretary when travelling together, and that though tho amounts so allowed were drawn and vouched for by tho secretary, only half of the amounts was given to the chairman, and that this, according to Mr. MGuigan, was the custom followed lor over forty years. The same course seems to have been followed with other amounts. Of a sum of ,£25 drawn by tho then chairman (Mr M'Guigan) for a visit to Wellington, and signed for by him, naif had beon paid to Mr. liruc'e, who had accompanied the chairman to Wellington at the latter's request (without t rJir r r * i board). Also, a sum S fl 5 -~-0 1\ ,t ho expenses of a trip to South Westland had been drawn and signed for by Mr. M'Guigan, but was paid to Mr. Dud, who had also mado the trip, the above explanations were made by tho ex-chairman (Mr. M'Guigan). Extra payments for clerical assistance- for tho secretary were also drawn ami vouched for by him without any details of their application. Tho total amouut of traveltK®o?i.n°srßnc?s anc ' expenses amounted to iIGO Gs. In' conclusion, your committee desires' to express its appreciation of tho assistance and courtesy of the chairman (Mr. Kennedy) aud Mr. Byrne, and the secretary during the investigation, but wo havo to complain that the other member of the Charitable Aid Committee (Mr. M'Guigan) was on one or two occasions most discourteous. Wo Imvu tho honour to be, yours obediently, George Perry, H. M. Coulson, aud A. A. Andrewes."

Tho following were the travelling expenses drawn by members of the board tor tho year ended March 31, 1911, for attending meetings of the board (expenses for March meeting not included)'T. W. Bruce (Ross), ,£29 Ss.; A. Clifton (Rirnu), ■£17 175.; T. G. M'Guigan (lvanieri), J.IM 25.; J. A. Murdock (Kumara), £ia Bs.; T. Kennedy (Kumara), (is. (absent from two meetings); J. Toomey (liokitika), .£ll Us.; 'I'. Robinson (Hokitika), .611 lis.; T. W. Duff (Hokitika), Jill lis.; H. B. Bock (Hokitika), .£l3 13s. (Tho extra .£2 2s. was for visiting Greymouth.) Messrs. Duff and Bock (town members) drew their »£1 Is. each per month for ■"visiting and inspecting Westland Hospital." 1 1 The balance-sheet had two tags, which were highly significant, namely, No. 2, which read:—"Travelling expenses and allowances to the amount of .£213 19s. Gd. have been drawn by the secretary. The Audit Office considers this amount excessive. As to No.. 7, in the opinion of the Audit Office the charges and allowances for travelling, both to members of the board and the secretary, are on a scale far in exccss of that contemplated by the Statute, with the additional objectionable features that in several cases details of such charges and payments are not available for audit."

The Borough Council sub-committeo made investigations into this, and found that the expenses and travelling expens.*, totalling 06213 19s. 6d., drawn by the secretary (in addition to his salary of ,£200) were made up as follow:—1910: To visiting Kumara in connection with surgeon's residence, <£5 Bs. Cd.; Totara, attendances, £7 18s Gd.; Totara, arranging for collection of voluntary contributions, ,£5 75.; Kumara, arranging painting, ,£5 18s. Cd.; Totara, <£4 45.; Totara, re-erection of new front, iCS 14s. Gd.; Otira, attending in regard to medical requirements and establishing cottage hospital (five days), .£l9 135.; trap liiro for above, .£6 2s!; Ross, arranging plans and specifications and calling tenders for new front hospital, ,£9 18s. fid.; Kumara, inspecting painting and furnishings purchased, £5 45.; Otira, attending Greymouth to interview Mr. Lewis in regard to plans, ,£4 13s. Gd.; Otira, arranging collections and voluntary contributions, .£ls Is.; Benevolent Society, inspecting Malone's property for timber purposes, £2 175.; Otira, select-

ing building for hospital, arranging supplies and treatment, t £9 125.; Otira, attending Mr. Lewis, at Grey, in regard to plans and specifications ,£3 ss. Gd.; attending meeting Greymoutli, ,£2 25.;. Westland Hospital, attending resident engagement, arranging pipe-lino, .£5 35.; Benevolent Society, inspecting freehold Waimea Survey district, .£3 6s. Gd.; Totara, arranging in reference to building, £3 65.; Westland Hospital, arranging for water connections, J. 1 3 35.; Kumara, benevolent, arranging in referencs to eases of destitution, JIG 95.; Westland Hospital, attending and settling matters in reference to pipes, -£5_ 35.; Totara, inspecting timber for building, .£2 25.; inspecting health district with district health officer, ,£2 18s.; Kumara, inspecting building and outhouses, JES 145.; Otira, arTasiging for building and material, 11 lis.; Kumara, inspecting hospital and work for laundry, etc., at residenco, £H lis. 6d.; Otira, arranging with resident engineer for supervision, £2 12s. Gd.; TotaTa, arranging for building and housing of patients, ,£3 lis.; Kumara, arranging for control of destitute children, £3 7s. Gd.; Otira, supervision works and contracts, arranging supplies, Jl9 10s.; Totara, installing Dr. Snort, £3 35.; visiting Greymouth, .£2 10s.; public health, attending conference at Greymouth, «£2 25. - , Westlaml Hospital, attendance in reference to laying pipe-line to hospital, £2 13s. Gd.; Kumara, inspecting hospital and outhouse repairs, t £G lGs.; Totara, inspecting contract work, £5 Bs.; Otira, arranging water supply, £7 6s. Gd.; Otira, arranging for collecting voluntary contributions, £5 Is. Gd.; total, .£213 19s. Gd.

In connection with the travelling allowances and expenses drawn by the secretary .(Mr. Peake), he states that originally there were no details put on the vouchers to show how the amounts were made up, but that at the request of the Auditor Inspector at the time of the audit (about the end of Julv, 1911) he had added to the vouchers tlia particulars shown. He explained that £2 2s. per day for allowancos was drawn, the balance of the totals on the vouchers put down as expenses. Tho following additional amounts wero drawn by Mr. J. M'fiuigan (chairman), during 1911-.—Wellington trip, *{25; installing Dr. Cairns (South Westland), £i>; expenses (ditto), .65 5=.; vi.-iiting South IVestl&nd, .-CIo; at tending Ureymoiith. ,£2 25.; trap hire paid to Cameron for South Westlnnd trip, .CIS; miscellaneous, .£lB 12-. fid.

Tlio .siib-conimitie*'* rr-f.oii was received nnd ordered to lie nn the table until the next meeting of the council. Most of the localities mentioned a? lmvins been viriM ky t,hu secretary aro accessible by rail.