ST. HELENS HOME INQUIRY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1693, 8 March 1913, Page 5

ST. HELENS HOME INQUIRY.

♦— ■ A' NEW COMPLAINT PUT IN. (By TcleEr&ph—Press <»Eooiation.) Auckland, March 7. Tho inquiry into the management of St. Helens Maternity Hospital was resumed this morning. Mrs. Nicol put in a new complaint concerning a patient, whose name the Commissioner would not .allow any of tho parties to disclose. Mr. Mays entered a formal protest on the ground that Mrs. Nicol had not obtained the consent of any of the parties concerned, but the Commissioner acccpled tho complaint, which, however, ho did not read aloud. It was agreed that the inquiry should be adjourned until after the return from Qisbornc of Mr. Justice Cooper, whose decision it is proposed to ask as to whether certain documents dealing with cases other than those specified in the complaints can be examined. A short sitting in Chambers was held to prepare a statement for submission to him.

Dr. Keller attended to ''elucidate a point in connection with tome previous evidence relating to an episode of soino years ago, in which ft doctor whom she had asked to assist her at an operation had declined to do so. In reply to her questions, Dr. Inglis said he was at the timo president of the British Modical Association, and in that capacity was telephoned to by the <loctor ill question for advice. Tho cose was not, ill his opinion, an urgent one, and he advised the doctor not to attend. The roasoti lay in the trouble which arose some years ago when tho Friendly Societies obtained the services of some medical practitioners who did the societies' work cheaper than members of tho association. Consultation with Dr. Keller was refused, not because she was not a menilwr of the liritish Medical Association, but because she was associated with practitioners who were serving the Friendly Societies.