COOK HOSPITAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 97, 17 January 1918, Page 6

COOK HOSPITAL

ROYAL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY. By Telcgrapli—Press Association. Cisborne, January 10. The Royal Commission of inquiry into affairs at Cook Hospital has concluded the preliminaries and commenced tho taking of evidence to-day. Mr. H. W. Bishop is the commissioner, and there arc seven solicitors engaged on behalf of various parties, including dlr. M. Myers, of Wellington, who apnears/on behalf of the petitioners for the inquiry. Dr. Scott, a local practitioner, is watching the proceedings on his own behalf and on behalf of .Nurse Higgine. ■ In the course of the evidence, J . U Field, chairman of the petitioners committee, submitted a recommendation that tho Government should pass legislation prohibiting medical men in practice holding scats on a hospital board, the petitioners stating that their experience was that such conditions led to unrest. I- Tho commissioner said that if circumstances warranted it he would make such a recommendation to His Excellency the Governor-General. - Howard Kenway, ex-chairman of the Hospital Board, gave evidence covering affairs at the "hospital during the past ten years. Dr. Wilson, in the course of his evidence, expressed the opinion that it was not in the best interests of a hospital that medical meii interested in private hospitals should bo members of the hospital board. Witness also made allegations respecting the treatment of a couple of cases which' he had sent to the hospital. The innuiry was adjourned till tomorrow. The proceedings promise' to lie lengthy and tedious, and as vet no specific charges have been made, the evidence so mainly'a lengthy history of hospital'affairs.