THE MACARTHY HOME

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 210, 24 May 1918, Page 3

THE MACARTHY HOME

■ ■■■ »- — FOR CONVALESCENT CHILDREN TO BE AVAILABLE FOR WOMEN PATIENTS "The best-laid schemes of mice and men-gang alt aglcy," said Robert Jiurns, and it would seem that Hie 'J.', (J. Alacartliy Convalescent Homo for Children lias not exactly flourished like the green bay tree. There have been difficulties 111 gettin? convalescent children from the General Hospital owing; to the home's position at Belmont, and the awkwardness entailed on parents who naturally wish to visit their children has not kept the cots lilted, and such are its shortcomings that; the home (so. generously fivou in cash) has already become a serious drain on the funds of the Hospital Hoard. In order to attempt to improve matters the board recently waited upon the trustees and submitted a plan for extending tlio scope of the institution by admitting women as ivell as children.' The subcommittee appointed for that purpose reported yesterday to the board as follows:— .';

"That the •sub-committee appointed to wait on tho Board of Trustees of the T. G. Macarthy Home for Convalescent Children beg to append the proposals submitted to and the replies received from that board in connection with the admission of women to that home, and it now recommends that the period for which women jnay be accommodated be restricted to four weeks, and that the weekly charge for maintenance of women be .£1 Is. per week and children to remain as at present, viz., 12s. ud. per week. The proposals t.f the sub-committoo were as follow:—

"(1) That the Board of Trustees bo advised to amend the minute of March 25, 191G, under which the home at Belmont was named 'The T. G. Macarthy Convales. cent Home for Children,' so as to allow the "Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board to send to such home, for a period not exceeding iivo years, such women and children other than convalescent children as it is considered will benefit by a restdenco at tho home; always provided that thore be beds unoccupied by convalescent children, and further provided that all .persons 60 sent under this arrangement'shall bo only admitted on a certificate of the Medical Superintendent of the Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, the proposed arrangement to remain in operation for a period of tot less than five years from — to —, when tho matter is to bo again brought up and tho position of the home ascertained; or (2) failing the acceptance of this proposal by the Board of Trustees, the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board ask that the trustoes give a sum of .£oOO a year to the maintenance; or (3) that the Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board bo relieved of all responsibility in connection with the administration of the institution." The trustees' replies to the proposals wore as follow.— "That the trustees are prepared to acquiesce in the proposal of (he representatives of tho Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board as submitted to tlio Public Trustee on April 26, 1918, except that: (1) The period during which convalescent "'women can be admitted to tho institution shall not exceed three years;/ (2) children must in all cases have preference of admission; (3) the name of tho home must remain as laid down in tho board's resolution and in tho Hospital and Charitable Aid Board's letter of February 2-1, 1915.

"As this proposal is regarded by the Board of Trustees as a tentative- one; the Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board ba asked to report to the trustees at intervals of every six months, such report to show whether the arrangement is working satisfactorily, and to also con. tain.a return showing the number of inmates, in classes, covering the period of the report."

When the report was presented lo the board at yesterday's meeting, Mr. F. T. Moore said that evidently the committeo assumed that the women would go out to this home. Mr. J. W. M'Bwan: There has been a big assumption always! Mr. Mooro : , continuing, said that as the place had never been a success, and probably never would be, he thought they might look around and see what might be done. He understood that the Government was looking round for more places for returned soldiers. Perhaps it would suit it to take over the home. The chairman (Mr. H. Baldwin) said that the sub-conimittee hid only curried out the,wish expressed by the board fivo months ago. 'The purpose of the home was the accommodation of convalescent childron, and to admit women they had"to havo the constitution altered and approved by the trustees of the Macarthy Estate, who still held that children wero to be given preference. Furthermore Iho trustees had asked for a report on the home every six months. If further alterations were wanted the trustees would have to bo appealed to again. Here tha matter was allowed to drop,