HOSPITAL COMMITTEE.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3597, 22 January 1883, Page 2

HOSPITAL COMMITTEE.

Satueday, January 20. We continue our report of the above-com-menced in last issue : — NEW APr-OINTMENTS. His AVorship the Mayor and Messrs Miller and Smith were re-appointed as the Charitable Aid Committee. Messrs Miller and Carnell were appointed the visiting committee for the month. It was agreed to ask Messrs E. Lyndon and S. J. AVilliams to continue to act as auditors for the Committee. THE PROPOSED FAYRE. Letters were read from M. Bourgeois and Mr Briggs with respect to a proposal to hold an Old Englyshe Fayre on the site of the 3rtiyor's lsitc residence, Xeiiiij-«oix street, in aid of the Hospital building fund. A committee consisting of the Mayor and Messrs 11. Williams and Carnell was appointed to make enquiries on the subject and report to the next meeting. THE GOVERNMENT AND THE COMMITTEE. The following correspondence between Mr Harker and the Under-Colonial Secretary was read : — Mr Harker to the Under-Colonial Secretary:—l have the honor to acknowledge with thanks your telegram of 6th January in answer to mine of 3th January. Tho elections have been duly carried out under the bye-laws, and the committee will meet on Saturday, January 20th. I deeply regret that any misunderstanding should have arisen between the Government and the late committee, causing delay in the erection of the new wing, as in tho present overcrowded state of the hospital we should be powerless in the case (which I much fear) of another epidemic of the typhoid fever arising. The Hon. Mr Dick when here promised to give his favorable consideration to our request that the Government would provide £3000 out of the £(5000 required for maintenance and building this year. For our balance hi hand on March 31st last, say £1770, including the £1030 due as subsidy, we were under no obligation to the Government, since, including the £1030, they only contributed iv all tho sum of £1320 as subsidy for the year ending 31st March last, being less than one-half the total cost of maintenance for the year, viz., £3200. My object in writing to you now is to request you to be good enough to empower me to authoritatively to lay before the committee at their meeting on Saturday next, for their acceptance, should they see fit, the offer contained in your previous letter of £1 for £1 subsidy on all moneys locally raised for building and maintenance as from 31st March last. From tho Colonial Under-Secretary to Mr Harker (telegram).—Received yours of 12th about hospital. In reply, Government are now as always ready to pay pound forpound subsidy on all sums locally contributed for building or maintenance of Napier Hospital since 31st March last. Of course this will not include sums paid by Government, but only subscriptions and donations from individuals and local bodies. In reply to Mr Smith, the Secretary said he had written the letter on his own responsibility in order to have something definite to lay before the newly-elected Committee. Mr Miller suggested that the secretary should make out" a list of the moneys received for the present hospital from the commencement, showing how much had been received from other sources. He was quite sure it would be found that there was a far larger balance against the Government than was claimed. There had always been a difficulty in getting from the Government an equal sum to what was locally raised. It was, he considered, preferable that the Hospital should remain under local control, but it was not right that the people of the district should pay entirely for its maintenance, while the Government .supported similar institutions elsewhere. The Chairman agreed with Mr Miller's proposal, and thought it should be adopted without delay. He was under the impression that the Government had not given pound for pound to the Committee. Mr Miller thought that was due in a great measure to the timidity of the late treasurer (Air Banner), who, seeing tho large sum collected by the secretary, unwisely refrained from applying for the pound for pound subsidy on the amount. The Chairman said it seemed the whole thing was in a muddle. He now found there were no account books from which the statement suggested by Mr Miller coidd be compiled. The Secretary said he had kept account books since his appointment, but there were none previously. Mr Smith said he had handed the account, books to Air Malum to deliver to Mr Harker. Mr Harker : I received none. Mr Miller believed that it would be practicable, with the assistance of Mr Winter, to get such a statement as was required made out. After some further discussion it was agreed that an endeavor shoidd be made by the secretary to draw out the statement. nUII.DINO COMMITTEE. The Mayor said that there was now in hand £'200* for the new wing and £200 for the children's ward, and as 3lr M'Lean's gift, «S:e., would also be available, he thought, the building committee should bo re-appointed and should report to the next, meeting of the committee of management. The suggestion met with general concurrence, and it was resolved, on the motion of Mr Miller, that the Mayor, Air AVilliams, and the mover should constitute the committee. THE SUBSIDY QUESTION. Mr Knowles enquired whether it was a fact that the Waipukurau Hospital received a subsidy of £2 for £1, and whether such exceptional treatment was due to the exertions of the indefatigable member for that district. ? The chairman knew of no recognised rule, in tho matter; the Government gave as little n* possible in all cases, but when much bothered they were more liberal in giving. Some hospitals were entirely supported by the Government. He did not know why the Waipukurau hospital received exceptional treatment, although he had made enquiries on the subject. It was perhaps right to mention that iv some cases where the hospitals were not at all maintained from local contributions the institutions had endowments, The Christ-church hospital was an instance. That hospital had very large endowments, which of course had been derived from tho Government. Mr Knowles did not think it was desirable that the liospital should be under Government control. He had heard many complaints of the treatment of pationts in hospitals that were so controlled. THE COMMITTEE'S" STATUS. Mr Knowles enquired whether there were any bye-laws for the regulation of the committee's proceedings ? He knew there were rules for the hospital, but he believed there were none for the committee. The Secretary replied that there were none. ■ ' The Chairman said he could notmako'out what was the status of the eonnmttee,'' and whether it could make bye-laws. It had never : been gazetted, and he was not yet aware whother it had sufficient warrant for its existence. He understood that a scheme I

had been propounded for the formation .of the committee, and that the scheme had received the approval of the Government of / the day, but not in a way to give the committee legal existence as a public body. This was a matter that should be looked to. Its importance became at once apparent when the question of gifts and bequests was considered. ' Mr M'Lean, for instance, gave £500;. who was to get that? It would seem, as matters stood, that it would be making a present of the £500 to the Government. Steps should be taken at once for legalising the committee's existence, and he thought, too, that a hospital trust should be constituted. Mr Lee said that the Hospital Committea was not a corporate body, and having no legal existence it could not make rules. The Chairman said it seemed to him that the hospital belonged to the General Government quite as much as the gaol did, and and that the committee were in the position that when the Colonial Secretary shoidd please to say to them '' Go " —go they must. I Of course public opinion could be brought to I bear in the matter, but that was not the right position to be in. After some further conversation the subject was allowed to drop for the present, and I the Committee adjourned.