Palmerston N. Hospital Board

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 145, 4 June 1892, Page 2

Palmerston N. Hospital Board

_♦ The ordinary monthly meeting of the about Board was held on Thursday Present - Messrs Lethbridge (chairmar.) Grant. Ran some. Part, and Taylor. Mr Eansome was formally elected a member of the Board. Mr E. G Jellicoe, solicitor, wrote as follows:— "Mr Donald Grant has con» suited me rejecting your proposal to erect hospital buildings at a cost of upwards of £2300 upon land which at pre« sent has not been granted to. or rested in your body under the provisions of the Hospitals Act, 1885, and T deem it right lo warn you that until title to the land in question has been clearly ascertained mid perfected, each member of your Board, who is a pnrfcy to a misapplication of the funds entrusted to your ad* ministration, is personally responsible for a breach ot trust, nnd moveover any ratepayer in jour district is entitled to an injunction restraining such improper expenditure, A second letter from Mr Jolltcoe was as follows :— " Mr Donald Grant, a member of your Board, has consulted me respecting the series of resolutions yon purported to hare passed on the 18th iVfarch last and as 1 am satisfied that they were and are ultra yires your powers, I have taken his instructions to commence proceedings in the Supreme Court for an injunction to restrain you from siring effect thereto. Unless I hear withm a week after the date of your next meeting that you are willing to comply with the proposal contained in this letter, I shall be obliged'to follow my instructions without further notice, and in the latter event this notice will be used in evidence agaisnt you." Mr Grant said the Board had evidently got info trouble, and he would be prepared to assist them in their difficulty if they wished it. The chairman said if the Board had got into trouble, they had to thank Mr Grant tor it. Mr Grant denied that that was so. He had warned the Board that the proceedings were irregular, and if the Board chose to ignore the letters, he would take steps to enforce them. The chairman said the deeds could he easily got ; they were in the hands of the Borough Council. Mr Park said the deeds could he procured for the mere asking of them. The Board had only to make the request to the Borough Council to get them. This was a matter which bad escaped the attention of members, and Mr Grant might well have drawn their attention to it without placing it before them through a threatening letter from a solicitor. Mr Grant said there need be no upsetting of arrangements in connection with the work of erecting the hospital. He would be pvepared to move that Mr Larcomb be appointed architect, and though it would be necessary to formall j call for fresh tenders, it could be understood that the original contractors would be given the work. He suggested that the Board go into Committee to consider the matter. It was decided to ask the Council to transfer the reserves to the Board. It also resolved to formally call tenders for tho hospital buildings and the position of architect, on the understanding that the tenders accepted would be again ac accepted, a special meeting to be held within a week to transact this formal business. — Manawatu Times.