THE HOSPITAL SECRETARYSHIP.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLV, Issue 3984, 17 July 1915, Page 9

THE HOSPITAL SECRETARYSHIP.

SHOULD WHOLE TIME BE DEVOTED TO THE WORK ?

HOSPITAL BOARD MEMBERS DEBATE THE POINT.

MR JOHNSTON’S NOTICE OF MOTION DEFEATED.

The question of whether tho secretary of tho Cook Hospital and Charit-able-Aid Board should or should: not devote the. whole of liijj time to the work has been discussed more than once during the past few years., ' The subject' cropped up again last night, and engaged the members of the Board in lively debate for upwards of an hour.

In aeeordanio with notice, Mr R Joh listen, moved :

_“Tlmt the present arrangement with the secretary of the Cook. Hospital and Charitable Aid Board be cancelled, ami that fresh applications be called for the position of secretary to the Board, at a. salary of £259 per annum, the successful applicant to devote his whole .time to the business of the Board.” Mr Johnston said that this motion of ids was no new thing. He had nothing against Mr Porter, but simply stood for the principle that the seerc- ! tary should devote the whole of his time to the work of the Board. Nome , four years ago the Board had passed : a repletion that the secretary should receive £450 a year, and that Mr j Porter should put in half of his time | at the hospital and half his time at ; the office. Mr Porter had not seen lit to agree to this, and the .resolution had been rescinded. Later- a house steward had been appointed at £l5O j a year to do the work which Mr j Porter might do at the hospital, and ; yet the Board had given Mr Porter I an extra- £75 a year to do the other half of the work in the office. Mr Porter held many other positions. Hie was secretary oi : the Acclimatisation Society, secretary of the Building Society, secretary or the River Board. ! Mr Holden: The .River Hoard is

dead. Mr Jones: It is very much alive. Continuing, Mr Johnston said that Mr Porter also held a position at tho Mock sales, and lastly he was secretary of the Hospital Board. The Chairman : That, is not fair, M'' Johnston. Use any fair argument; but I must ask you to be fair, please. Mr Johnston: I-can give you. instances where the work of the Board has suffered. I)r Collins seconded the motion pro forma, reserving the right to speak later. He said he wanted the report of the committee which recommended, -■at the house steward be appointed j> rotl need.

Dr Porter asked if it was a. fact that. Mr Porter was supposed to pay 15s a. week rent for bis office, and if so had the rent been paid ?

Dr Collins, s-dd that for four years the Board hr-.n ;d Mr Porter’s office witiiout paying any rent to him. Mr Johnston, apparently, would like to employ Mr Porter at a minimum salary and use his office and his staff for Ills own ends. Mr Johnston : Oh, no, I would not.

Mr McCliskie said that immediately after the election the w hole Board met to consider the position of the .secretary, and the Board decided to call for applications at a salary of £350 a year for a- secretary w ho would demote the whole of his time to the Board. A sub-committee was Set up, and they recommended that, the position bo offered to Mr Porter, with tho right to do other work. Only two members, Mr Johnston and the speaker, voted against Mr Porter’s appointment, as they held that the subcommittee had not carried out the intention of the Board. The Chairman: Have you ever heard of the man who could never change his mind P The comparison is not complimentary. Mr Humphreys said that when he saw this notice of motion he expected to hear of gone lapse of duty on the secretary's part. Nothing of the kind had been shown, bow ever, and until their secretary was found wanting m bis duty the Board could not legally dismiss him.

Mr Holden said that a great deal was being made of the fact that Mr .Porter did not devote the whole of his time to the Board. Did such able men as Mr Dodd and Mr Coleman devote the whole of their time to one society? .Where, lie asked, would they get a man to do the work for £2.30 a year. Tho thing was ridiculous Mr Jex-Blake said they expected tho secretary to do the best he could for the Board, and he d.d his lovei best. Mr Porter's vast experience was of great value. Me knew of valuable work Hr Porter uad done, bu£ lie was .not going to argue on these line jle would ask them n tiiev could expect to got good work out of their employees when they were continually pin-pricking him. Some of the members of the Board had made matters very unpleasant for Mr Porter, and ho hoped this would be tho last hoard of such matters. Mr H. E. Bright said, as a young member of the Board, he considered there were two qualifications a seerotarv suck as they required should possess. One was that he should bo a thoroughly qualified accountant, and the other that he-should he a man of sufficient probity to entrust "Mil the large, sums of money which mui to pass through his hands. Mr .1 ortet possessed both these essential qualifications. and was. therefore, hotter qualified to hold the position than a man whom they did not know so well. . , , . . j)r Porter said he ielt lertauv that there was no hospital'- hoard in >p'\ v Zealand of the sino of Gisborne whicti employed a half-time secretary, homo of the speakers liad mentioned that Mr Dodd and Mr Coleman were Imncllino- other duties, but none or 'hem were of the size and importance of the Hospital Board. x r phe Chairman: Wuat aboim the East Coast Trust ? • ■ Dr Porter: That may he a .big affair, but I don’t think M '•> as b „ aa tills important institution. in public 'bodies are crying out ; agamst tlTo amount of money winch m spent on the hospital, and with j o amount of money to be handled Board should have a secretary "h« would devote the whole of his tune try the work of the hospital. Mr .Tones said time ho wonM hav - to vote for the motion. Me ugioeu Vl, . or,,coital Board should. have w.mUl <WjlThe Chairman Said that t* the old administration a lot of woik vas not done which should have'been do They had now inaugurated a sciiom which was working thoroughly. Win t 1,0(1 they, he asked, tp, say tnac Mr Porter should do no other work but tho Board’s. i This was un-Brit sk ~,K i not playing the game. They had now the working of the Hospital running smoothly, aiid in matang a change they would not he gottin- hotter sei vice There had heon times when ho had'had to complain, hut on mentioning the matters to Mr Porter they had boon at once put right. Ho would move as an amendment that tlie Board make no alteration with regard 1< '.31 r ° l.fri ghtMil latis a direct nega-

Dr. Collins said that in moving tins motion Mr Johnston either intended to <rot rid of Mr Porter or to establish him more firmly in ins positimi. jt was a' remarkable thing that Mi Johnston had never taken the_tr°nble to inform the public just how Mr loiter stood with the Board. Mx l oiter. was getting £370 a year and had to have assistance. He had the ho pital and charitable aid work to do. The members certainly thought that

the secretary should devote his whole time'to'the service of the Board, but they had been guided by the Chairman, who gave his casting vote in favor of Mr Porter bcina allowed to retain the little outside work ho had. Mr Porter had to pav~;£2s4 for clerical assistance, and had also to keep a horse and trap in order to journey up to the Hospital. He had to kvp this horse himself. As a matte wot fact Mr Porter was receiving about £l2l a year for doing the secretarial work. He had pointed out time and again that the house steward could never help the secretary in his work. The house steward was appointed prevent leakage at the Hospital, and had saved his salary ovor and over again. The Chairman: The best appointment the Board over made. Continuing, Dr. Collins said that members recognised that Mr Porter was a very old servant, and his experience was of great value to them. The Chairman had told members that if they voted to allow Mr Porter to do outside Work ho would oromiso that lio would dismiss the secretary the moment ho found ho was neglecting the work of the Board.

The Chairman : And I am quite prepared to do so now, but I have not found that* he has neglected the Board’s work in any way. Mr Johnston, in’replying, said lie had consulted no one in the motion lie had brought forward. Ho had nothing against- Mr Porter, but ho considered that for ,£.‘175 the secretary should be able to vivo the Hoard his whole time. The Board would he better served if such were the case.

The motion was then put and lost by four votes to five, those voting for it being Messrs Johnston, Jones, McCliskio and Dr Porter, while those against were Dr Collins and Messrs Holden, Jex-Blake, Humphreys and Bright.