GIFT TO HOSPITAL

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5287, 15 June 1928, Page 4

GIFT TO HOSPITAL

ENDOWMENT OF BED. SUN-PORCH MORE SUITABLE. At. the May meeting of the Thames Hospital Board a letter was received from the trustees of the late Mr T. E. Smith, of Kaiaua, advising that it had been the wish of deceased to endow a bed to be named after him at the Thames Hospital. The trustees desired to know if such a gift would be acceptable to the boar'll, and asked for information as to the annual cost of maintaining a bed in the institution.. At last Monday’s meeting of the board a further letter, was received from the trustees acknowledging the board’s figures, in which it. was shown tha.t the annual maintenance cost per bed in 1922 was £195 3s ; in 1923, £193 9s ; 1924, £lB7 7a. The secretary stated that the annual average- cost per bed was; £lB4 duFng the last six years. Mr J. W. Danby said that he hoped the trustees would change their .minds and instead of endowing a bed, give the board a lump sum with which to build a sun-porch on the women’s ward. That ward had the most dismal cut-look in the institution on account of ,’ts position. The matter had often been considered, but lack of funds had precluded anything being done. He was diffident in moving a. resolution on account of any alteration, to the will clashing with receiving a Government, subsidy. About £4OO would provide a sun-p'orch, and would be equivalent to about two years’ contribution for a bed.

To Mr P. E. Brenan the chairman (Mr W. E. Hale) said that the endowment and., maintenance of a, bed would go on indefinitely. He thought that Mr Danby’s suggestion was, a good one, arid he failed to see that any harm could be done if the trustees were, approached and the need for a sun.porch explained. He did not know the exact sum which had been left to the board. Mr. E. L. Walton suggested that it was advisable to get a copy 'of the will so that the board would know exa.ctly where it stood. He moved in that, direction. A second resolution was; moved by Mr Brenan that the chairman interview the trustees and point out the needs of the board, with a view to a sun-porch being erected and named after the deceased instead 'of a bed-