INQUIRY INTO KUMARA HOSPITAL MATTERS.

Kumara Times, Issue 2773, 11 August 1885, Page 2

INQUIRY INTO KUMARA HOSPITAL MATTERS.

[Before J. Giles, Esq., R.M., and Major Keddell, Esq., R.M. The inquiry into the late proceedings of the Committee of the Kumara pita), having reference more especially to the dismissal of Dr. Monckton, late Surgeon Superintendent of the Hospital, and the appointment of Dr. Davy to that position, occupied the Court from 7upto nearll o'clock on Friday night, and was resumed at 10 a.m. on Saturday, when the following further evidence was taken : Dr. Monckton wished to know if the Court intended to allow Mr Burger to call those witnesses whose names he had mentioned last night, to confront him with charges of which he had not previously heard. Major Keddell said that he and Dr. Giles had considered the matter well over, and they thought it was only natural that Mr Burger should wish to bring fresh evidence out, to show that although the Committee acted ostensibly on a charge brought by Meade against Dr. Monckton, still they wished to show that Meade's case was only one out of many, although only verbally and unofficially brought under their notice; while on the other side it has been stated that the Committee acted from personal spite only. Now, although they do not hold that Dr. Monckton should now be confronted with charges which bad got been officially brought before the Committee, still they could not help but accept evidence to show whether the Committee acted on the bona fide belief that Dr. Monckton was so unpopular that it was advisable to terminate his engagement—such evidence, for instance, as Mr Hope brought out last night. Whether snch unpopularity was confined among subscribers or shared in by the outside public was immaterial, inasmuch as Dr. Monckton, being surgeon for the district, they considered the Committee had every right to take notice of how he suited the district generally. They thought, however, that it would not be necessary to call all the witnesses whose names had been mentioned. Mr Burger said he was quite satisfied with the views their Worships had taken. He had no desire to go into unnecessary evidence, and would refrain from it as much as possible. Dr. Giles stated they would call on Mr D. Hannan to give evidence, as he had written to Mr Seddon on the subject. There were other letters before them, partly by Mr Seddon, and partly by Dr. Mouckton, in which there appeared something crooked on the part of the Committee. Dr. Monckton here applied to put in three letters he had received from the officers of three societies in Kamara; these were from Mr W. Nicholson, on behalf of the Oddfellows ; from Mr W. Wiesner, on behalf of the German Society; and from Mr G. Anderson, on behalf of the Foresters, Court Pride of Kuraara. The letters expressed a general wish on behalf of the members of the societies referred to that Dr. Monckton's servicas should be retained. The Commissioners asked Mr Burger if be admitted the letters, to which Mr Burger assented. Louis Ziegler was then called, and, being questioned by Dr. Monckton, stated: I am a hotel-keeper, and treasurer to the Hospital Committee. I asked you to attend to an out-door patient to the Hospital; I asked you to attend the man at his own house. I am not aware that it is your duty to attend. The man had a ticket for the Hospital; His name is Harry Healey. T expressed annoyance at your refusal. The reason I turned against you was because you treated the committee with the greatest disrespect; you called the committee "a parcel of dogs;" you told that to me. To the Court: Healey was nearly blind ; he could not see. I asked Dr. Monckton to see if he could do anything for hin (Healey). Healey was a ticket-holder, The doctor went as fatas Henley's door, but said he would not go in unless he (Mr Ziegler) paid him a guinea ; that ho would do nothing for the committee except he got paid for it. I remarked that it was very hard, and that I could not afford to give him a guinea for every out-door patient. It tiad always been the custom to do this with out-door patients when there was no room in the Hospital, though there is no rule that requires the doctor to attend on out-door patients. The doctor went on to say that the committee were only " a parcel of dogs," and he should do his strict duty. There were no high words on my side. I was a committee-man at the time; it was, I think before the resignation of the coruruittee in January.

To Dr. Monckton : I remember a man named " Pigeon Tom." You attended him at his own hut. I do not know whether gratuitously or not. It was not on behalf of the Hospital Committee. You did attend him at his own hut before and after he was an inmate of the Hospital. Mr Home, of the National Hotel, asked the doctor to attend him ; he was paralysed in his hut. I did not hear of yon refusing to attend him gratuitously. I believe this was in May 1884. Ido not remember yon saying anything about erysipelas in Healey's case. There was a case of erysipelas which you wanted me to take into my house, instead of the patient going into the Hospital. I was several times a member of the House Committee, and was so when an inquiry was made in reference to your wishing Mrs Wells to go out from the Hospital. I reported verbally to the committee. I saw Mrs Wells; she said she did not cue about going back to the doctor; she would go to the Greymiiuth Hospital. The Wardsnian told me that you said you could not do anything for her, and she had better go out in a week. I know a girl patient, in the Hospital named Rooney. I toid her father he would have to pay 30s a week for her, in advance, as he was not a subscriber at the time the girl was in the hospital, as required by the rules. The Bench directed the doctor to confine himself more particularly to questions as between himself and the committee. To Mr Burger : several persons have made complaints to me at various times about the doctor, and have refused to subscribe any more whilst the Hospital was under his charge. It was the doctor's conduct towards the committee that made me change my mind. I believe I was re-elected on the new committee because it was generally known which way I intended to vote for Dr. Monckton. I took the same course as was usual on former occasions in the matter of the appointment of a successor to Dr. Monckton. The appointment of Dr. Davy was made before the receipt of a letter from the Colonial Secretary. Mr Burger to the Bench : The appointment of Dr. Davy was made on the 19th May. Witness's exnmination continued by Mr Burger: I remember your being struck off the list of Oddfellow members to be visited. About the same time I heard the doctor speak in . disparaging terms of you, that you were a spiteful member; the cause of that was that he (the doctor) had told Mr Nicholson to strike you off his list. To Mr Burger : I remember our meeting on the 3rd March, and on the deficiency on payment of tickets issued just before the election came before the eommittee. Ido not. thick the members of the committee were to blame for that deficiency ; the money had been paid in to the Secretary, who, at the time of the collection, was Mr Spyer. There was a deficiency discovered or reported in Mr Spyer's account of £4: for Hospital tickets. Mr Nicholson exp'ained that he had security from Mr Spyer for this amount. The liability then fell on Mr Nicholson, who was treasurer at the time. I remember a patient named Mrs Hardy being taken to the Hospital. Dr. Monckton was very much against this patient going in, and wished to "close the female ward, which at that time was not particularly crowded. This was about September or October last year. I remember Mr Burger's written complaint on the subject being tendered to the committee; this was on October 7th It caused a great deal of illfeeling amongst the subscribers and committee. I had not heard of any previous recommendation from the doctor to close the female ward. I never knew of Mr Burger as an obstructionist to the Hospital in any way. I have always considered him the best man on the committee, and who had done more than anyone else individually-for the welfare of the institution. To Dr. Monckton : You made the excuse that if you devoted the female ward for one female patient you would not have room for two or three male patients. I am not aware that you went to see Mrs Hardy at her residence. I remember you writing to the committee relative to the space and cubic feet of air required for each patient. I signed an agreement as treasQrer, with Dr. Davy. Ido not remember the date. I was not aware of the contents of the telegram from the Colonial Secretary before I signed the agreement. Somebody said there was a telegram fn>m the Colonial Secretary ; Mr Wylrle read the telegram, but I did not, take particular notice of its contents, being very busyin the bar :;t ill" t ;•)><■. To Mr Burger : I w ;s appointed by the committee to sign the agreement.

To the Court: The agreement was afterwards brought before the committee and they would not recognise it. John Hannah, examined by Dr. Monckton, said : I am a watchmaker, residing at Kumara ; I am a member of the Hospital Commit Lee. I remember, with Mr Hope, taking a patient. named Besant to the Hospital. I signed no order for admission of this patient at the time, but did so afterwards (next day). Benant was brought from Greenstone ; h** was no friend of mine. I told the Wardsman to take Besant in, and he made no objection. I did not know what was the matter with Besant. The Wardsman did object to his'having no admission order, but took him on onr promising to send an order. I never saw any order yet countersigned by the medical officer. I signed an agreement with Dr. Davy on tlfe 25th of June. I saw a telegram from the Colonial Secretary saying that no fresh appointments should be made; Mr Wylde read it to me. The agreement was for twelve months, three months to terminate it. Dr. Davy has not had a copy. I did not write the agreement. I got it in the minutebook. Mr Ziegler, myself, John Wildridge, Mr Rudkin, and Dr. Davy signed it. After it was signed I gave it to the Secretary. I told him that was the agreement which we had signed. The doctor had been appointed before, at £2OO per annum. The doctor arrived, I believe, in the end of May. The agreement has never been repudiated, and is still pending the decision of the Committee. On the 25th June the committee passed a resolution that the agreement be postponed. I saw the Secretary try to read the executed agreement, bub the chairman would not let him. The agreement was handed round the table. I believe Mr Ziegler has it now. I, with Mr O'Hagan, asked you to go and see a patient one day who was dying, and yon started blackguarding us. To the Court: "He told me that the Hospital Committee were only " a p*ck of blackguards." I bad been friendly -with Dr. Monckton up to this, and was quite astonished. By Dr. Monckton : T am aware that Mr O'Hagan is out of the district, and so unable to prove this. Yon told Mr O'Hagan that if he had come by himself, you would have gone, but you would resist any pressure from the Hospital Committee. By Mr Burger : I remember the difficulty we had last year in raising funds at the time of the Easter Fete. The principal cause was the doctor's statements regarding Malcolm Hyndman. I remember Tom Lewis.. I remember persuading him not to bring a complaint against the doctor's treatment of him at that time, as it might affect the success of the fete. I have heard other complaints—a good many—cornplaints similar to Mr Meade's. las a committee-man found it very hard to get people to subscribe to the Hospital latterly. I never heard you speak disrespectfully of Dr. Monckton, either in. committee meetings or out of them. I have always known you to work hard in committee for the Hospital. Dr. Giles wished to know what Mr Burger intended to establish by that evidence 1 Mr Bnrger replied : Your Worships must in mind that Dr. Monckton accuses me in his statement of being a great obstructionist, and having personal malice against him, therefore I thought I should try and get as much rebutting evidence as possible. Dr. Gilea said that he admitted Dr. Monckton had made that assertion, but so far he had failed to substantiate it by evidence, and on that account he could not see the utility of unnecessarily prolonging the inquiry by bringing out any more of such evidence. Mr Hannah continued : It often transpired that urgent cases had to be admitted without the sanction of the doctor. The Court was now (1.30 p.m.) adjourned till 2.30 p.m. [To be concluded in our next.]