KUMARA HOSPITAL.

Kumara Times, Issue 2780, 19 August 1885, Page 2

KUMARA HOSPITAL.

COMMITTEE MEETING. The ordinary fortnightly meeting of the Hospital Committee was held in the Town Hall last evening, soon after seven o'clock ; present—Mr H. Burger (in the chair), Messrs Rudkin, Voysey, Hannah, Wildridge, Wooldridge, Hope, Ziegler, and Watson. The minutes of the previous meeting and of a special meeting were read and confirmed. The outward correspondence was approved of, and the inward read and received. A donation of £7 13s 6d from Mr William Nicholson was received with thanks. The final consideration of the agreement with Dr. Davy was held over for a time. The House Committee reported that the drugs mentioned in Mr Williams' invoice had been received; and that they had passed the accounts for firewood and painting the Hospital. On the motion of Mr Wooldridge, it was resolved that in the event of the Government subsidy not coming to hand by to-morrow's mail, the Secretary write to the Colonial Secretary asking for an explanation. Mr Watson was elected on the House Committee vice Mr Wildridge, who retires by rotation. The meeting then adjourned. SPECIAL MEETING. Immediately after the ordiuary meeting a special meeting of the Committee was held at which the annual report, balance-sheet, and Medical Officer's Report were submitted, and after being read, were adopted. It was resolved, in the event of more subscribers being nominated at the ensuing annual meeting than were necessary to form the new committee, the number required being thirteen, that the election take place on Saturday next, the 22nd inst., between the hours of 12 noon and 8 p.m. ; that the Secretary, Mr Robert E. Wylde, be appointed Returning Officer to conduct the election; and that poll-ing-booths be opened at the Town Hall, Kumara, at Dillman's Town, and at Greenstone. Mr Rudkin was requested to assist Mr Wylde in making up the Electoral Roll. Receipts were handed in to the Secre tary as follows : £ s. d. By Mr Watson 10 0 Mr Wooldridge ... 1 10 0 Mr Burger 2 10 0 Mr Hannah 1 10 0 Mr Ziegler 8 10 0 Mr Rudkin 7 13 6 Mr Hope 6 0 0 £2B 13 6 This concluded the business of the special meeting. ANNUAL MEETING. The annual general meeting of subscribers and ticket holders was held at 8.30 p.m. His Worship the Mayor (H. Burger, Esq.), who had acted as chairman at the committee meetings, presided. There was a fair attendance. The Chairman, in opening the meeting, said that notwithstanding the difficulties they had had to contend with during the past year, he thought they should try and keep up our local institution which had proved so valuable to many. The Hospital and Charitable Aid Bill now before Parliament, and which had passed the Lower House, would bring about new regulations for management, if carried. He hoped the subscribers would assist in maintaining the local institution on an independent basis. He would call on the Secretary to the Committee to read the report and statement of accounts. Mr R. E. Wylde then read the annual report, of which the following is a copy : Annual Report of the Kumara Hospital Committee for the year ended 30th June, 1885. The Committee of I lie Kumara Hospital, in presenting their Annual Report to the subscribers, hog to submit the following statement of facts;—-

Upon taking office the Committee found a debit balance of £7l On lid due to the Bank. The total income for the year has amounted to the sum of £IOO2 13s 3d, from the following sources, viz:— £ s. d. Annual tickets 100 0 0 Half-yearly lickets ... 97 0 0 Subscriptions (including Fate) 203 6 9 Entertainments ... ... 14 2 0 Receipts from patients ... 17 15 0 General Government sub. sidies 516 7 6 Borough 'Council subsidy 50 0 0 Refund Friendly Societies 4 2 0 The expenditure for the same period has amounted to £IO3O 14s lOd (including payment to the Bank of last year's overdraft) which leaves a present debit balance of £2B Is 7d. We find however that a considerable amount of subsidy (£lB7 lis 3d) is still overdue from the Government, so that, all things considered, the financial position of the Hospital will compare favourably with that of the same date last year. Although the receipts from the Easter F6te were not so large as those of the preceding year—owing, doubtless, to the continued depression of the place—yet we have the satisfaction of seeing that the amount of receipts from tickets, annual and half-yearly, has been fully doubled, and at the same time we would point out that the usual annual canvas for subscriptions has not yet been made. We have the pleasure of reporting that during the year the Hospital buildings and furniture have been insured for the sum of £3OO in the Imperial Insurance Company. The number of in-door patients treated at the Hospital during the year is 60, being a decrease of three nn laßt year; and the aggregate number of days they remained amounts to 3278 which is equal to nine men remaining constantly under treatment for a period of one year, at an average daily cost of £2 10s. Of these 60 patients, 43 have been discharged cured or relieved, 9 have died, and the remainder, 8, are still in the Hospital. In view of the present uncertain nature of the provisions of the Charitable Aid Bill now before Parliament it is impossible to foreshadow what changes may take place in Hospital management, but your Committee would earnestly hope that every effort of the subscribers will be directed towards maintaining the position of this valuable institution upon an independent and self-supporting basis; and, fully believing thac such will be the case?, your Committee have no hesitation in handing over to their successors the trnst reposed in them, with the greatest confidence that the present success of the institution will continue to increase. The Committee have to express their thanks for several donations of linen and book, and to remind the public of the importance of contributions of this kind to the comfort of the inmates. They have also to express their thanks and satisfaction at the efficient and praiseworthy manner in which the Medical Officers and staff of the Hospital have performed their duties. For the Committee, Louis Ziegler, Treasurer. The Secretary then read the statement of accounts, —[This appears on the next page.] The Secretary also read the Medical Officer's Report, as follows : Medical Officee's Report for the year commencing the Ist day of July, 1884, and ending the 30th June, 1885. Number of Patients in Hospital July 1, 1884, 7; number of patients admitted during the year, 53.—Total number treated as in-patients, 60. Results.—Patients discharged cured or relieved, 43 ; number of deaths during the year, 9 ; number of patients remaining under treatment, B.—Total 60. Occupation of In-Patients.—Miners 36, stone-mason 1, shoemaker 1, carpenter 1, laundress 1, painter 1, clerk 1, pianists 2, bushmen 2, domestics 6, schoolboys 6, schoolgirl 1. bookseller I.—Total, 60. Classification of Diseases.—Zymotic nil; accidents (external injuries), 28; other diseases, 32.—Total, 60. Causes of death. Peritonitis 1, haamoptysis 1, jaundice and anasarca L, cirrhosis of the liver 1, asthma l' parenchymatous nephitis 1, paralysis pneumonia 1, pycemia, I.—Total 9. Ont-Patients.—Number of different persons 'treated, 40. Number of attendances, 103. T. G. Day.-, Hospital Surgeon. August 18, 1885,

Mr Janion moved the adoption of the report and balance-sheet. He was glad to find that the financial position of the Hospital compared favourably with the previous year's statement. Mr John Caldwell seconded the motion, which was put and carried unanimously. The Chairman said the only other business was to. receive nominations for new committee-men for the ensuing term. Mr Janion desired, before proceeding with nominations for a new committee, to move a vote of thanks to the outgoing committee for their services during the past year. These gentlemen had had many difficulties to contend with ; but inasmuch as he thought they had acted to the best of their ability, and in accordance with their own conscientious opinions as to what they severally believed to be for the best interests of the institution, he thought they were entitled to the usual vote of thanks.—[Applause.] Mr L. J. Spyer seconded the motion, which was carried, with applause. The Chairman stated that the election of the new committee would now be proceeded with, and the Returning Officer would receive nominations up till 10 o'clock. The business of the annual meeting was thus concluded. By 10 p.m., the Returning Officer had received the names of eighteen gentlemen who had assented to act, if elected, on the new committee. Thennames are as follow :—Messrs William Morris, George Anderson, Henry Hope, John Wildridge, George Watson, John Wooldridge, Henry Burger, George Voysey, John 'Hannah, George Robert Rudkin, Patrick Caldwell, Richard Heffernan, Charles Stockman, Louis Ziegler, George Haymes, Charles Harris, James Metcalfe, and Charles Burgess.