Hospital Board.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 113, 17 May 1904, Page 2

Hospital Board.

The Taranaki Hospital and Charitable Aid liourd met on Monday Present : Messrs R. Cock (chairman), McDonald, Pigott, Andrews, Brown Liardet, Gray, Cliff, Mackay, and Hine. The matter of selecting a wardsman was left to tho house surgeons and hou.se committee. The Treasury forwarded subsidy of £436 os 10d. The various local contributing bodies forwarded their usual monthly contributions. The circumstances of a Midhirst applicant for reduction of fees will be inquired into Uy Messrs Liardet and I Monkhouse. ! Misses A. McDonald (Ing*lewood) and H. V. Hooker (New Plymouth) applied to have their names put on the probationers' list. The application was granted. Mr Haworth, of Inglewood, wrote asking that the board assist in sendI ing Mr Chinn, late Inglewood librarian, to Rotorua.—The secretary reported that there was no spare bed at tiie Rotorua Sanatorium, 1 he Hamilton Hospial Board wrote declining to subsidise a resident medical man in the North Taranaki district.

The Chairman reported having had several sanitation matters attended to at the Old People's Home. He hod also instructed the gardener to attend to the improvement in the drainage. At present the 'arrangement was not satisfactory. Dr. Loathum reported that during the month there had been 39 admissions to the hospital, 32 had been discharged, there wore two deaths, and 39 remained in the institution. Mr Farrur, custodian of the Old People's Home, reported that there had been only one admission, a male, during the month. One female had left the home, leaving on Moy 16 thirty-five inmates, being thirty-four males and one female. The general health and discipline had been good. Dr. Leatham applied for an increase of salary.

; Mr Gray mentioned that the hospital was daily losing patients, owing to the Hawera separation, and the fact that so many private hospitals were being set up for the richer portion of the community. There | was also tho proposed Stratford separation. Consideration of the application was deferred until members could meet Dr. Leatham at the hospital during the afternoon. The Chairman reported on the question of tho annexe for the treatment of consumptives at the hospital. Mr McDonald moved thut the board considered tho erection of such an annexe was necessary, and that the hoard favoured its erection on a site to be provided in the hospital ground by the board. Mr Mackay said he would support the erection of the annexe if the cost of the building were paid by public subscription. It was desirablo, but, in his opinion, not absolutely necessary, as in that case the Government would have the consumptive institutions erected in tho severul centres.

Mr McDonald agreed to substitute "desirable" for "necessary" in his motion.

Mr Pigott asked if it were intended to treat outside patients. The chairman said the idea was to accommodate patients from the Taranaki district only, but seeing that the hospital received Hawera cases, he supposed Hawera consumptives would have to be treated also. Mr Gray said he favoured the erection ot the annexe to a certain extent. He believed that the medical gentlemen wanted the institution for scientific research, The board must guard against an influx of "undesirables ' in tho shape of consumptive patients from other parts of the colony and from foreign countries. The motion was carried.

Messrs Ainsworth and Gilbert, representing the Taranaki Friendly Societies' Association, waited on the board, asking for a reduction in fees charged for treatment of subscribers to the Association, on the ground that the payments were now made promptly by the association, whereas prior to. the amalgamation of these societies the board would have been compelled to wait for the money owing to the circumstances of the patients. The Auckland Hospital Hoard had' recognised that Friendly Societies were their best "marks," their ordinary charges being four shillings per day, members of friendly societies two shillings per clay. Of the ordinary fees the average receipts were opp shillijig per day, whilst the friendly societies paid up in full, It was thought to be impossible for the association to camon without reduced hospital fees.— Consideration was deferred.

Outdoor relief was granted on Mr Liardet's application to a Stratford man who had lost his arm in a. railway accident. The amount granted was 7s (id per week.

Accounts amounting to 2s fid for hospital, and £144 Os fid for charitable aid, were passed, and the board adjourned till 2 p.m. The board met at 2 p.m. at the hospital, and it was decided to defer the question of increasing the house surgeon's salary, and also regarding the Friendly Societies' application for a month. Tho board rose.