HOSPITAL BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 19, 16 February 1909, Page 4

HOSPITAL BOARD.

The Taranaki Hospital and Charitable Aid, Board held its usual monthly meeting yesterday. There were present: Messrs. V. C. Bellringer (chairman), G. W. Browne, Jlarvey, C. Adrews, J. B, il'ili, -J. Brown, C. O'lMillivan, and D. 11. McDonald.

J'ATIKXTS' KBIiS. A letter Hum the llawera Hospital Boa.rit iiotilied its intention of taking into consideration tlie advisability of materially reducing the present charges upon patients, as the Board found! the charges agreed upon at the late conference pressed 1 unduly hard upon the class of people that the institution was supposed to benelit. The chairman said lie hail arranged a conference of tlie Stratford, llawera iimt New Plymouth Boh ids at Stratford on the 2(itli in.-!, to discuss tile position, and that the ilawera Board was deferring action pending the decision of the conference. It was quite probable that Dr. Valintine, Inspector-General of Hospitals, would attend. Jlr. McDonald expressed surprise at the sudden change in the ilawera Board's, opinion. The proposal to reduce the charges to 25s a week was absurd; Mr. O'Sullivan asked it the Board could carrv ou .with such a taiilf.

The chairman: Not without raising j the rate. Mr. O'Sullivan said 1 he had heard no complaint against the prose,]t charges. Tue chairman said t'hat the Hoard wad now collecting from patients who could par just about the actual cost or maintenance. If they couldn't pay, tlu-n the higher rate was no hardship. Mr. Andrews said that in his district people seemed not to object to the increased tarill' so long as the hospital rate was not raised. It was hard on the settlers to have a big rate to pay and a high tarill" when they were sick. Jn fa'et, they would lik<» to sou the rate lowered). The chairman said the Jioard could not carry on with n smaller rate. The rateable area had "been decreased by the formation of the Stratford district, but the number of patients had increased, as well as the stall".

Air. J. Brown moved that the chairman and secretary attend tlie coafcreusc, and that they be instructed not to agree to any reduction in the tarill. The charge of lis a day was barelj' sufficient to pay the actual cost of maintenance, and he could, not see the pohit of fixing the charge any lower than that. Mr. Andrews remarked that the man who could pay should certainly recoup the Board for its expenditure upon him. The man who could uot or would not pay would not be iill'ected at all even if the charge were .uiadv , C 5 a week. The motion was carried. MEDICAL IiEPORT.

The Medical Superintendent reported that during the month there had been admitted to the hospital 1)2 patients, discharged 21), died none; and there reuiained in the hospital ;l(i. There had been seventeen operations. OLD PEOPLE'S HOME. Mrs. Farrar, matron at the Ilotne, reported that during the mouth two men had been admitted to the Home, one from' Inglewood and one from Stratford. Discipline anil general health had been good. There now remained in tlie Home 2ti males and four females. THE XKW VALUATIONS. The secretary said that he had prgcuvwl the following particulars of the valuations upon which the next year's rate would: have to be levied, last year's figures bsing given in parentheses:— New .Plymouth borough, £1,000,547 ( CI,083,0!)!)); Inglewood borough, £134,322 ( C13t),031); Waitara. £133,037 tl3l),ti(il); Oli fl oil comity, £088,057 ( £080,540); Taranaki county, ,£2,031,028 ( £l, Fitzroy town district, £llli.!)0!) ( £115,840); Egmont county (part) £450,43.) ( C 459.435). THE RATE. The chairman gave notice to move at next meeting that a rate of ninepence in £IOO of the capital value be struck for tlie ensuing year. GENERAL. Accounts were passed for payment:— j Hospital. £847 0s oil; charitable aid, el2l 10s 6d. The Treasury forwarded subsidy amounting to £247 17s 5(1. The next meeting of tlie Board will be held on March 22ud, instead of the 15th.