TARANAKI HOSPITAL DISTRICT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 279, 17 April 1913, Page 6

TARANAKI HOSPITAL DISTRICT.

CHAIRMAN'S ANNUAL REPORT. A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW. The chairman of the Taranaki Hospital and Charitable Aid Board submitted a lengthy report at the meeting yesterday, covering the operations of the Board during the year ending March 31. At the outset he referred to the projected new hospital and otlier matters, reported in another column, and then dealt with the OLD PEOPLE'S HOME.

"(Mrs. Bayly," he remarked, "is still in charge of the Home, and, as in the past, has discharged her duties in an eminently satisfactory manner. Dr. Home is the medical officer in charge, and spares neither time nor trouble in ( the efficient discharge of his duties. At the beginning of the year there were 34 inmates; during the year 35 were admitted, 14 left the institution, 17 died, and 38 remained at the end of the year. The individual average stay was 196 days, the daily average was 37, and the collective days were 13,513. As I anticipated, the larger area of land available has made it possible for the institution to be largely self-supporting. Farming operations are in full swing. The man in charge reports having supplied the hospital with 5801 gallons and the Home with 1834 gallons of milk, making a total of 7635 gallons, which at Is per gallon wild' have cost the Board £3Bl 15s. This quantity of milk was obtained from 11 cows, including one cow which was in milk for three months and which was then sold. Deducting the 441 gallons produced by this cow, the average works out at £33 15s Od per head for the year. Pigs were purchased for £3O 14s 6d and sold for £7B 5s 4d, showing a profit of over 100 per cent., as no food had to be purchased. The farm also supplied eggs and fowls to the Talue of £ls 9s 3d. It will be seen, therefore, that the profits from the farm produce not only provide interest on the cost of land and the cost of farming operations, but also leaves a good margin to go towards the maintenance of the Home. Mr. \V. Sadler is in charge of the farming operations, and is to be congratulated on the success he has achieved. The wisdom of the Board in acquiring this valuable property and removing the Home thereto is therefore apparent, and will be more and more appreciated in years to come. In order to remove any misapprehension, it is necessary to state that this institution provides a resting home for the aged from the Stratford, Hawera and Taranaki hospital districts. The receipts" frdrii' the Home amounted to £923 16s, made up as follows: \ . £ s. d. Old-age pensions 441 22 Paid by friends 175 14 9 Stratford and Hawera refunds 18114 11 Sale farm stock 125 4 2 Total £923 16 0 To this should be added the value of the milk and rother produce supplied to the Hospital (£397 4s 3d), making a grand total of £1321 Os 3d. The expenditure,.' including interest and all maintenance and office charges, amounted to £1835 "5s 6d, so that actually the cost of the Home to the ratepayers for the year only amounted to £514 5s 3d, and .included in .this. amount is capital expenditure amounting to over £ 150." -CHARITABLE AID. Touching on charitable aid, the report stated that. the. distribution was just about the same as .'for the previous ye&r. As regards -destitute children, there were six under the Board's care, as against five for last 1 The Board was also providing for the maintenance of one child in the Industrial School and one in the Blind, Institution. ' ■INFECTIOUS DISEASES. The Board's inspector (Mr. A. H. Kendall) had, noted the report, been kept very busy during the year. Sixtycases of infectious diseases were notified ! and in each case he had visited and disinfected the home of the patient, which had entailed a large amount of travelling" in different parts of the district. He had also exercised rigid inspection under the ''Sale of Food and Drugs Act." By consent of the Board he had also reiuiorcd valuable assistance to several local'bodies and private individuals ivho sdughf Iris:.advice in con " nection with sanitary matters. In Mr. Kendall'.the Board had a zealous and able officer.

TARANAKI BACKBLOCKS NURSE.

The secretary -of the Uruti district reported that Nurse Kelly, who relieved Nurse Kennedy in July lust, had given i-very satisfaction, and her work had been' much appreciated by the settlers. She had successfully treated nine or ten eases at Uruti which would otherwise have come .to- the.Hospital. There was no accommodatioa at Uruti at present, but at the last ..meeting of the Board the settlers,, represented.by-Mrs. Larsen and Mr. 014, Jianded. in a donation of £OS, and the Bqard decided to erect a cottage for. the .nurse containing a ward for patients «t an estimated cost of £2OO, including ,thfi. purchase, of land. Much of tlie. of ,t|iis experiment had depended : upon ithe very sympathetic attitude adopjted./by tlve members of the ■medibal profession,.. ;. NATIVE RACE. ■■ The Board,'would be pleased to note that'the native's were now taking an interest in the.lfealtlv of their, race, as evidenced by the',ljfrge r 'aii{r influential deputation which' waited on the Board at its last mee'tihg I .''.! 'The'question of hospital, ac.cdnimddatitfii for the native race had always beeir a serious question to the Board.' Previous efforts to get the natives to take'an, bitercst in the matter liad proved "abortive, but on this occasion the natives offered to provide a site and £3OO towards the erection of a cottajge hospital/to be erected either at Pungarehu or Opuiuike, or in that vicinity, such liospjtal'to.'be in charge of a trained native nurse. No decision had yet be arrived' at, .and he 1 trusted that their request would receive sympathetic consideration. *•" ' , 1 FINANCE. As' would be seen from the statement of receipts and expenditure, the Board had 'a debit, bahynje at the bank on Ala roil 31„. if 112,, |(|f .£-1811) Bs. 10(1, but allowing foil'subsidy .owing by the Government ( ,Cl2Bi),ys 4d).would leave an actual indebtedness of £">2o IDs Od. To this iamount, however, must be added liabilities which had been incurred by the Board amounting to £I3OO. They therefore started with a debit balance of £llB2O 10s od. The receipts for the year 'amounted to COO.'JS: of this amount £'20(10 was received from patients, the average amount collected per patient being £4, as against £4 2* for the previous year—a decrease of 2s—which was accounted for by the increase of patients, as the larger number treated generally decreased the average as far as fees were'eiiiiccntcd. The donal ion': for the year amounted to C2(>o. as against £47fl last vciir. ' I

Tin!' rxiii'mlituvc for llic year liad lici'ii i.'Slil'::. (lie !i<i-,|ii(al CI 17-1, i-liarita'lilc aid 'jillS. ami farm .IM.'ll: as ajrfinst last year, liospifdl Ciio4:j. lioniL- ■Clini4./iTli(iTit;ible aid LMII7. vi- a total of £MtU. These /j

U7-C9 showed a decrease, but they should do so, owing to the heavy expenditure of the previous year. At March 31, 1913, the Mount's debit balance at the bank j was £785 4s 2d, outstanding accounts £■2012 13s Id, thus showing liabilities amounting to £2857 17s 3d. Against j this was cash received to date, and contributions and subsidy, totalling £1213! Os od. thus leaving a debit balance of j £1044 7s lOd. ' ESTIMATES FOR COMING YEAR. The receipts for the ensuing year were estimated on a Is rate in the £IOO to produce £10,020, and the expenditure £11,100; this would leave a debit balance at the end of the year of £IOBO, but the chairman hoped by careful management to increase the receipts and reduce the expenditure, thereby making the proposed levy sufficient. He regretted that it was necessary to increase the levy, but they were all aware of the law regarding the Board's overdraft ion March 31 next, and if there should be a deficiency that the members were personally liable. The Is levy only meant 2s 5d per head of the population of the hospital district, and this levy was not sufficient to pay salaries to the fifty employees, amounting to £3200, thus leaving the upkeep of both institutions and charitable aid to subsidy and re-funds. No one could estimate the expenditure on the Hospital Board, as it was impossible to predict what urgent work might he required during the year; therefore, he hoped that the members of the Board would, after careful consideration, agree to the proposed levy of Is. As showing the efficient system of bookkeeping adopted by the treasurer, and the manner in which he had kept the accounts up to date, the balance-sheet for the year ending March 31, 1913, was now being audited by the Department's I audit inspector.