TARANAKI HOSPITAL BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 November 1919, Page 6

TARANAKI HOSPITAL BOARD.

HONTHLY MEETING. ffl* monthly meeting of the Taranakl Hosfttaf and Charitable Aid Board was held yesterday, there Ming present Messrs. M. Truer (chairman), J. Andrews, P. J. Hill, C. Andrews, A. H. Halcombe, S. Campbell, J. . Young, G. Capper, and G. Young. An apology was received from Mr. GUmour, who hoped to attend the meeting later In the day. MEDICAL SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT. The medical superintendent (Dr. E. A. Waliix) reported a busy month In all departments. The number of operations was the highest' for any month for the current year. Further cases of diphtheria and scarlet fever had been admitted to the hospital, two departments of the isolation block being continuously open. The number of admissions was 86 and discharges 87; eight patients died, and there were 93 remaining In the hospital. The highest number for any one day was 103, the average being 97.3 per day. Sixty operations were performed. MATRON'S REPORT. The matron (Miss B, A. Campbell) made the following report on the nursing staff: Off duty on holiday leave. Nurse Hosting (October 30); on tick leave. Nurses Paget. Smith. Winfield, Moore and Merron. Returned to duty. Nurse Mitchell, Lansley, Smith and Moore. Nurse Ennto has completed her probation and been placed on the permanent staff. Most of rTie purses who had bees on sick leave had had Influenza. HOUSE STEWARD'S REPORT. The dispenser and house steward (Mr. C. ■ t. B. Perrin) reported on various matters In connection with the hospital. He suggested that when the alterations were being made to the laundry provision should be made for storing a larger quantity of coal than there was room for at present. BANGIATEA HOME. ' The matron (Mrs A, Bayly) reported everything at the Borne satisfactory. One inmate - had left, and there remained in the Institu- . turn 34 men anfl seven women. INSPECTOR'S REPORT. The health, inspector (Mr. A. H. Kendall) - reported 24 cases of Infectious diseases from the following districts: Taranakl County, one e! scarlet, fever, seven diphtheria, one Inftunza, and two of pneumonia; New Plymouth, four cases of scarlet fever, three of diphtheria, and three of influenza: Egmont "County, one case of pneumonia* Clifton Couti j ty, two cases of pneumonia. There appeared to hare been .* mild mldemfc of colds in the district, but otherwise the public health was - fairly satisfactory. JARM REPORTS. The. farm manager (Mr. W. C. Noble) reported the dairy herd had produced 25,549 lbs. of milk. He bad also sent 211 dozen fresh eggs to the Hospital. Two young cows and six fat pigs reared on the farm, had h:ea disposed of at, satisfactory prices. Mr. J. Andrews (chairman of the farm > committee) reported on his visit to the farms and found the manager getting In crops for the winter feed. Matters were jtolng along as satisfactorily .is possible considering the manager was short handed, the place of one of the men who had left not having been filled. He recommended the Board should take into consideration the matter of metalling the road from Eliot road to the cow yard and - also the yard itself. COOKING ANP HEATING, The committee of the Board which visited Christchurch to go intc the question of cooking and beating arrangements as carried out I «£ the hospital there. After expressing ap- ■'" preclatlon for .the manner In which those con- ■ cerned had facilitated their investigations the report submitted to the Board stated:— In coming to/a decision we have to consider whether the proposed alterations are going to result in a material sr.vlng on our present cost During the pas; year our total cost for fuel was £1024. electric current £297 0s 2d, water £175; making a total of £1496. The total number of units used last year was 14,397 (which;works nut at a fraction uncer 3d per ■ ralt> and 4.492,000 gallons of water (at an average of 9%d per 1000 gallons). Witt regard to the electricity we do not consider that our consumption is large enough to warrant us installing the necessary generating plant. In connection with proposed alterations, Mr. Brooking, of Anderson's. Ltd., estimated that the boiler they proposed to instal would consume from a quarter to half a ton of coal a day. Taking the latter figure as a basis. the consumption would be 182% tons, and working this out jat a cost of £* 10s per ton, gives a total of £456. We could, therefore, safely assume that it would not be more than £SOO, agahut our present cost of £1024, showing a saving of £s24'per year. The total cost of the Improvements would • be £1663, after allowing for plant already ordered for laundry and nurses' home, which would not now be required We therefore recommend that application be made to the Health Department for the necessary authority to make the alterations according to the es> Umaes and schedule made by Messrs. Anderson, Ltd. In connection with the capital required we recommend that a special levy he made on contributing bodies. The Department's contribution would be £B3l 10s, leaving a similar amount to be provided by the local bodies.. This would work out at about 2%d in the" !£loo. The chairman said In view of the result of ' the committee's investigations, they felt they could make no other recommendation than that of the report. There was only the question as to whether the Board could save more by means of, generating their own electricty, but from a confidential report obtained he now felt satisfied that that was out of (he question The report of the comralfee was then adopted, and referred ,to the Finance Committee to arrange a scheme for financing the undertaking. The members of the committee were accorded a very cordial vote of thanks for their services, and It was also decided to send a .letter to those In Christchurch who had done so much to facilitate their inquiries in these. ; ' TREATMENT OP SOLDIERS. The chairman stated that during the time the Board's representatives were in Wellington, they had gone into the matter of the reimbursing of the Board in respect to the eira charge for maintaining soldier inpatients with the Defence Department. They had advised that a further letter should be sent in on the matter, and that had been done, and now a reply had been received to the effect that the Department was sending an officer to New Plymouth to investigate the matter. What the Board wanted was the £607 already paid, and that the Department should lav future pay the full cost of ' maintaining soldrer in-patients at the hospital. EPIDEMIC ECHO. Mr Fraser also stated that representations had been made to the Department in Wellington on the matter of the £217 still owing to Messrs. Boon Bros on account of Maori funerals. The department was sending a man ■ to New Plymouth to confer with the undertakers, and he believed good results were likely te result. APPOINTMENT OF HOUSE SURGEONS Dr. S. H. Makgill (acting-Inspector General) wrote In regard to filling vacancies in the positions of house surgeons. It was pointed out that In 191" the Department established , payment to students approved by the Minister in the final year of their training, of medical bursaries, or Dominion medical scholarships. One of the conditions Imposed on scholarship holders is that they shall serve as a house , surgeon or assistant house surgeon in any hospital to which he may be appointed for a period of two years at a salary of not less than £l5O for the first year and £209 for the second yes>r, toge'her with board and residence. Such scheme placed upon the Minister the obligation of finding house surgencies for scholarship holders after consultation with the Outhorltles of the Otagn Medical School, It had b*en decided that . all applications for house' surgeons by Hospital Boards or medical superintendents, should be submitted to be dealt with by 'the Department The Department asked for particulars of the local Board's requirements as to junior medical officers after February next, that being the date when the new graduates become available for service The chairman pointed out that the Board's i Arrangements were completed to the end of the year, and it would be time enough to consider the matter rferred to In the letter then, when changes were likely to take place. GENERAL. In response to a request from the North Canterbury Hospital and Charitable Aid Board that the Governor be asked to make venereal diseases notifiable, as the best means of coping with the existing evil. It was decided to reply th»t a similar resolution from another Board bad already been endorsed. The secretary reported having attended and given . evidence beforg the commission at Jtanaia regarding the petition of ratepayers that a portion of the Oeo Rld'ng of the Egn\wit County should be transferred to Waimate vjfW County. The report of the commission ted not yet been received. - Jlls«-?« Lillian R Hutchlns (Bell Block), Boris 1 Davles (Fitzroy), and Lilian M O'Connor iXew Plymouth) applied for admission. . itml were placed on the list of probationer nti'ses. f!»»'ond Le Page resigned from the Board's em-vnyinent .->s painter In order to go Into ln'«"tifs-i on his own account, '/"founts and payments amounting to £2133 4» ed were pawed for saymtat. *