South Taranaki News

Taranaki Daily News, 16 November 1926, Page 2

South Taranaki News

(From Our Own Reporter.)

Telephone No. 596.

CARE OF THE SICK ACTIVITIES AT THE HOSPITAL. HAWERA BOARD MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Hawera Hospital Board was held yesterday. Present: Messrs. A. L. Campbell (chairman), E. A. Washer, A. T. Wills, E. J. Gifford, J. S. McKay, J. J. Meldon, G. XV. Tayler and A. G. Lareom. The medical superintendent (Dr. W. M. Thomson) reported that there were 53 patients in hospital on September 30 and 59 were admitted during October. During the month 69 patients had been discharged, there had been 5 deaths, and 38 patients remained in hospital on October 31. The daily average of occupied beds was 40, and the total number of patient days was 1227. The daily average for the seven months of this year was 51, as compared with 44 for the same period of last year. There had been 21 operations and 31 anaesthetics administered. In the X-ray department there had been 30 cases, of which 22 were hospital cases and 8 private cases. Twelve patients were receiving massage treatment on September 30. and there were 10 new patients during the month. Fourteen patients had been discharged, and 8 were still receiving treatment. During October 215 treatments had been given, the average per day being 8.2. Six patients had been in hospital for eight weeks or more. The matron (Miss E. M. Nutsey) reported that Nurse L. Hoddinott had passed her final hospital examination. Sister Glynes commenced duty on November 3 as "home sister.” Misses Mabel Lash and Evaline Cross commenced dutyon three months’ probation on' October 30. Nurse Ethel Allan left hospital on October 31. During the month 15 lectures had been delivered, and most of the lectures for this term had been delivered. The next term did not commence until the end of January. 1927. Sister Nelson and Nurses Stuart and Whisker were on annual leave. REPORTS OF DEPARTMENTS. The matron of the Old People s Home (Mrs. M. Laing) reported that 13 men were in the home during October. Donations had been received from the following: St. Mary s, cakes; Hawera Main School and children’s hall, cakes; Mr. J. Dowdle, sweets; Messrs. Elliott and Sturrock, fruit; Mr. Travis, weekly papers. The farm manager (Mr. W. J. Webber) reported that 413 gallons of milk and 6 gallons 3 pints of cream had been supplied to the hospital, and 54 s gallons of milk had been supplied to the Old People’s Home during October. Bacon to the value of £4 6s 8d had been supplied to the hospital, and to the value of £3 15s Hid to the- Old People’s Home. One cow had been sold for £9 and one weaner pig for 255. Tiie charitable aid officer (Mrs. C. Twaddle) reported that 12 visits had been paid to persons receiving charitable aid and 10 visits had been paid elsewhere in this connection during the month. The reports were received. With reference to the taxi charges for running to the new hospital, the secretary said he had approached several of the taxi-drivers, but no arrangements had been made. The rate for trips to the present hospital was 3s 9d, but the secretary pointed out that the taxidrivers usually charged 2s 6d, or at the most 3s. On the recommendation of the board’s architects (Messrs. Dufiill and Gibson) the following payments for contracts at the new hospital were authorised: Trevor Bros., steam-heated carving table, £55; Smart Bros., one set of steam vegetable cookers, £119; Smart Bros., heating and engineering contract (certificate of progress payment), £5OO. ELECTRIC SEWAGE SYSTEM. The borough engineer (Mr. John Sturrock) submitted a report on the working of the automatic electric sewage system at the new hospital as follows: "I have now had the adjusting and testing of the underground automatic electric sewage pump well completed, and the pumping outfit has had some runs and does the duty easily. The work is now completed, with the exception of a cut-out switch, which the Electric Light Company has still to supply and fit at a cost of somewhere in the vicinity of £B. The purpose of this switch is to automatically eut out the current should it by chance get on to wrong phase and thereby save the motor from being burnt out. We found it advisable to fit these to all our borough pumps.” In regard to the management of the i pump outfit, Mr. Sturrock said: It might I be worth while to get the borough, if | the council agreed, to have a daily look at the pump. The matter was referred to the finance and equipment committee for consideration. Dr. Valentine, Director-General of Health, wrote in connection with the question of an honorary medical staff, i and the board decided to invite Dr. Valentine to attend the special meeting of the board and discuss the matter. The secretary of the New Zealand Hospital Boards’ Association advised of the next hospital boards’ conference at Christchurch on March 2 and 3, 1927. Hospital boards were invited to forward at the earliest possible date remits regarding any particular matter which was desired to be brought before the conference.—The board agreed to the date mentioned. The board decided, at its meeting yesterday, to insure the new hospital as follows, with the amounts allowed by the company in parentheses: Nurses’ home, £15,000 (£20,000); main hospital buildings £30,000 (£50,000); morgue and garage. £lOOO (£1000); laundry buildings. £6OOO (£6000). Total insurance £52.000 (£86,000). 0 NEW HOSPITAL SUPERINTENDENT. DR. FRASER, OF PALMERSTON. The Hawera Hospital Board received 12 applications for the position of medical superintendent at the new hospital, and after due consideration Dr. J. L. Fraser, of Palmerston North, was unanimously appointed to the position, subject to the approval of the Health Department. Dr. Frazer is 53 years of age and is u man of wide experience. His profes-

P.O. Box 133.

sional and other qualifications are: 8.A., M. 8., 8.5., and M.D. (Durham University, England); Lieutenant-Colonel in the New Zeaelan-d Medical Corps and a Justice of the Peace. At the Royal Infirmary, New;castle-on-Tyne, Dr. Frazer was successively assistant to the anaesthetist, to the i throat and ear department, the eye department, had charge of the accident room and was a house surgeon. At the West Cumberland Infirmary he was resident medical officer in charge. Dr. Frazer had war service with the Royal Navy in China during the Boxer Rebellion, with the army in South Africa, and witji the New Zealand Stationary Hospital in Egypt, Salonika and France, and has since 1911 been medical superintendent of hospitals in New Zealand. He has had extensive experience of hospital organisation and administration. In Waihi, Whangarei and the Bay of Islands there were no honorary staffs and Dr. Frazer personally performed all the surgical, as well as the X-ray work, and in the New Zealand Stationary Hospital he was radiologist as well as administrative officer. The doctor’s experience of country practice made him interested in the lot of women and children, and from 19191925 he taught midwifery for the State training, having taken special courses in midwifery and diseases of women at the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, in Edinburgh and Newcastle. “I liked your hospital and think it should be a pleasure to organise it,” stated the doctor in his application. The board decided to hold a special meeting on November 22 to meet Dr. Frazer and go thoroughly into the position of his appointment. HAWERA RESIDENT ABROAD. METHODS IN OTHER LANDS. An interesting letter, dated Glasgow, July 12, from Mr. Francis Gillanders, of Hawera, who has been touring abroad during the last six months, was read at the meeting of the Hawera Hospital Board yesterday. After giving some advice in regard to laundry machinery for the new hospital Mr. Gillanders continues: “I may say that I saw a number of laundries in America, but the bulk of them were very much larger than anything we would require. The Americans are great on labour-saving machines and, in many instances, it is wonderful how smartly the work can be turned out. “I was shown o’/er the kitchen and laundry of the Pennsylvania Hotel, New York, which is the largest hotel in New York, if not in the world. The hotel has 2200 bedrooms and it is claimed that each bedroom has a bathroom attached. You will therefore understand that the laundry work in connection with this hotel must be something enormous. The laundry employs close on 300 hands, notwithstanding every contrivance is used to lessen labour. “During our short stay in America I was shown over several hospitals. In my opinion easily the best was Henry Ford’s at Detroit. It would be hardly fair, however, to compare this hospital with what we call a public hospital. Ford’s Hospital is mainly on the principle of one ward one patient, and most wards have a bathroom and lavatory attached, while the whole building is exceptionally well fitted up. “Next to Ford’s I would consider the Montreal Hospital (Canada) the beet I saw. We were demurring about putting tiles in our operating theatre, but in this hospital the floor, walls and pillars are of solid marble and it is most elaborately fitted up throughout. One feature worthy of special mention is the lighting of the operating theatre, which is equipped with electric light and the lamp makes no shadows and gives out no heat. The idea is a French one. and is said to be the latest. “So far we have had a very pleasant time and we are both feeling first-rate. We have been moving about so much that I have had no time to write letters. We were three weeks in London, but were on the move the whole time. We had the good luck to see the Royal Agricultural Show at Reading last week and this is the largest show in Great Britain, if not in the world. "The coal strike has upset things in this country very much and manufacturing firms say they have plenty of orders but cannot rely on getting coal supplies to complete the orders. The train service is cut down considerably, which is very much against the holiday- time of the year. The weather here it cold for the time of the year, but the crops are looking well, although late. "When talking about hospitals,” continued Mr. Gillanders, “I neglected to mention that I have not seen one single hospital which was using coal for cooking. They are using mainly gas, a few oil and a few electricity.” HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS. SUCCESSFUL GIRLS’ MEETING. The completed results of the girls’ sports, held by the Hawera Technical High School, are as follow: Senior 100 yards Championship.—First heat: V. Death 1, B. Entwistle 2, J. Wytkin 3. Time. 15sec. Second heat: E. Wards 1. V. Shield 2. A. Conway 3. Time, 13 4-ssec. Final: E. Wards 1, V. Death 2. V. Shield 3. ’Time, 14sec. Junior 100 Y'ards Handicap.—Final: P. Death (2yds) 1, M. Gower (4yds) 2, A. Harding (syds) 3. Senior 100 Yards Handicap.—Final: J. Henson (3yds) 1, K. Petersen (scr) 2, D. Bell (syds) 3. Blindfolded Race. —First Heat: J. McNeill and E. Tait 1, M. Harley and C. Quinn 2, O. Harding and R. Sanson 3. Second heat: B. Peterson and E. Wards I, C. Milne and K. Tong 2. G. Y'oung and E. Tulloek 3. Third heat: B. Entwistle and E. Rudge I. M. Murray and V. Shield 2. J. Allen and M. Gower 3. Final: C. Quinn and M. Harley and E. Tong and C. Milne tied for first place. 11. Sanson and O. Harding 3. 100 Yards Senior Championship.— Final: E. Rudge 1. E. Tait 2. T. Goord 3. Time, 14 2-ssee. Potato Race.—-First heat: R. Sanson 1, G. Y’oung 2. M. Smith 3. Second heat: R. Jones 1. I. Muir 2, V. Healey 3. Final: R. Sanson 1, G. Young 2,' Ft. Jones 3. 220 Yards, Junior Championship.— First heat: I. Beamish and J. McNeill

tied for first place. Time 37 4-ssee. Second heat: E. Rudge 1, T. Goord 2, M. Murray 3. Final: E. Rudge 1, T. Goord 2, M. Murray 3. Time, 38 2-ssee. 220 Yards Senior Championship.—First heat: E. Wards 1, V. Death 2, K. Cosgrove 3. Time 34 3-ssce. Second heat: E. Entwistle 1, V. Shield 2. Time 34 3-ssee. Final: E. Wards 1, V. Death 2. V. Shield 3. Time, 33 2-ssec. 220 Yards Junior Handicap.—M. Gower (7yds) 1, T. Goord (scr) 2. 220 Yards Senior Handicap.—J. Henson (syds) 1. J. Catchpole (scr) 2, D. Bell (10yds) 3. 75 Yards Primary School Championship.—Patricia Ekdahl (Tawhiti School) 1, Una Smeaton (Mokoia School) 2, Irene French (Hawerlt School) 3. Time 10 3-ssec. Relay Race.—Fourth form, commercial (I. Beamish, G. Young, E. Tulloek, A Peterson) 1, home science (H. Franklyn, E. Preece, E. Wards. K. Tong) 2, fourth form literary (J. McNeill, E. Rudge, N. Sutherland, B. Entwistle) 3. Slow Cycle Race, 50 Y'ards (open).— K. Cosgrove 1. G. Young 2, E. Tait 3. Pet Race.—E. Rudge and B. Entwistle tied for first place, 1. Harding 3. 120 Yards Junior Hurdles Handicap.— First heat: I. Beamish (scr) 1, A. Harding (2yds) 2. Second heat: E. Tulloch (2yds) 1, B. Peterson (scr) 2, T. Goord (ter) 3. Final: E. Tulloch (2yds) 1, I Beamish (scr) 2, A. Harding (2vds) 3. 120 Yards Hurdles ChampionshipFirst Heat: J. Wytkin 1, V. Death 2, A. Harding 2yds 3. 120 Yards Hurdles Championship.— First heat: J. Wytkin 1, W’ Death 2, K. Cosgrove 3. Time 23 3-ssee. Second heat: E. Wards 1, C. Milne 2. Time 25sec. Third heat: V. Shield 1, A. Conway 2, B. Entwistle 3. Time 24 2-ssee. Final: E. Wards 1, V. Death 2, J. YVytkin 3. Time 22see. 120 Y’ards Junior Hurdles Championship.—First heat: I. Beamish 1, J. McNeill 2. E. Tait 3. Time 27sec. Second heat: T. Goord 1. Time 28sec. Third heat: J. Allen 1. Time 25sec. Fourthheat: F. Wytkin 1. E. Rudge 2. Time 25sec. Final: J. Allen 1, F. Wytkin 2, 1. Beamish 3. Time 24sec. 120 Y’ards Senior Hurdles Handicap.— First heat: M. Evans (scr) 1, R. Sanson (lyd) 2, J. Catchpole (Iyd) 3. Second heat: V. Shield (2yds) 1, J. Henson (lyd) 2. Sack Race. —F. Wytkin 1, T. Wytkin 2, E. Tulloek 3. Half-mile Cycle Race (open).—K. Petersen (scr) 1, O. Beale (40yds) 2, J. Allen (20yds) 3. Tiipe 2min Isec. 440 Y'ards Walking Race.—E. Tulloek 1, J. Harley 1, T. Wytkin 3. OPENING OF NEW HOSPITAL. The question of deciding on the dale for the opening of the new hospital was raised at yesterday's meeting of tlie Hawera Hospital Board. The chairman said the opening would take place some time in January, probably about the middle of the month. He pointed out that December would not be a suitable month to open the hospital. In answer to a question the chairman said the hospital would be completed oy the end of the present month. Mr. YVasher said that by holding the opening during January an opportunity would be given Mr. Francis Gillanders to be present at the function, since he understood Mr. Gillanders was returning to New Zealand and had passed through Marseilles recently. The chairman said that invitations W’ould be extended to members of the Ministry, including the Minister of Health. Final arrangements were left over for consideration at a special meeting of the board. DONATIONS TO THE HOSPITAL. The question of placing the names of all donors of gifts to- the hospital on a [date at the new hospital was again discussed at the board meeting- yesterday, when the secretary read out 48 names of donors of various sums of money. The first recorded donation was in May, 1903. In 1906 and 1909 donations from the citizens of Opunake were recorded. Mr. E. J. Gifford pointed out that the Hawera County took in Opunake at that time. The chairman pointed out, that the resolution passed at a previous meeting of the board provided for the placing of the names of donors of £lOO and moreon the jilate. "I think the lot should be placed on record, or none,” said Mr. E. A. YVasher. Mr. Duffill (the board’s architect) suggested placing a desk in the entrance hall of the hospital with a book in which the names of all donors to the hospital could be recorded. The architect was asked, to go into tiie matter and bring doyn a report at the next board meeting. MALE CHOIR’S CONCERT. A splendid opportunity of hearing selections by the Hawera and Wanganui Male Choirs will be offered at the Opera House, Ha wera. to-night, on the occasion of the Male Choir's thirty-seventh concert. The first portion of the programme will be given by the Hawera choir, comprising 40 voices, and they will render such first-class items as “Glory to the Caliph” (from Oberon). “I Loved a Lass” (Geo. Dyson). The Hawera school orchestra, of 28 instruments, under Mr. H. C. A. Fox. will also render several items during the first part of the programme. The. choir have been fortunate in securing! such eminent YVanganui singers as Miss Doris Symes (contralto) and Mr, W. Francis (tenor). The second portion of the programme will be given by the Wanganui Male Choir, of over 50 voices, and the combined choirs will render the “Soldiers’ Chorus” (Gounod). After the concert the Wanganui choir will be entertained by the Hawera Society at supper at the Savoy. An invitation has been extended to the New Plymouth Male Choir to attend the concert and it is anticipated that a. party will make the trip. GENERAL ITEMS. The matron of the Public Hospital wishes to acknowledge with thanks the following gifts:—Loyal Temperance Legion, eggs; W.C.T.U. (Normanby), jam, eggs, cakes and books; Mrs. W. Sutton, Free Lances; Mr. J. Sinclair, magazines. PERSONAL ITEMS. ■Mr. W. A. Buxton, of Christdiurch, arrives in Hawera to-day to commence the laying out of the grounds at the new hospital.