S.C. HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2060, 17 June 1890, Page 2

S.C. HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

The monthly meeting of the board was held on Friday. Present—Messrs [ 4. Jackson (chairman), Moore, Quinn, j Backer, Barker, Sobs, and £r Hogg. Jn his statement the chairman said a widow named Uprichard was in the barrapka for hep third confinement singe the death of her husband. At present the board had ohildren at their cost as follows ;—Bearded out, 28— I at 4s, 2 at ss, 28 at 6s. At Burnham there were 28 at a coat of 7s 6d each per week. There were at Nelson at 7s each, and in the barracks 14s at 6s 6d. The total was 68 children. The number of rations given during May was 3500—t0 86 families, comprising 300 souls. In the barracks there were 8 adults. The cost of charitable aid for one mouth was less than the same months

last year, but there were indications that it would increase again. Local bodies were dilatory in sending in their contributions, and the effect was the board would that day be overdrawn £356, on which they wrvld have to pay 8 per cent, interest, ?rd, what was worse, the board could uet send up for subsidies on amounts not received. Letters were .read, from Mrs Postlethwaite and the Rev. Father Treacy respecting charitable aid cases at Geraldine and Arundel, and from the Christchurch Hospital Board respecting a patient who left the Timaru Hospital the same day.—The police report to be asked for in one of the above cases. The secretary reported that the Masons had paid the expenses of the funerals of Mrs Dodd and child. An elderly woman, who had been in receipt of 3s 6d per week, which had been discontinued, waited upon the board to ask for rations. As she has a well-to-do son-in-law in town the chairman undertook to see him. It was resolved to call for tenders for a year's ordinary supplies and for three years' supply of 3rug», the three town members to examine the tenders. The same members were appointed a finance committee; to examine accounts each month before the meeting. Dr Lawson made Bome remarks on the bad sanitary .arrangemento of the town. He had had a mother and three children in the hospital from filth fever. The mother was dead. The question of ventilation again came up. AV the previous .meeting the board refused to read a letter from Mr Duval, -architect, Timaru, and decided to calif«r tenders for the work in accordance'With plans and specifications prepared by Messrs Meason and Marchan^;- The tenders came before last Friday's*, .Bitting, of the board, and the xjiiestioa was whether they should be opened or that the matter shouidy be thrown open te all the architects of the town. story of; t&<j> dispute is interesting. After the new part-of the hospital had been built' it was > discovered that the

drainage and. ventilation were bad, and that the hot*w>ter arrangements would liot work. Mr' "Duval- \ put the hotwater arrangement right/ and also the Subsequently he, in conjunction with Mr West, architect, was asked to repert on the drainage Krid ventilation, and- they seat in a joint report; A. tradesman was sent to the hospital to do the work in accordance with this report, but wheD he got there he was not allowed to go on with the work. Mr Boss says that Di* Jjawson prevented the tradesman ,lf rOm_ doing the work because he 'wished it to be done by Messrs Meason and Marchant. Dr Lawson denied this, and Mr Marchant says Mr Rose haß a personal grudge against himself. At any rate, the work was not done in accordance with the joint report of Messrs West and Duval, and why it was nOtMone has never been made clear. There Sa a mystery here which has not been publicly explained, and out of it the trouble has arisen. Immediately ! after Messrs West and Duval's report -was laid aside Messrs Messrs Meason and Marchant were invited to report, and they did so. Mr Duval, after having/fead : their report, disagreed with them, and addressed a letter to the board peinting out that his own repdrt ; had not received fair play, and offering to;jJftt everything right for £SO. This came before the board at the May meeting; but the board decided not to read it; but to call for

tenders. 'Since '■'' then Mr Duval delivered a-public lecture in Timaru, to which be invited members of the beard, but not one of them was pre■enl^ln; T thls" lecture he exhibited charts of the drainage and ventilation Hospital, and showed on the authority ..of most eminent /professional men where it was wrong and how it-ought to be remedied: He .also offered to pay the expense of getting 1 Mr JEdwiu Cuthbert, Sanitary ; Engineer to the Christchurch Drainage Board,"tb~report oh the matter. The result ;pf';th'e lecture was that the .following';, petition, signed by 83 ..'limaru ratepayers, was laid before the rboard at Friday's meetibg:—" Seeing *that grave.doubt's exist in the public ~as lj to the efficiency of . the 'drainage and ventilation of the Timaru Hospital/We/the undersigned, most respectfully suggest that before I any further stepr lire taken in the j ~ matter a thoroughly competeat outside sanitary engineer should be appointed to examine and report upon the whole and would suggest the name •f "Mr Edwin Cuthbert, M.1.C.? sanitary engineer to the Christchurch Drainage Board, for that purpose."

The whole matter was again gone •into, Messrs Ross and Barker contending that the whole thing should .begin afresh, and Meißrs Quinn, Moore, and Dr Hogg were for opening the.tenders and going on with the ..work at once. The upshot of a long and acrimonious debate was that the tenders were opened, Messrs Quinn and Moore and Dr Hogg yoting for | T and Messrs Boss and Barker against ■opening them, the chairman, Mr v Jackson, refusing to vote on the that he was mixed up in ibnsiness: The tenders were: A. Bonn, £149 16s ;J. Graigie, £164 32s ; the ' ■ former being accepted. The estimate - ot Messrs Meason and Marchant was £l5O, and Mr Duval had offered to do ■ ; the work for £SO. Tfto meeting then terminated.