S.C. CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2293, 15 December 1891, Page 3

S.C. CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

The monthly meeting of the South Canterbury Hospital and Charitable Aid Board was held at the hospital on Thursday. ‘ Present—Messrs J. Jackson (chairman), J. M. Barker, W. M. Moore, A. Sherrat, and J. Talbot. Mr Sherrat handed in an opinion by Messrs Perry, Perry and Kinneruey, which was read. Counsel were of opinion that Mr Sherrat’s election was perfectly valid. The election being held two days before the fixed date was an irregularity which was by itself would not vitiate the election, inasmuch as it did not affect the result of the election.

chairman’s statement

The chairman stated that the contributing bodies had paid the levies upon them except four, and these Would probably pay, and then the application for the Government subsidy would be made, before next meeting. The accounts were now £260 in credit, but that day’s payments would overdraw them by £43. The painting contract and repairs had been satisfactorily completed, and the curtains authorised were ready for hanging and would be put up at once. The telephone connection at night required attention. The Inspector of Hospitals had visited the hospital without notice and also the barracks. There were no complaints at the hospital but there were some complaints at the barracks, and the Inspector recommended that the nine children now there should be boarded out. The chairman and Messrs Sherratt, Moore, and Gillingham were appointed a finance committee, and also a visiting committee.

HOSPITAL BUSINESS. A Claremont farmer whose two children have been in the hospital for treatment for tyophoid and have run up a bill for £l7 odd, sent in a cheque for £lO and asked for a reduction. He thought the charge of 4s 9d per day was high for children of 3§ and 1\ years. —It was stated that the applicant’s wife is now in the hospital, and her account will probably be £lB before she leaves.—lt was decided to make no fixed reduction (as it would form a precedent), but to allow the chairman to make any reasonable concession on the whole account. A chemist’s bill for medicines supplied to tjie orders oi members of the medical

staff, “on charitable aid account,” gave rise to a discussion on the principle of permitting people to be attended by the staff at their own houses. Finally it was pointed out that rule 86 provides that persons shall be attended, at the board’s charge at their own homes only at the direction of the chairman, who said it should bo a very urgent case before he gave an order. It was agreed that only medicines for such cases urgently required at night should be got elsewhere than at the hospital dispensary, unless a special contract could be made with a chemist, Mr Moore drew attention to the fact that the record of visits by the staff showed that some of the members of the staff visited the wards in the dinner hour, which was against the rules. CHARITABLE AID. A working man named Necklin, who is so unforunate as to have three sons all deaf and dumb, had kept two of them for some time at the Sumner Institution, where they had received so much benefit that he was anxious to send the third. But he could not afford it, and asked the board for assistance. It cost £ls a year for board, besides the boy’s clothing.—lt was resolved on the motion of Mr Talbot to give £7 10s a year towards paying for the boy’s board at Sumner. ACCOUNT SI . Messrs Smithson and Raymond sent a cheque for £6 os, being the proportion payable on the board’s claim for £lO, on account of a deceased patient, named Costello, whose estate paid only 12s 6d in the £. Accounts were passed for payment, charitable aid £145 5s 9d, hospital £l5B 13s lid. DAY OP MEETING. On the motion of Mr Talbot it was

resolved that the next meeting be held on the third Tuesday in January, and subsequent meetings on the third Tuesday in each mouth, if no objection be raised at the next meeting. NOTICE OE MOTION. Mr Barker gave notice to move at next meeting that a resolution passed on September 11th, in reference to the proposed boundary of the Wairaate hospital district, be rescinded.