S.C. HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2385, 21 July 1892, Page 4

S.C. HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

The monthly meeting of the South Canterbury Hospital and Charitable Aid Board was held on Tuesday. Present —Messrs J. Jackson (chairman), W. M. Moore, A. Sherratt, and G. H. Graham. Apologies were received from Messrs Talbot and Barker.

The chairman reported that everything had been working smoothly during the month. As regards charitable aid heavy demands had been made. Two cases had fallen into their hands which would be a heavy drag upon their funds, one atOrari and one atTimani,the latter a widow with 10 children. Of course they could not help these things, and must bear the brunt of them. As regards finance there was a credit balance of £498 14s 3d, with payments to be made of £217 14s 9d for charitable aid, and £251 Os lOd for the hospital, leaving a credit balance of £29 18s Bd. All the local bodies had paid the levies made upon them, and a statement had been sent to Wellington and claim for subsidy on the amount collected, about £1324. He wished to draw the Board’s attention to by-law 53, which limits the residence for patients in the hospital to two months, unless a special certificate be given by the attending medical officer, to be renewed from time to time. There were four patients in the hospital who had exceeded the two months, one by 160 days, others, 115, 31, and 21 days) respectively. Since last meeting the committee appointed for the purpose had opened and accepted tenders, the lowest in every case being accepted. The chairman also referred to arpress telegram from Masterton in which a charge was made against this board that they sent a woman to Wellington, where she landed with only half-a-crown, and thence she walked to Masterton and arrived barefooted, having sold her boots for food. It was true that the board paid her passage to Wellington, but the woman was not on the board’s books at the time. Archdeacon Harper and others had interested themselves in the woman, and made all the arrangements for her departure, he, as chairman of the board, being asked simply to pay her passage. The Archdeacon wrote that she had some effects and some money when she left, but he (Mr Jackson) could well believe that she had only 2s 6d when she landed. (The Archdeacon’s letter was read, in which he stated that the woman represented to him that she had relatives in the Wellington district, and he knew she had some personal effects of small value, and sufficient money to maintain her a few days.) Mr Moore wondered that the local body at Masterton did not take more care to ascertain the facts, instead of accepting such a statement as was telegraphed all over the colony. It was resolved that the chairman obtain tenders for the removal of the old hospital buildings on the North street section.

Mr Moore drew attention to a passage in Dr MacGregor's report on the Waimate Hospital in which he asserted that “ this board has grasped every opportunity to shut up or starve the Waimate institution as unnecessary,” and had “ taken advantage of the shortcoming of their neighbors to try to close their hospital” These remarks were utterly incorrect. . TI , , The chairman quite agreed. He had never heard it mooted to close the Waimate hospital, and certainly no steps had ever been taken to close it. Mr Sherratt said the language of the report struck him as very much exaggerated. Mr Graham said he was ghid to hear the members present say there was no desire on the part of the hoard to shut up the Waimate institution, for it was certainly the impression in Waimate, until very recently at all events, that they did desire to do so. Rightly or wrongly, that impression did prevail in the south of the district, Mr Moore moved and Mr Sherratt seconded “ That the South Canterbury Board regret that Dr MacGregor in his report on the W annate hospital has made use of the remarks tha* the Timaru Board ‘ o ta sn at every opportunity to shut up or starve the Waimate institution,’ and further ‘ take advantage of the,shortcoming of their neighbours to try and close their hospital,’ as these remarks are quite incorrect, the Board having merely tried to see a very unsatisfactory law duly carried out.” ... ~ , In regard to the patients m the hospital over two months, the chairman ras requested to draw the attention of the medical staff to the by-law, _ A few applications for charitable aid were discussed, accounts war© passed for payment, and the board rose.