Thames Hospital.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4608, 11 October 1883, Page 2

Thames Hospital.

The usual monthly meeting of the Committee was held at the County Chambers yesterday afternoon. Present —Revs. S. J. Neill (presiding), P. O'Eeilly, H.Bali, and C. E. Barley, Dr Kilgour, Messrs Brodie, Carpenter, Deeble, Ehrenfried, Fraser, Hall, Lawlor, Marshall, Mennie, McGovvan, Osborne, Benshaw, Stone, and Wildman. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. The House Committee reported to the effect that plans and specifications for a new dead house and alterations had been prepared, and tenders for the work had been received. The interior of the Hospital is being thoroughly cleansed and painted, and so as to economise heat in the building the stoves were being built in with brick. New rules had been prepared for submission to the Committee, a part of which placed the Old Men's Eefuge under the same rules as the Hospital. It recommended thai the Secretary's salary be fixed at £60 per annum, and that no commission be paid to him. A number of pictures had been presented and required framing: this would cost £11, and Dr Payne had offered £5 towards that sum. A disturbance had occurred between two inmates of the Eefuge, which had been settled by the Committee. Plans and specifications of the work recommended by Dr Grabham's report should be prepared and forwarded to Government.— Accounts and salaries to the amount of £216 Is lOd were recommended for payment, as were also, for acceptance, the tenders of A. Boyer for a new deadhouse at £65; and E. Farrell, for alterations, £42.—The report was adopted.—The Financial Statement was as follows:— Beceipts: To balance, £1 4s lOd; sub* scriptibns, £4 10s ; patients' charges, £l 18s ; Government, £852 16s 7d ; kitchen refuse, &c, 8s 6d ; Bank of N.Z., £401 4s 2.—£1262 2s Id.—Expenditure : By bank overdraft, 31st August, £99618s 3d; salaries, £77 13s lOd : Fever Hospitalsalaries, £6; maintenance, £55 4s 2d; furniture, ££& 2s 8d; medical comforts, £2 14s lOd; drugs and appliances, £33 9s Id : consultation fees, £1 Is ; repairs, £1 Os 3d ; miscellaneous expenses, £15 4s j 7d; Fever Hospital maintenance, £4 Is ; i Fever Hospital repairs, £1 2s sd; commission, 15s 6d ; stationery, £3 13s 6d; interest (6 months), £30 15.—£1262 2s Id. Assets : Subsidy and deficiency due from Government, £617 5s 2d. Liabilities: Bank of New Zealand overdraft, £401 4s 2d; . salaries, £76; monthly aci counts, £140 15.—£617 5s 2d.— The usual formal re port from the Surgeon was received and adopted.—lt was resolved that, in reply to a letter received from Government on the subject of a new surgical ward, plans and estimates of the proposed building be prepared and for warded to the department requiring them. —The following were appointed a House Committee for the ensuing month: Messrs Ehrenfried, Fraser, Bey. P. O'Eielly, and Eadford, and the meeting closed. Immediately afterwards a *

SPECIAL MEETING was held in order to consider" a motion, notice of which was given by the Key. P. O'jßeilly, and which was, " That after the next election of officers to the Hospital, the offices be made permanent." The mover briefly made the proposal, and asked leave to add the words, "and that before the next June meeting of the Committee applications for the permanent offices be advertised in the usual manner." The rev. gentleman thought that the Committee would exceed their powers if they permanently appointed officers elected for only one year, it having been the custom to annually appoint the officers for the past ten years. The advertisement in June last asked for applications for the offices for one year only, and having been appointed according to the terms of that advertisement, the) offices would be vacant next June.—Dr Kilgour seconded the proposal, so as to allow further oon» sideration of the question. From a legal light the view of the matter was that three new appointments had been made. He thought that appointments made for 12 months could not be made permanencies by the Committee, consequently the de» cision of the Committee at last meeting on Mr Renshaw's motion could have no effect, as the regulation under whiah the annual appointments had been made had not been rescinded. He thought that no practitioner with a private practice could properly attend to the medical wants of the Hospital. In other hospitals in which a certain number of patients were, a resident surgeon had charge, and the same system should obtain here, He had no desire to refer personally to Dt Payne, or any other medical man;

he wished to object to the continuance of the present system. He concluded by expressing the opinion that under the circumstances attending the election of the Committee it would have acted more wisely and judiciously in declining to deal with the question.—Some discussion took place as to the regularity of the motion proposed, and it was urged that the reso lution having been passed and recorded on the minutes of the Committee, which were signed by the chairman, the officers were now permanently appointed.—Mr Renshaw thought the Committee were willing to act according, to the rules, he had given every opportunity for discus sion, and has considered that the matter had been finally settled; but he had since found out that other members were of opinion that the change would not be in force until after the next annual election. After referring to past records, he discovered that before a change was made from the permanent appointment of officers to their annual election, the subscribers were consulted, aud he wbb now willing that such steps should be j taken in the present case. Those present, if they wished to be guided by previous practice, could rescind the resolution passed at the last meeting, and recom- ] mended the subscribers at the next annual meeting to that effect. He objected to the action of the Press in connection with the place ; its attempts to shew that people here were trying to do things the wrong way, damaged the credit of the Thames, and made the district appear blacker than it really was. Some persons thought that he was in favor of confirming Dr Payne's position, but he and another committee man had come to the conclusion before the last annual meeting that the'offices should be permanencies.—After further discussion, the Key. P. O'Eiclly withdrew his motion, and gave notice that he would move at next meeting that the resolution of the September meeting, appointing the present officers permanently, be rescinded.—The Rev. H. Bull also gave notice that he would move "That it be a recommendation to the next annual meeting of subscribers to the hospital, that the officers of the institution hold office permanently; and, if possible, that the House Surgeon be a resident officer." The amended rules were brought up for csnsirteration, and after a proposal that they should be printed and distributed amongst the members of the committee was not agreed to, it was decided that they lie on the table in the visitors room at the Hospital for perusal by Committee men, until the next monthly meeting. The meeting then rose,