TUAPEKA HOSPITAL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume II, Issue 101, 15 January 1870, Page 5

TUAPEKA HOSPITAL.

AJSTNTJAL MEETING- OF SUBSOEIBERS. On Thursday evening the Annual Meeting of subscribers to the above institution was held in the Assembly Rooms. (A Committee Meeting having first been held, when the annual report and balance sheet were approved of.) On the motion of Dr. Halley, Mr. Bastings was called to the chair, and, after the minutes of the previous Annual Meeting were read and adopted, at once proceeded to read the following KEPOET, Eighth Annual Report of the Committee of Management of the Tuapeka Goldfields Hospital for the year ending December 31st, 1869. " Your Committe at the close of this, the eighth year of the Tuapeka Goldfields Hospital, would call the attention of the subscribers to the fact that there is a steady progress in the work of relieving the distresses of those, who by disease or accident, have been unfortunately compelled to seek assistance at your valuable Institution. " Your Committee would beg to call attention to the fact that the average cost per patient has been much decreased, and can point with satisfaction to the present financial statement of the Institution, notwithstanding that the demands upon it have been considerably larger, owing to the increasing number of patients admitted. There has been no less a sum than £370 expended on permanent improvements, and considering the reduction in the Government subsidy from 3 to 1 to 2 to 1, your Committee did not expect to find financial matters in such a position at the close of the present year. It will be found in referring to the finangial statement that the Government is

indebted for subsidy £1009 13a., while ; the draft at the Bank of N.S. W., is £299 4s. 7d., leaving a balance to the credit of the Hospital of £710 Bs. sd. Your present and visible success is not indeed a necessary test of the value of our Hospital ; but when we look around the large district of which the Tuapeka Hospital may be said to form a centre, and hear the grateful recognitions of many who have derived benefit from it, your Committee consider that there is abundant encouragement for the newly elected Committee to persevere and add to the means of improvement, which they have endeavoured to carry out during the past year. " In conclusion, on resigning our trust to those who may come after us, -we hope we shall never have to say ' Failed the bright promise of our early days.'" — Horace Bastings, President on behalf of the Committee. ■ The report was then received, and open for discussion. In reply to questions put by Mr. HaiTop, it appeared that the sum due by the Government at the end of 1868 was £1420, at the end of 1869, £1026. Mr. Harrop — Then the institution has gone £400 to the bad during the past year. Mr. Farrer — Yes, and more. The Chairman— lt must be kept in mind that the unusually large s\im of had been expended in buildings, Mt. Humphrey raised the point of the subsidy being so much in arrear, and was answered by the Chairman, who acquitted the Committee of any blame in the matter, as the Government had' been dunned times without number with very little practical benefit. It seemed to be a way the Government had of dealing with all public institutions ; it applied equally to the Municipal subsidy. Mr. Bryant then referred to the absurdity of having to pay interest on the bank overdraft when so much was due the Hospital in subsidy. The Chairman here repeated that the matter had been represented to the Government ; in fact there had been a perpetual dunning. The report was then adopted. Dr. Stewart's report was then read, and, after being complimented by the Chairman upon it as the most elaborate report the doctor had laid before the public, it was received and adopted. A vote of thanks was passed to the retiring Committee. The next business being the election of a new Committee, the question of What qualified a voter was raised. The clauses in the Ordinance bearing \on the point were read, and the construction put upon them, by a considerable minority of the meeting was favourable to the idea that a man's promise to pay the requisite qualification was sufficient. This Mr. Mears embodied in a resolution, which Mr. Nicolson seconded, but the Chairman refused to put it to the meeting, and ruled that the Ordinance demanded the subscription to be paid before any subscriber could vote. As soon as this ruling was given about a dozen gentlemen left the room. The sum of £19 was then paid in by the following named gentlemen, who were elected a Committee for the ensuing twelve months : — Messrs. Bastings, Keen, Farrer, Halley, M'Nickle, Harrop, M'Swiney, M'Kinlay, Simpson, . Hayes, Smith, Abel, Herbert, M'Cluskey, Thompson, M'Beath, Pressley, Nicolson, and Cormack. Mr. Bastings was elected President, Mr. Hayes Secretary, and Mr. Farrer Treasurer, for the year. This concluded the business of the meeting.