MASTERTON HOSPITAL TRUSTEES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9695, 20 January 1910, Page 3

MASTERTON HOSPITAL TRUSTEES.

MONTHLY MEETING

The monthly 1 meeting of tha Mas tprton Hospital Trustees was held in the Council Chambfrs yesterday. There were prest-nt--iVH J. B. Keith (chairman), W. Fi-her, J. Miller, J. C. Lwin<>toi , J,;cK.sjh and K. Brown. The se'irebirv r jwtpr 1 t>ie gas account or the la-it three 1110 itiisoi 1908 was £2fi 4s (id, and for t»\e same period 1909 the amount was £35 10s Id. Mr Ewington >nu! tht-re was an imTease of nin» d r.s i ) th 4 reading; last, month, whicii wool;! account for part of the increase. Mr Fishsr said the firing and lighting was veiy high. Spoii£<in e» from memory the cost to Masterto'i was £3OO, V7hii3l a hospital a liitie larger than Masterton was only £IBO. There was something radically wrong. On the motion of Mr Brown, the chairmar, Mr Ewirgtnn and the mover were appointed a committee to enquire into the matter of lighting and report to the next meeting. Accounts amounting to £64 JOs 4d were passed for payment. A patien: recently discharged frr>m the Hospital wrote objecting to the charges. It was explained that there was a fluctuating scale of charges for patienrs. The maximum charge was made to those who 'could afford it, [ whilst labouring people wt re charged on a lower scale. Those who could afford to pay and used the Hospital | should be made to do so. It was resolved that in the case under discussion the payment demanded should be enforced. In other cases compromises were made where the patients were, shown to be unable to pay the amount claimed by the Trustees The chairman, Mr Brown, and the secretary were appointed a committee to go through the list of accounts owing to the Trustees and write off such accounts as were past recovery. In respect to the Lansdowne water supply, the secretary reported the committee had practically agreed to supply the water free of cost. The foregoing committee were empowered to instal the service. In connection with the proposed alterations to the septic tank system the Inspector-General of Hospitals wjote that such an extensive alteration as proposed was not necessary and no subsidy would be ' given thereon, or only on such sum as the Minister thinks sufficient. It was resolved on the motion of the chairman, \ seconded by Mr Fisher, that a reply be sent to the Inspector-General's lettei pointing out —(1) that the original installation was carried out in accordance with pians approved by the Department, and that the Trustees are not responsible for its inadequacy; (2) that the ttuste.es are advised by their Engineer that the modicfiation of his scheme proposed by the Department would be ineffective, in which case the adoption of the suggestions of the Department would result in a further waste of money; (3) that if such suggestions were to be ' carried out it would be necessary for the Department to appoint an engineer to prepare plans and specifications and supervise the workj (4) that the Trustees do not understand the InspectorGeneral's reference to withholding subsidy on the amount of the expenditure in question or any part of it and would ask him to be good enough to explain for their information in what circumstances and under what authorities subsidies may be withheld. \ This concluded the business.