THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1912. A HOSPITAL TROUBLE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 10713, 8 November 1912, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1912. A HOSPITAL TROUBLE.

It is unfortunate that the Masterton Hospital Committee should have considered itself ignored over a simple matter of administration, and should have taken the extreme step of tendering its resignation. The. 1 case of the hospital nurse who has' been mentioned in the matter has been used as a peg upon which to hang the whole system of administration. Under the law as it stands,; the Board, and the Board alone is r responsible to the auditor and to the ' J people. For the purposes of the more,! effective working of the system, provision is mode in the Act for the appointment of certain sub-commit-tees. These sub-committees have limited powers. They havo to work under regulations, and report to the Board on all questions. The Wairarapa Board has conferred on its subcommittees much larger powers than havo been conferred by other Boards, and the Inspector-General and Audi-tor-General have requested that these powers be modified. In the circumstances, it is hardly a matter for surprise that the non-elected members • of sub-committees should feel that they arc being harshly dealt with. They aru asked to do what may ho termed the arduous work of the different institutions, and their jurisdiction is then subject to review and vet..) by the larger body. Tn tho case ;it \ resent under discussion betweo') , the Mastorion Committee and the Pr;:r.l, tlin Committee doubt Vj-ss feels tint its prerogative has boon rssailed. Under tho regulations and the Act, however, the Board h.is no option in the matter. The matron exercised certain powers conferred upon her in dealing with her staff. a nd she reported to the medical officer, who in i turn reported to tho Board. The re- , sponsibility for dealing with tho case I was removed entirely froa iUe JCrora-

mitteo by the regulations, and the Board pursued the course that it considered best in tho interests of the hospital. The question of tho individual nurso can hardly enter into tho discussion between tho Board and its Committee. The whole issue involved is whether the Board has .acted rightly. As wo said at tho outset, the resignation of tho Masterton Committee is unfortunate. If, however, that resignation should mean tho more clearly defining of tho powers of sub-committees, it v.ill have served a useful purpose. It is quite clear that there cannot be a dual contro! of tho hospital staffs, excepting ns is provided for in tho regulations. Tfc would, perhaps, have been better had the Legislature provided in tho first instance that the elective Boards, and nono others, should administer the Act. The system of nonelectivo sub-committees is likely to produce ft great deal of friction.