WAlKATO HOSPITAL BOARD.

Waikato Argus, Volume VII, Issue 523, 7 December 1899, Page 2

WAIKATO HOSPITAL BOARD.

The statutory meeting of the Waikato Hospital Board was held at the chambers, Hamilton, yesterday morning. There were present : Messrs W. Dey (chairman), A. Primrose, J. H. Vickers, J. P. Bailey, P. O'Connor and Geo. S. Whiteside. Apologies were received from Messrs B. Hewett and A. T. F. Wheeler.

Board Representatives.—Notifications were received from the various local bodies giving the names of the members chosen to represent them on the Board as follows :—Piako County Council : Messrs W. P. Chepmell, A. J. Farmer and E. Gallagher. Waipa County Council: Messrs J. Fisher, J. H. Vickers and P. O'Connor. Waikato County Council : Messrs J. P. Bailey, A. Primrose and A. T. F. Wheeler. Raglan County Council : Me?srs B. Hewett and G. S. Whiteside. Hamilton Borough Council : Mr W. Dey. Cambridge Borough Council: Mr W. F. Buckland.

Chairman The appointment of chairman was then proceeded with.—Mr Primrose proposed that Mr Dey should be re-elected to the position.—Mr Bailey said the chairman had served them faithfully and well, and given them every satisfaction, and it gave him much pleasure to second the motion.—The proposition was carried unanimously.— Mr Dey briefly thanked the members for the honour conferred upon him, and added that he would do his best to conserve the interests of the ratepayers and of the institution.

Refuge Pensioners.—The Old Age Pension Office wrote, stating that the Colonial Treasurer would be pleased if the Board would allow each old pensioner in the refuge one shilling a week. —The Board considered the request a reasonable one, and unanimously agreed that it should be granted. Nurses.—The House Committee reported that three applications had been received for the vacaut positions in the nursing staff at the Hospital, and that Nurses Haines and Gill of Auckland had been appointed. Doctor's Report. —ln his report the surgeon superintendent stated that new cocoanut matting was required for the alley way leading to the nurses' quarters. The report was adopted, Committee.—The following members were elected to act as a house and finance Committee : Messrs W. Dey (Chairman), A. Primrose, W. P. Chepmell, J. H. Vickers, B. Hewett, W. F. Buckland and E. Gallagher. Next Meeting.—The next meeting of the Board will be held on Thursday, December 28th. Leave of Absence.—Leave of absence for one week was granted to Dr. Douglas, for whom Dr. Somerville, of Auckland, will act as locum tenen3.

Gas Burners.—The following letter was received from Mr H. Atkinson with reference to the Board's offer to contri bute £6 towards the cost of replacing the old burners in the Hospital with incandescent ones, with a view to a reduction in the cost of lighting the institution : " I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your memo, of November 3rd, which our manager, Mr Blackman, has referred to me regarding the £l2, which we charged your Board for altering, fitting, supplying aud fixing incandescent burners in your hospital. We consider our charge a fair and reasonable one, and under the circumstances we think it unreasonable to expect us to accept half of the amount claimed. We would like to point out to your Board that we spent a large sum of money in layiug a pipe all the way from the works to the hospital, solely for that institution, and in the first place we recommended the use of incandescent burners, and have endeavoured in every way possible to keep the consumption within reasonable bounds, and there is no reason why the institution should not have been lighted all along for the money it is now costing. We respectfully assert that it would be a retrogade step to revert back to kerosene as you suggest, for there can be no doubt the gaa is in every way safer, and light for light more economical than kerosine, particularly with incandescent burners the light from which is also admitted to be the nearest approach to day light of any artificial light in existence, and therefore less trying to the eyesight, and we have every confidence that your Board will see the fairness of paying the amount in full. We would also like to point out to your Board that we are only charging the same price in Hamilton that they are charging in very much larger towns and where the cost of coal is very mush less, aad we trust that your Board in the near future will see its way to extend the supply to the doctor's residence."—After a short discussion Mr Primrose moved that the Board did not see its way to alter its previous decision.—This was seconded by Mr Dey and carried. Accounts.—The following accounts were passed for payment:—Secgner, Langguth and Co., £22 4s 9d ; A. E, Manning, £ls 14s 3d ; J. Bettley, £l7 lis Sd ; F. B. Jolly, £6 7s lOd ; J. C. Hay, £ll 10s 7d ; J. Smith, £5 3s; Mrs Barker, £3 4s ; Mrs Hayes, £5 ; Chloroformist, £3 3s ; J. S. Bond, £4 Is ; Gas Company, £2 14s ; J. Ridler, £l2 5s 3d ; E. J. Davey, £3l 12s Sd ; T Keep, £1 9s ; A. Coyle, £6 Ss ; St. Mary's Home, £ll 14s; D. Salmon, £2 7s 6d ; M. A. Going, £1 si; Const. Carroll, 15s ; Parr Bros., 16s Bd.