EXPLANATION MADE

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 164, 13 August 1929, Page 8

EXPLANATION MADE

*HE "HOPELESS MUDDLE" CASE. BOARD APPRECIATES NURSING ASSOCIATION' S WORK. CONFERENCE TO BE HELD. The whole question of tbe recent trouble between tbe Hastings District INursing Association and tlie Hawke's Bay Hospital Board was under review «t the meeting of thc board yesterday, wken tbe secretary of tbe baord, Mr E. T. Rees, delivered a long report on tbe tnatter, members accepting it as a •otisfactory explanation. A letter was received from tbe Nursing Association asking for an explanation of tbe secretary's rcmark, "tlie whole thing seems a liopeless muddle," made allegedly in regard to tlie association's work at the last meeting of tbe board. Mr Bees reported 011 tbe whole matter, in a report addressed to tbe chairtnan. stating: — "With your permission I would like to make some reply to tbe remarks of Mr G. A. Maddison at tbe last meeting of tbe Hastings District Nursing Asoociation. "Mr Maddison made two c-barges— one against you and myself jointly, and a further, one against me personally. "A HEINOUS OFFENCE." "Tbe first charge consisted of tbe hemous offence of failing to attend a meeting to whicb we wero not invited, and of whicli we were not notified. I iefer specifically to tbe meeting beld 00 Friday, August 2, at Hastings. Subsequent events liave transpired whicb completely exonerate us in tbis tnatter. "The second cbarge against me personally was tliat I used tbe words 'fcopeless muddle' in connection with a matter relatmg to tlie District Nursing Association, and an explanation of this remark is demanded. Tbe explanation is a simple and natural one. "It will be rem embered that at tbe last meeting of the board questions of finance were raised, and I made a statemcnt that tbe District Nursing account was "between £70 and £80 in debt. Tbis was immediately challenged bv Mr S. J. McKee, wlio stated that their account was £166 in credit. ^ I iproduced the ledger card of tbe Nursing Association's account to prove the correctness of mv figures, and Mr McKee nlso liad papers to prove tlie correctness of bis statement. Mr McKee very rigbtly stuck to bis guns, and the atgument resulted in a stalemate, when ] remarked, 'Tlie tfiing is a bopeless muddle.' "Paradoxical as it may sound, we were botb eoiTect, as I later discovered that I had been quoting tbe district nursing account as it appeared in our books, and' Mr McKee was quoting tbe district nursing account as it appeared in tbe books of tbe treasurers of the District Nursing Association at Hastings. ' TJNF OBTUN ATE PHBASE." "Mr Maddison, however, interpreted tbis unfortunate pbrase to extend to tlie secretary, the committee, the district nurse, tbe treasurer, and in fact ail tlie functious of the District Nursing Association. Notbing was further from my mind then to disparage any of the personnel connected with tlie work. I know personally tbe 'lionorary secretary OI rs Pickering) togetber with many of ber committee, and baving a knowledge of the very trying nature of the work whicb they are performing among tbe sick and indigent, cannot but pay bigb tribute to tlie work tbey are carrving out. As Mr Maddison himself remarked, I bave repeatedly eulogised tlieir work at the board meetings. "On one occasion I liad tbe lionour of being allowed an inspection of their clothing store at tbe King's Theatre, and I remember expressing my appreciation of the businesslike organisatiou whicb they had built up to reeord the distrihntion of their comforts. ""Regarding tbe district nurse, 1 krow Miss Cassin particularly well, and can bonestly say from my experience of ber personally that sbe is a woman in a tbousand for carrying out tbe duties whicli slie bas undertaken, and tbe board were very fortunafe in their selection of Miss Cassin for this appointment. ' • "As for criticism of Messrs Bainbow and Hobbs, I would not dream of such a thing, as tbe acconnts whicli tliey bave forwarded bv courtesy for the perusal of this board bave aiways been models of accuracy and precision. MB MADDISON5 S REMABKS. "I11 spile of tbe foregoing, however, tbere _ are one or two points in Mr Maddison5s later remarks wliich still require elucidation. Tbe first is bis reference to a payment of £100 not baving been made to tlie association after baving been granted to the association at Mr Maddison's request. Tbe board will xecollect that I spoke against tbis grant being authorised at the time, but Mr Maddison suceeeded in baving my objection over-ruled. It bas been ruled by tlie Government Andit Inspector tliat sucb a payment would be an illegal one, for whicli each member of tbe board would be liable pio rata. In my position of treasurer, therefore, 1 bave not made this payment. Tbis does not rnean, however, that tbis sum is lost to tbe association, as the board oertainly bas power to expend tbe money, or any otber amount of money whicli tbey may deoide, purely ort tbe activities of tbe' district nurse. I" fact, it was tbis sum whicb was being drawn upon recently wbcn tlie association5s account in our books was temporariJy overdrawn. "The second matter of tbe moment is tbe alleged. statement by Mr Maddison that the nurse bas been appointed by tlie association and is only nominallv attached to tbe board. Tliis is a misconception wliich miglit give rise to trouble in tbe future, as Nurse Cassin was selec-det (with one otber) out of eigbt applic-antsi by tbe Hawke's Bay Hospital Board. Tlie final choice was, out of courtesy, left to tlie association, wbo unanimously recommended tbe appointment of Miss C? ssin. That appointment was definitely made by tbe board on Oetober 18, 1926, MEMBER OF THE BOARD'S STAFF. "District nurses are appointed under section 33 of tlie Hospitals Act, 1909, and sucb appointments are from time to time reviewed by the Health Department. The Health Department has laid down definite regulations to cover these appointments, and the Hospital Board's by-laws, _ whicb have been approved by. the Minister, _ also deal with tbe activities of tbe district nurse. "Miss Cassin bas become a member of tbe hospital snperannuation fund, and her salary and expenses go tbrougb tbe Hospital Board's accounts in tbe same way as any otber nurse on tbe staff. "The District Nursing Association in Christchurch was quoted during the diseussion, but I woukl point out that they are 011 quite a different footing, as I understand that tbe association in case .emplpya. yill tber nurses and

pays tbem out of its own funds, receiving by way of revenue contributions from various sources. including oue from tbe Hospital Board. "It is possible that some misconception still exists in tbe minds of sonie members of the Hastings Association regarding their relationship to tbis board, and I would therefore recommend that a conference witli the Nursing Association would no doubt have. a very henelicial effect, and would coiiduce to a continuation of the very harmonious working wliich bas been existent in the past as between the board and the association." SATISFACTORY REPORT. Mr F. B. Logan: That is a very satisfactory explanation. Mr C. Duff: Yes, I think tbe report covers the ground well. The chairman, Mr C. O. Morse, said tliat be liad already eifplained bis position througli tlie newspapers. He took tlie opportunity to remark, however: — "T would like the Hastings people to understand this finallv and definitely — if there is anytliing we can do to assist that association we are out to do it absolutelv. (Hear, hear). There is notliing wli'atever in any suggestion that we are trying to binder the work of the association. (Hear, hear). That would be a cruel tliing. All the comments that liave ever been made at this board meeting sliow bow much we appreciate the great work that is done by that association out there. We all recognise tbe fnie servic-e being done by those ladies and gentlemen, particularly our friend, Mr G. A. Maddison, wbo is absolutely wrapped up in tlie work of tlie association. I can understand liim using the big stick a little wlien be thinks we are riot doing all that he thinks we should do." "On tlie motion of Mr H. Hill and Mr H. V. Hoadlev, it was decided that tlie secretary's explanation be accepted as satisfactory and a committee of. tbe country members was >appointed to meet the association to disc-uss matters concerning the relationship between the board and the association. It was explained that the conference is to be for wbat was termed an "edueative" one, it being tbougbt that botb the new members of tbe board and some of tbe members of the association were unaware of tbe exact relationships of tbe two bodies as entered into tliree years ago.