HOSPITAL BOARDS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2769, 26 March 1910, Page 3

HOSPITAL BOARDS.

THE APPOINTMENT OF COMMITTEES.

» [T’Jcit-PitKss Association.!

( WELLINGTON. March 24. !' Speaking at tli© ceremony of laying a tablet in connection witli Wellington’s new fever hospital, the Hon. G. Fowlds, Minister of Hospitals, said: “The question of dealing with infectious diseases calls to my mind a section of the new Act which I trust will be duly taken advantage of by the local authorities, and that they will delegate their powers under the Health Act to the Hospital Board of the district, so that the latter body could assume the powers of a Board of Health. One naturally could not expect a large municipality such hs the Wellington corporation to delegate all its powers under the Public Plea Ith Act. but it might, with advantage, as regards efficiency and economy leave the responsibility .as to notification and isolation of any disinfection after cases of infectious diseases to the Hospital Board. The smaller bodies . might waive nearly all their power**' /under the Act to the Board, except those that would involve considerable expenditure such as provision for water supply and drainage.” Mr Fowlds said that the Act allowed a Board to appoint committees composed of persons of both sexes, who were not necessarily members of the Board. He would like to see a Public Health Committee formed, comprised of certain members of the Board, witili every Mayor or Chairman of a local authority in the district an ex-officio member of the committee. By that means concerted 1 action could be taken as regards the public health of the district, which was by no means the case under the present system.