29

H.—22

Receipts and Expenditure. Receipts. £ s. d. Expenditure. £ s. d. From Government ... ... 5,176 19 3 Eations ... ... ... 3,118 17 4 Local bodies ... ... 3,900 0 0 Wines, spirits, ale, &c. ... 116 17 9 Subscriptions and donations ... 190 2 9 Surgery and dispensary ... 1,272 17 9 Bequests ... ... ... 114 19 3 Fuel and light ... ... 824 16 10 Rents ... ... ... 1,921 16 5 Bedding and clothing ... 322 17 3 Patients'payments ... ... 2,196 611 Furniture and earthenware ... 128 14 9 Other sources ... ... 81 0 9 Washing and laundry ... 387 15 4 Balance from last year ... 2,816 19 1 Salaries and wages ... ... 3,781 4 .5 Water-supply ... ... 158 10 9 Funerals ... ... ... . 37 1 6 Repairs ... ... ... 425 4 9 Additions to buildings ... 1,713 19 5 Printing, advertising, postage, and stationery ... ... 74 11 7 Interest and principal ... 403 12 0 Insurance ... ... ... 43 14 6 Other expenses ... ... 342 16 3 Total £16,398 4 5 Total £13,153 12 2 The greatest blot upon this Hospital is the kitchen department. It requires reorganizing. The Steward has been off duty a good many months on account of ill-health. An excellent suggestion has been made that the Hill wards should revert to their original purpose, and rooms sufficing for the out-patients' department be erected near the Hospital entrance-gate. It is time that a Nurses' Home should be built, thus leaving the nurses' present quarters free to be used as wards, and giving much needed space to hospital requirements. The new operating-room is waiting its furnishings; they are on the road. Dr. Ewart and Miss Payne devote much time and thought to the technical teaching of the nurses, and succeed in maintaining a high standard of training.

WESTPORT HOSPITAL. Number of patients on 31st March, 1899 ... ... ... 17 Admitted during the year ... ... ... ... 135 Total under treatment ... ... ... 152 Discharged ... ... ... ... ... ... 121 Died 13 Remaining on 31st March, 1900 ... ... ... ... 18 Sex. —lll males, 41 females. . . . Locality from which Patients came. —Buller district. Nationality. —British, 84; Colonial, 47 ; Australian, 7 ; German, 8; Danish, 2; Swede, 1; others, 3. Religion:- —Church of England, 60 ; Roman Catholic, 59 ; Presbyterian, 17 ; Wesleyan, 3 ; Baptist, 3j- Salvation Army, 3; Lutheran, 4; Freethinker, 3. Total collective days' stay in Hospital, 6,862; individual average days' stay, 4514. Daily average cost per head, 4s. Id. ; less patients' payments, 3s. 6f-d. Outdoor Patients. —lndividual cases, 52 ; attendances, 96. . .. Receipts and Expendituee. • Receipts. £ s. d. Expenditure. £ s. d. From Government ... ... 614 16 1 Rations ... ... ... 318 6 11 Local bodies... ... ... 468 12 8 Wines,, spirits, ale, &c. ... ... 20 17 3 Subscriptions and donations ... 105 10 0 Surgery and dispensary ... 64 9 0 Rents ... ... ... 20 0 0 Fuel and light... ... ... 94 5 3 Patients'payments ... ... 193 18 2 Bedding and clothing ... ... 2 9 2 Other sources ... ... 11 8 9 Furniture and earthenware ... 155 16 5 Salaries and wages ... ... 526 10 2 Funerals ... ... ... 32 5 0 Repairs and additions ... ... 99 5 3 Printing, advertising, postage, and stationery, &c. ... ... 45 7 9 Insurance ... ... ... 13 19 0 Other expenses ... ... 32 18 6 Total ... ... £1,414 5 8 Total ... ...£1,406 9 8 I found this Hospital working smoothly and well. Dr. Mackenzie is attentive to his duties, and Miss McCarthy, the Matron, has long been known to me as an excellent nurse and a capable manager.