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Goulburn HIospital.
The sixty-sixth annual mooeeting of the Goul
burn Hospital was held in the .ayor's - am on
Wednesday evening. Mr. J. Knowlman, presi
dont, wss in the chair, and there wds an attend
ancn of about a score.
The report and financial statement, which had
been printed, were taken as read. Appended are
some extracts from the report:
"T''he total income derived from all sources
amounted to £928 4s ad, a falling-off of £425 58
Il as compared with the preceding year, which
is more than accounted for by the falling-off in
the Government subsidy. The subsidy received
during thd year amounted to only £325 18s 3d,
which is the lowest received by the institution
for'a number of years. During the year now en
tered upon, however, a much larger sum will be
received ftom this source, and-we anticipate an
increased income from all asources. The expendi
ttro amounted to .1340 1is id, as compared with
£1745 12s id in the preceding year.
"The annual ball was revived, and was one of
the most enjoyable functions hold throughout
the year. The nett amount realised was £40,
which was coisidered satisfaitory by your com
inittee. The annual ball, promoted by Mr.
Thomad Ferguson, was also held at Marulan,
and was lairgely attended, the nett result to our
funds being £10 5s. A very sdccessful dance was
also held at Tatalga oh Kinlg'es Birthday.
"During the year also the MIusical and Oper
atio Society of Goulburh produced the opera,
'taritana,' handing over half of the nett pro
coeds to the hospital. Our funds benefited by
this effort to the amount of £12 lis lid.
"Hospital Saturday.-Aftor a lapse of several
years this old-established means of assisting
the hospital was revived, and the response to
our appeal exceeded expectations. A largo num
ber of ladies willingly took up the work, and
their efforts were rewarded by an addition to
our funds of £82 15ia 7d.
"Hospital Sunday.-Faor many years past it
has been customary with the churches of the
city to place before their people the claims of
the hospital, and during the past year we receiv
ed the usual support from the two Cathedrals
and from the Methodist Churches, and the re
sult was very gratifying to us, the total received
from this source being £31 es 2d. For special rea
sons several of the churches were unable to as
sist us this yeari, but no doubt they will all fall
into line again during the coming year.
"Miss Findlater still remains in charge of the
hospital as matron, and carries out her duties
to the entire satisfaction of your committee
and the medical officers. She is ably assisted by
Miss Veness as staff nurse.
"During the year the hospital sustained a se
voro loss in the sudden death of Mr. Bryden,
who for a period of upwards of 20 years had
taken a most active and intelligent interest in
the affairs of the institution. He was for years
vice-president, and later on president. He filled
these positions with great credit to himself and
advantage to the institution, in whoso service no
labour was too great for him, and his absence
from our councils is much felt. His special
knowledge of hospital matters generally was of
great value, and his place will be hard to fill.
"The total number of in-patients treated dur
ing the year was 314. Of these 193 were discharg
ed cured, 77 were relieved, 23 died, and 21 re
mained in the wards at the close of the year.
In addition ff5 persons attended as outdoor
patients, and thus a total of 979 persons received
the benefit of hospital treatment. The deily
number resident was 19.8, the average residence
of discharged persons in days nwas 18.8, the aver
age rate of mortality was 7.3, and the average
cost per patient was .£68.
"The medical staff are constant in attending
to the nwants of the inmates, and in addition
render valuable services by lecturing to the
nurses, as required by the association. They
visited the hospital professionally on 1177 ocea
sions, viz.: Dr. MeKillop 250, Dr Burkitt 254, Dr.
Finniss 353, and Dr. Morton 321.
"There weore 12 regular and two special moot
ings of the committee, at which the attendances
wero:--Jno. Knowlman (president) 11, T. F.
Moyor (vice-president) 12, W. A. Martin (trea
surerS 11, W. A. Maedonald (hon. secretary) 14,
C. Gillespio 7, A. A. Kerr (absent on leave) 3,
It. E. Conolly 12, H. Baxter 11, E. W. Johnson
12. C. W; urner 10, E. C. Brcden'(died June,
'071 5. A. G. detniret 9, U. T. McShano 13, J, A.
MoKillop 14, and WT R. Costley (appointed Sep
tember, '07) 3. In addition to the above regular
meetines of the building, finance, and visiting
committees have been held.
"The re'igious denominations of the patients
treated were:--Church of England 142, Roman
Catholic 128, Presbyterians 24, Methodists 14.,
Lutherans 5, Mohammedan 1.
"Patients were received from the following
plnces, viz.:--Goulburn 191, Crookwell 72, Ken
morn 10, Taralga 9, Tirranna 5, Tarago 5, Win
gello 5, Gurrundahl 4, Yass 4, Broadalbaneo 4,
Syydney 4, Pomeroy 3, Tallong 3, Woodhouselec
3,. Braidwood 3, Lake Bathurst 2, Currawang 2,
Gunning 2, Spring Valley 2, Sooley Valley 2, Ma
rulan 2, Merrilla 2, Kingsdaleo 2, Bungendoro 2,
Cullarin 2, and one each from the following
places: Moss Vale, Cooma, Pojar, 1fummell,
MtAlister, Fullerton, Junction Point,' Gnnde
roo, Wollington, Murrumburrah, Narrawa.,
Chatsbury, Parkesbourne, Adelong, MIiddle
Arm, Hay, Binalong, Bundanoon, Towrang,
Invernlochy, Norwood, Currondooloy, YTrra.
Windellama, lossiville, Dalton, Barinnistor,
Wheeo, and Binda."
Trle statoneont of receipts and expeoniliture
showe(l that the year began with a balance of
£1556 as 2d. The principal items of revenue were
-Govornmoent subsidy £21 5sa5d, interest on'be
qouestS 81 12s lod, subscriptions and donations
£62312 1os ild, patients' fees £164 3s 2d, IHosital
Saturday £82 e15s id. The principal items of oex
prndituro wer-MIeodicnl otlicors .£160, clerical
assistaneo £52 10s, nurses' salaries £218 13s 4d.
servants' wages £15.l 10s; groceries, moeat, bread,
milk, vegetables, cordials, and fish £3ua 5s Pd;
repairs and additions £40 14s Pd, coal and fire
wood .£80 5s 8d, gas £40 12s 4d, drugs and dis
pensing £80 19s 4d. The year closed with a cre
dit in deposits after allowing for outstanding
cheques of £1135 Os 5d.
In moving the adoption of the report and
fmancial statement the president said that
during the last 12 months tbhe work of the hos
pital had gone on regularly on perfectly smooth
and sound lines. The number of patients,
though not a record, had shown a considerable
increaso. The committee as a whole had done
their work remarkably well. The meetines had
been well attended, and the amount of interest
shown keen. The hospital had in every way been
kept thoroughly up-to-date. A certain amount
of decoration had heen done in the hall, nurses'
quarters, and committee-room, giving the place
a bright appearance, and tlhe wards had not
been neglected in that particular. A sterilizer
hlad been imported from England, and certain
minor alterations had had to be made in the in
torior of the hospital to accommodatd it. The
medical officers had devotedl the usual amount.
of care and attention to the patients, and 'the
lipt of patients and the list of recoveries and dis
charges were certainly to the credit of the hospi
tal. They had four doctors, and hlie felt sure all
the patients could speak only in the highest pos
siblo terms of the medical treatment they re
ceived. He knew that the feeling of the bulk of
the committee was that they should welcome to
their staff every doctor who came to the town.
There should be a certain amount of. diplomacy
and finesse exercised in matters of this sort, and
it would very often happen that if they were to
place every now.doctor on the staff they would
lose some of their old friends, and the commit
too naturally weighedl the two and considered
whether the hospital in the long run would be
the gainer. The nursing staff, he thought, was
never better organized. In laura Findlater they
had a woman who made her entire ideal the usp
keep of the hospital in the way it should be
done. Ho did not think they could possibly dis
cover one who would devote the whole of her
seal and attention to the work as she did. Any
one visiting the hospital must be struck with
tse absolute cleanliness, up-to-dateness, order,
and method that characterized every phase of
the work. Wondorful work had beoon done by the
matron in the little vegetable garden. It practi
cally met all the supplies for the hospital, which
was no small matter with an average number of
mouths to feed of 40 per day. The quantity woe
greater and the quality better than couldl be ex
pectedl by buyimig in the usual channels. In
walking through the hlospital the visitor felt lihe
ivas in an institution where science had linked
hands with human kindness in making the coman
fort and eatisfaotory advancement of the pati
eonts thie chief care of the wholo ptaff. Tlhe
patients sometimes went into the hospital with
a little diffidence, but they never camo'out with
out feeooling that they were leaving almost a
home. Every patient who went out was an ad
vertisement for the good work the hospital was
doing.
MIr. P. MeSheno oecondedC theo resolution,
which was carriod.
The committeeoo woreo rce-elected unopposerl, as
lso wore the trusters (Messrs. A, M. Botts.
Chas. Gillspio, A. A. K(oerr, 11. Ei. Conolly, and
,. W. Johnson), and thie auditors (Messrs.
Gardner and Fosxall). The remaining offlicers
and the medical officers will be chosen by tihe
ceommittoo.
A voto of thanks was nceordlnl the retiring
comwitteo on the molion of Mr. J.. S. Iillis, so
aodesld by MIr. P. MeShano.
Mr. P. hMcShan mnved a vote of thanks to the
presidont, who, hIo said, wses ono of tho most
worthy meen in the city and a credit to the in?
otitution. Mr. W. A. Macdonald, in secbnding
said that the president had devoted a consider
able amount of time and intelligence to the
heospital, by whiah the committoo haldt greatly
benefited.
In responding the president acknowledged the
generous help given by the public. He hoped
Hospital Saturday would never be allowed to
lapse again, as it gave numbers of people op
portunities they would not otherwiseo have to
help the hospital. The amount obtained from
the ball was ridiculous considering the antount
of work put into it. In a few hours' work on the
S?atlurday double the sum wc-s obtained. He wish
led to say that the secretary had at all times
donl particularly good work. He thanked thie
committee for entrusting him with the care of
the hospital as president for two years. He loon.
ml back with anything but pleasure to the first
12 months, but the last 12 months hoad- more
than atoned.
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