Sessional_Paper_1916 — Page 93

Sessional Papers 議政定例兩局文件 All

88

they tried to run their hospitals the way we run ours. Therefore I have been forced to the conclusion that some reorganisation is necessary. I am going to make, with the approval of the Secretary of State, an increase in the staff for the specific purposes mentioned, but I would inform hon. members that in my opinion we must place a limit to the number of sisters doing the ordinary work of the hospital. It is not at all necessary that the Childar pirates should have the ten- der care of white nurses; something less expensive ought to be good enough for them. The hon. member who proposed the resolution took some exception to the answers to these questions. Really I cannot understand why. I took a good deal of trouble over them myself, and I thought really I had given him all the in- formation he asked for. He referred to question 6. We told him we had got one nurse already on the spot, and another coming-Miss Bone-but I am sorry to say she is delayed through having to pass an extra examination. The successor to Miss Gourley was asked for on the 21st January, and the successor to Miss Wilkes, now the wife of our much esteemed chief clerk, was applied for on the 13th February, and I don't think we could have done it much sooner. Regarding question 4, I must say as I read it there is a great misapprehension,

The hon. member was talking about sisters being liable to be sent to Kennedy Town Hospital, and of others being liable to be sent out private nursing. No such thing. The sisters sent out private nursing are quite separate. I was extremely sorry to hear the peroration of the hon. member in which he accusel the Govern ment of treating the questions of unofficial members in an adverse and hostile spirit. It would pain me very much if I felt that there was any justification for it, but I know my hon. friend on the left (the Colonial Secretary) is the personi- fication of politeness, if I may say so, and he is always ready to give any informa- tion he can and as for myself, I think I have always shown myself ready to help. unofficial members all I possibly could, but I hate to waste my own time and the time of others, and I think if you leave this matter in the hands of the P.C.M.O., who has had experience at home and in East Africa, the hon. member on my left, who has had experience in the Federated Malay States and the Straits Settlements where there are very large hospitals, and my humble self, who have had experi- ence in the Colony of Fiji, where they have a medical department which can show Hongkong some points, hon. members may r st assured the matter will be properly, sympathetically and adequately dealt with, with due regard to economy.

Hon. Mr. Pollock-I ask for a division to be taken on this motion.

A vote was then taken, and resulted as follows :-

Ayes-Hon. Mr. Wei Yuk, Hon. Mr. Hewett, Hon. Mr. Shellim, Hon. Mr. Pollock, Hon. Mr. Lau Chi Pak.

Noes-The General Officer Commanling, the Colonial Secretary, the Colonial Treasurer, the Director of Public Works, the Captain Superintendent of Police, the Attorney General,

The resolution was declared lov.

Enclosure 7.

MEMORANDUM ON VACANCIES IN THE NURSING Staff

AND STEPS TAKEN TO FILE. THEM.

Two of the three additional Sisters arrived in the Colony on the 27th October, 1914, and the third on the 19th of November, 1914. These additions brought the Staff up to 1 Matron, 16 Sisters, 12 Probationer Nurses and 1 Maternity Nurse. In addition there were 2 Sisters of the Private Nursing Staff.

Comments

Approved members can add comments, bookmarks, and private notes.

No comments yet.

Private Research Note

Private notes are available after approval.