Denaby Hospital Sunday – The Motorists’ Dues.

July 1929

Mexborough and Swinton Times July 26, 1929

Denaby Hospital Sunday

The Motorists’ Dues.

The annual hospital demonstration at Denaby Main last blindly was favoured by brilliantly hot weather, and aroused a good deal of public interest. The procession was longer than ever, and included one or two little tableaux bearing on hospital work which were much admired. The fire brigades of Mexborough, Wombwell Wath and Conisborough turned out to add picturesqueness to the procession.

The usual service was held in a field adjoining the hospital, and a large choir of Sunday School children was conducted by Mr. J. Moorhouse. Mr. L. C. Hodges, general manager of the ,Denaby, Cadeby and Maltby Collieries, presided, and with hint on the platform were Mr. F. W. Lindley, M.P. (Rotherham), Mr. Tom Williams, M.P. (Don Valley), Pastor J. Smyth, of the Wesleyan Church, and Mr. Sam Johnson, secretary of the Fullerton Hospital.

The Chairman said that the cause of the hospitals was one which commanded the sympathy of everybody. Recently he had the pleasure of looking’ over the Fullerton Hospital, and was very gratified with all he saw there. The patients looked very comfortable, and it was quite clear that ‘the hospital was well managed. There were people who thought that the hospitals would he better taken over by the State, but he hoped that would not be necessary. So long as the hospitals could be kept going by voluntary means, and the rigidity of State control avoided, it would be better for those who had to use and to manage the hospitals.

Pastor Smyth spoke of the Christian aspect of hospital work.

Mr. Lindley remarked that whatever exception might be taken to Sunday meetings in general, nobody minded Sunday gatherings in support of the hospitals. He had not had the advantage of inspecting the Fullerton hospital, but he could well understand that it was an institution of which the neighbourhood was very proud. He had yet to come across a hospital which was not well managed. Money given to the hospitals could not possibly be better bestowed. In Great Britain there were 790 voluntary hospitals, not including those in London, and they provided nearly 50,000 beds. In 1927, the last year for which figures were available, they dealt with 800,000 in-patients and over 3,000.000 out-patients. He would not be satisfied until every hospital was secure as to its endowment. Of the funds at present raised for hospitals, workpeople by organised subscriptions were responsible for 45 per cent. Mr. Lindley proceeded to call attention to the financial strain (placed upon hospitals by a modern development, the greatly increased number of road accidents. In 1927, the hospitals had to deal with 39.000 persons injured in this way, and the total cost to the hospitals was £230.000, of which the patients paid only £36.000, leaving the rest to be paid by the contributors to the hospitals. That was not right or reasonable and there was a feeling among hospital authorities that there should be ‘ some attempt to fix the responsibility. The most convenient way undoubtedly would be to require every motorist to make provision through his insurance.

Mr. Sam Johnson gave some particulars of the finances and the work of the hospital for the last year. He mentioned that the total income of the hospital in 1928 was £6,611, and the total expenditure £4,376. The Committee were able to pay off a small overdraft, and £2,000 of a loan granted by the Colliery Company free of interest. During the year 314 patients were admitted, and  1,571 out  patients were dealt with.

A vote of thanks to the chairman and speakers was moved by Mr. Tom Williams, M.P., and seconded by Mr. Ben Gethen, chairman of the Fullerton Hospital Committee. The procession was marshalled by Mr. Frank Cousins, assisted by Messrs. J. Regan, R. Middleton and R. Lawrence.