CONFLICT ABOUT FOOD. MELBOURNE August 23.
Mr. V. Tanner, Police Magistrate, sitting as a Royal Commission, today resumed his inquiry into the allegations made in Parliament by Mr Hogan, M.L.A, regarding the conduct of the Greenvale Sanatorium, a Government institution for patients suffering from tuberculosis.
Florence A. Gillon, who was a patient between January and June, 1917, said that the meat was always fly-blown during the warm weather.
Mrs Dora Jean Crooks, who had been a nurse at the sanatorium for five months from September to October, 1917, stated that when the milk used at breakfast was poured on the porridge it went sour.
The probationary nurse used to say that at dinner time they had to water the milk to make it go round. She had been told that cream was sold to dairies. In her opinion patients did not get enough nourishing food, and there was not a sufficient variety, owing to meat being fly-blown in the hot weather. Many of the patients constantly refused to eat it.
Referring to food brought by the friends of patients, witness stated that the nurses were told by Dr Brown to take these parcels away, and not to allow patients to eat rubbish.
When Dr Bird was superintendent there was enough milk to go round without the addition of water, also plenty of vegetables, a variety of puddings, and honey and jam.
When Dr Brown took charge the supply of milk and meat was cut down, and the honey and jam were stopped.
Mr. H. W. Shelton appearing for Alfred Austin (Dr.) Brown the medical superintendent of the institution, put in as exhibits a long series of menus which, he said, showed that the food supplied was much more plentiful and varied than Mrs Crooks had indicated.
Frederick. Hagelthorn, M L C , stock and station agent, having obtained permission to make a statement, said that he had received no presents whatever from the sanatorium.
Mr Hogan’s charge to this effect probably had its origin in the fact that when he was ill last year Mrs Brown brought out to his house at Malvern a cooked fowl, and that when he was Minister for Health Dr Brown brought into his office a few vegetables as specimens to show him what could be grown.
When Minister of Agriculture he had often had similar specimens brought to his office. On another occasion Mrs. Brown took out to his house a pair of ducks. He was not at home at the time but in any case he would have accepted the present, because he took it that the ducks were Mrs. Brown’s private property.
The only other gift he ever received from a public institution was a loaf of bread from a gaol. (Laughter) Mr Brown confirmed Mr Hagelthorn’s statements. The vegetables given to Mr Hagelthorn were grown on the institution’s land, while the country was the private property of Mrs. Brown.
Daniel W. Grimwood, a patient of the sanatorium for six and a half years, said that he once took out a pair of fowls to Mr Hagelthorn’s house. Those fowls, which were not those referred to by Mr. Hagelthorn, were taken out of the sanatorium poultry yard.
He had seen a pair of ducks sent to Mr Holmes and Dr. Robertson. He saw clothing in Dr Brown’s own house in a tin trunk. There were suits of clothes, collars, pyjamas and so on. Nearly all remarked Gunnersen. He was promised a suit of clothes, and two silk shirts by Mrs. Brown, but did not get them (Laughter) he was going to tell the truth
DISCLOSURES AT INQUEST 1918
previous article
next article
Leave a Reply