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65
A Provisional Committee was formed to start the work.
This Committee consisted of the Mayor (Alderman S. H.
Cuff), the Chairman of the Guardians (Alderman Syer),
Councillor W. H. Dawson, the Rev. A. M. Pickering, Dr.
Sidney Davies (Medical Officer of Health), Dr. J. S. Williamson,
Miss H. E. Grinling, Messrs. G. Bishop, J.P., J. Houlihan,
C. E. S. Phillips, E. Radford, R. G. Thomas, and the
Rev. L. Jenkins Jones. The two latter were appointed Hon.
Treasurer and Hon. Secretary respectively, and Mr. Dawson
President of the Council, and Dr. Davies, Chairman of the
Executive Committee.
It was decided to accept the offer of the Borough Council
to let the old Milk Depot in Maxey Road, Plumstead, at a
nominal rent, and to convert it, according to plans made by
Mr. J. Rush Dixon (Borough Engineer), into premises suitable
for a dispensary.
In June, Dr. Latimer J. Short was appointed Medical
Officer of the Dispensary, to give his whole time to the duties
and in September Miss Z. Longstaff was appointed Nurse.
Work on a small scale actually began on September 21st,
1911, and the formal opening of the Dispensary took place on
October 5th at a large meeting presided over by the Mayor.
An appeal was made for funds to carry on the work, and the
Central Fund promised to pay 75 per cent. of the expenses
of the work.
The work grew at a rate very much greater than had been
anticipated, and, in fact, before the Dispensary had been open
one year no less than 2,000 persons were examined by the
Doctor, nearly one-half of whom proved either tuberculous
or 'suspect.'
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