NOT CONSULTED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 97, 14 August 1945, Page 5

NOT CONSULTED

j HOSPITAL BOARD'S COMPLAINT POSSIBILITY OF AMALGAMATION In answer to a question by Mr Suckling at last week's meeting as to why the Board had not been ai> proached in the matter of the sug gested amalgamation with the Waikato district, the Chairman of the Hospital Board (Mr L. Buddie) said that the only intimation he had received of the move to merge with the bigger Hospital Board had been through the press, Mr Buddie said there had been no communication at all. Contributing bodies were quite within their rights conferring on aiiy matters relative to the hospital but he did wonder why when delegates bad been appointed to interview the Waikata Board there had been no approach made to the local board to lie a part}' to the investigation. He would be interested to see whether the Waikato Board would be prepared tr discuss the merger without representatives of the Whakatane noard being present. He added that personally it did not affect him but from the Board's point of view it would have been useful to have been conversant with all the information possible. He had an open mind on the subject—amalgamation might be beneficial but it was, not only a matter of finance.

Mr McCready said he was, not greatly disturbed about the point raised. Everything done to date was purely of an investigatory character. The suggestion looked attractive from the outside but when more carefully examined might not be so. In that case the Board would not hear any more about the scheme, but if it did transpire that the ratepayers would be saved half their existing then no time would be lost in contacting the Board officially. Mr Mullins: Seeing that the suggestion originated in this Board room don't, you think it was common courtesy to invite members? Mr McCready: Well you have three of us who were there automatically. Mr Mitchell: You were not there by invitation as a Hospital Board member. Mr McGougan said that he had been somewhat surprised at the discussion and personally had been one who considered the chairman should have been invited. However he too had an open mind on the subject and i'elt that if the mergence took place there would be little opposition from the. members of the board if the scheme meant an improvement on the present position. It would certainly take a lot of worry off their hands.