SANATORIUM SITE VISTTED

Chronicle (Levin), 14 May 1947, Page 4

SANATORIUM SITE VISTTED

SLITABILITY IMPRESSES MR. J. ■*. . . f, maiier . At the invitation of the Levin ;Junibr Chamber of Commerce, 'Mr; J. J*. Maher; M.P. for Otaki, yesterday visited the site in Levin for the proposed tuberculosis sanatGrium. Mr. Ma'herv* who- was aCb'ompUnfed' by the .secretary of the chamber, Mr. G. H. Sorensbff, afid' Mr. El- B. Tyrreil; was very impressed with the site. Mr. 'Maher stated that it had everything necessary for such an ihstitution. The main feature was that it could' be madc self supporting, there! beihg ampl'e sui'table ); grourid1 fof thd estahlihhmCfit of gardens for the growing of produce. This was & very good pornt, - continued Mr. Maher, as it would give the- patients an mterest m life. "It will be something of their 'OWff', Whi'ch* I am s"uive is what ' every patient wants." Its close ■proxi-mity' to* a growingi' townv highway and railway station was also a strong point in its favour, ihe eOfftaffuecP. The" patients would h'e* eaSily aceessibfe fo* fffends and_ 1 .relatiives, which fact was of para-' :mount importance, as he believed -such* v-isits did much to assist the ;patients back to- good health. , Mr. Maher showed considerable \ iinter'est in the technical details of * the proposed' sanatorium and asked many questions as to water' SUpply, the number of patients and silze of staff and the reaetion of the local people* to the proposal.In answer to- a question as *to . th'e number of pati'ents expected* from Wellington, Mr. Sorenson said he underStoodt that 46 per , ;cent of them would be supplied by (that eity. The establishment nf a sanatorium here would bring £100,000 annually into Levin and increase its population by a further quarter of the present figure. Many of the patients' friends and' relati-veS* might later reside here, land- a' considerable portion of the staff. The construction of a sanatorium in Levin would- b'e' a great asset to* the* town, and* the Junior Chamber was fully behind the scheme. There had been some suggestion, continued Mr. Sorenson; that the* health1 of the resi'dents might be endangered, but the chamber had* gone to1 considerable trouble to obtain the i opinions' of expert medical men, who had refuted such a theory, Tt was intend'ed to- publish these ■statements s'oon, and on Thursday, the chamber Wa*s invlting the , Medical Superintenaent of the 'Otaki Sanatorium, Dr. T. M. Wilsdn, to glv'e h-is; views ea the sub- . •ject. 1 Mr. Maher evinced keen interest and stated that he, too, would like to attead the meeting. onT Thursday. The site was in the 'Manawatu electorat'e, and for that reason any move on his- part to* support the Junior Chamber of Commerce to ensure that the sanatorium would come to Levin, 'Would', as a matter* of courtesy, be made in c'onjunction with Mr. M. H. Oram, M.P. for that electorate. He suggested that the Junior ' Chamber ' alSO fnyite* Mr. Oram to* the meetihg. He - was' -completeiy*.' " .satisfied with the site, which he* •d'esCribed as a "perfect" one, with! an excellent outlook and the added advantage of good cleaniland. The town would" be well-* advised to support the scheme, hvhfch would ultimately benefit every citizen. At the conclusion of the inspection. Mr. Maher alsb visited the proposed sit'e for the* new maternity home, with which he also expressed satisfaction, promising that he would do everything in his ,power to expedite the erection of the- building.