PAEROA HOSPITAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4890, 14 October 1925, Page 2

PAEROA HOSPITAL.

BRICK OR WOOD. DEPARTMENT V. BOARD. A long wrangle occurred at the monthly meeting of the Thames Hospital Board on the lines of that at the September meeting on .the question of whether, the proposed hospital at Paeroa should be in brick or wood. The matter arose w'hen the letter from the Director-General of Public Health, Dr. T. H. Valintine, was, read : “I regret to hear that your board at its. recent meeting decided that the proposed Paeroa hospital, should be erected in wood instead of imbrick on the grounds .that a. saving of £11650 would be effected. I very , much regret, as !■ have said, to hear of this decision of your board, but I wish wish to make it clear with all possible respect that I cannot authorise the erection of the building in wood.

“The department, as you know, pays half the capital expenditure.; therefore a sum of £825 only would be saved your board by the erection of the building in wood. I must ask you, therefore, to reconsider this decision. I shall be glad to approve the erection of the Paeroa maternity hospital in brick.” The consent to the capital expenditure of £7350 for .the erection of the building ,in brick; signed by the Hon. Maui Pomare, Minister for Health, was also forwarded. A letter was received from the Thames Borough, Council entering a strong protest against the increased capital expenditure required for building in brick, as it could not see any justification.

The chairman said .that the decision of the bo.ard was obviously not acceptable to the department. Personally,'“he was of opinion that the building should be of wood, as thei e was no doubt that internal structural alterations would have to be made at some tiine. He would favourably consider having brick external walls and wooden internal walls. As representative of the Hauraki Plains County, which body had to find 40 1 cent, of the cost, he could not agree to the extra capital expenditure. Mr Danby said that the reply from the department was simply a demand without any argument. The board was in a better position to consider the requirements of the district. The department had said that it had adopted brick as a policy, yet about three years ago it had approved of the building of ,a wooden hospital in Whakatane. The department was only representative of th.e ratepayers, yet it objected to the considered opinion of the board, bricked up by the opinions of the Thames and Hauraki Plains County Councils and the Thames Borough Council. Mt Brenan said that the department had the final jsay, and had intimated to the~ board that the building was to be in brick. He could not see anything for the board to dp but accept the mandate of the department. He moved that the wishes of the department be acceded .to, and that the lowest tender in brick be accepted by the board.

Mr A. R. Robinson seconded, and pointed out that the people of Paeroahad contributed a big sum of money. The department had its experts to advise it of what class of building would be preferable.

As an amendment Mr Lange moved that the board reaffirm its decision to build in wood, and that the department be asked to consent to this so that the work could be put in hand. Mr W. J. Hall seconded the amendment.

Mr Rowe pointed out that the amendment was a direct negative, He admitted that brick was preferable, but wished to save expense as much as possible.

Mr Brenan contended that if the lowest tender for wood had been £7500 it would have been accepted without demur.

The amendment was then put and carried, Messrs Brenan, Robinson, and Death voting against.

Mr Robinson said that he considered the Thames, members were showing parochialism. The county had been paying for years without demur for improvements and additions at Thames.