HOSPITAL AT PAEROA.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4933, 1 February 1926, Page 3

HOSPITAL AT PAEROA.

IS IT JUSTIFIED ? BOARD TAKEN TO TASK. The Thames Borough Council has entered the Ijistp In the debate, pre-, viously confined to the members of the Hospital Board, in regard to the Paeroa Hospital. At last week’s meeting (states the "Star”) the discussion! did not centre round the question of whether the building should be of brick or wood, but as to whether a hospital, maternity 6r. otherwise, was now l justi--1 fled. In the council’s opinion it wasn't.

- ■A feature of the debate, which was introduced. by the Mayor, was some talk from the deputy-Mayor, Cr. Bongard. NOT NOW JUSTIFIED. The Mayor said the question was an important one for Thames, where a maternity annexe was. being run at a distinct loss. This made the erection of a hospital at Paeroa, for which the Borbugh would h,ave to pay-heav-ily in the future, altogether unnecessary. Cr. Morley: But the board has already-' agreed to erect a hospital in wood. His Worship admitted this, but contended that- though the hospital might ..have been justified once,. he was re- • 'Tuctahtly compelled to admit that the altered, circumstances had quite ■ changed—the position. He would move: < ■ "That the Council views with alarnx •the proposal before the Thames Hospital and Charitable Aid Board to erect a maternity hospital at Paeroa in brick, or, in fact, the erection of any iiistiution at the present juncture, as it is of opinion- that such is not really needed and would result in ‘.great loss, imposing an undue burden upon the ratepayers of the Thames Borough in common with other parts of the hospital district. “This view is emphasised by the comparatively small use made of the Thames Maternity Annexe (which is open to all prospective mothers, with-r .tlic Hospital district), and the annual,ly -recurring loss; and of similar conditions: in other' places, notably Auckland ; and, furthermore, that the borough representatives be-, urged to oppose the proposal, and to place all the facts, pro and con, before the Insipector-General of Hospitals (Dr. Valintine) on the occasion. of his visit to 1 Thames, with a view to having the or otherwise of the proposed Paeroa Hospital fuflly inquired into before any expenditure is incurred. ■■■■■ ■' “That a copy of the foregoing be sent to the Minister of Health, the

Inspector-General of Hospitals, the Thames Hospital and Charitable Aid ' Board, and the borough representatives on the said board.” QUIBBLING.” * When a seconder was round Cr. Bongard, in announcing that he rather favoured the resolution, strongly commented on the .attitude of the board members, whom, he said, should have openly opposed the erection of the annexe at Paeroa, instead of “quibbling” as to whether it should . be a brick or wooden building. There was only a. trivial difference in the two costs, and the. attitude of the Thames representatives on the board was considered a ridiculous one in Auckland and other districts, and had caused a distinctly unfavourable impression. The real facte of the case were well known to the Jpcal representatives on .the Board, and they should produce flguresi and facts to ■ show definitely that a hospital at Pae-. roa would be a financial failure. The Thames, maternity annexe had not proved a success, and there was little hope of success for a similar institution at Paeroa. It wasi his opinion that this aspect of the question had been side-tracked.; Cr. Mackay, in reminding - the meeting that he was a member of a previi oils hospital board, put in a plea, for the continuance of the project, which, when mooted, had not been objected to by any. local body. The Thames Borough Council had actually supported the. proposition, and Was committed to the erection, of the institution. Paeroa, which was! becoming an important railway centre; required a hospital. He was. sorry that the Thames Borough Council had seen fit th raise the question. ‘lf a mistake has been made it is too late now to try and, get out of it,” he concluded. The Mayor replied that his resolution was made necessary by the altered circumstances. f ’ Cr.' Mackay further stated that a petition praying for permission ,to divert certain moneys, collected at Pae-

roa, to the building 'of a hospital there, had actually been signed by the Thames Borough Council. The Mayor said he had no recollection of this. The motion was carried.