PAEROA HOSPITAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 5057, 26 November 1926, Page 2

PAEROA HOSPITAL.

COUNTY AND BOROUGH UNITE.

REPRESENTATIONS TO MINISTER.

“I do order that the Thames Hospitai Board shall erect a maternity home containing 6 beds apd a casualty ward containing 2 beds at Paeroa. This is, briefly an order of the Su-

preme Court of New Zealand which the Thames Hospital Board is deliberately ignoring, though it has ac-

cepted another part of the order which assigned to it certain valuable

lands and large sums of trust money.

On this mopey the Hospital Board has collected a Government subsidy, and

towards the cost of the hospital it

has already collected 75 per cent, of the capital levy rates necessary, and by the end of the year will -have collected the whole of the levy. Despite all this, the members of the present Hospital Board are holding up the proposal fostered by their predecessors. On Wednesday the. Ohinemuri County Council promised its hearty support and co-operation to the Paeroa Borough Council'in any action it might deem fit to bring about the erection of the hospital. It also agreed to ask the Thames; Hospital Board to honour the agreement of its predecessors, and further decided to make representations to the Minister df Public Health urging him to exercise the powers given under the Act and compel' the bpard to go on with the project. The matter was brought before the Ohinemuri County Council by the Mayor of Paeroa (Mr W. Marshall) and Cr. P. E. Brenan ajt Wednesday’s meeting. Mr Marshal) traced the history of the movement during the last 29 years from when the first money was raised, and mentioned that in 1920 the funds in hand were pass.ed over to the Hospital Board. The Minister of Health sanctioned the hospital, and the Paeroa Borough Council went to considerable trouble closing streets, etc., to consolidate the' block of land. The Hospital Board then in office called tenders for the erection of the building, but as opposition to the project was growing the matter had been held up since then on one pretext or another, and it was now very evident that the present board was hostile, despite the pledge given by their predecessors. In reply to the county chairman Cr. A. R. Robinson, the council’s representative on .the Hospital Board, said that some, of the member? had given an election pledge to oppose the Paeroa hospital. The last division of the board had been decided on the casting vote of the chairman, w'ho had .pre-?, viously supported the; ■ scheme but who had given an election pledge against it. The Mayor pointed out that the present Minister of Health had stated that he; would honour the promise df his predecessor, and was of the opinion that the board would eventually go on with the proposal without compulsion being exercised. Mr Marshall pointed out that the board was using the cry of poverty among the farming community, yet a deputation from Ne,therton farmersfavourable to the project had been heard on the floor eft the House last yea,r.

Cr. Hubbard urged approaching the Minister of Health.

The chairman said that the action of the Hospital Board in accepting the trust money and making .the capital levy and then holding up the pro-; posal indefinitely constituted a grave breach of trust. It was holding land and money on false pretences, and it was the duty of the council to see that the money was used for the purpose intended. The council should ■make, representations to the Minister, as it was of no use going to the Hos; pital Board. Cr. Mace asked the position in regard to the. Waihi Hospital. Mr Brenan replied .that the idea of ajmalgamating the two districts was the Health Department’s.

Cr. Mason said that this excuse was only a bogey.

Mr Brenan agreed, and said that the. matter was now'closed. Cr. Mason said that the Hospital Board hejd sufficient money to p'ay for the erection, and if it was not intended to spend that money a refund should be made. He thought it might be advisable to make representations to the board.

The chairman said that as somfe members had given pledges to the electors he did not see-that representations would have any effect. Ths voting would probably be the same as before.

Cr. Robinson pointed out that not all members were pledged, and therefore representations might influence some votes,

Mr Brenan explained that owing to the personnel of .the board having, altered since 1920, when the proposal was adopted, some of the present members were hostile, as they held the opinion that the hospital would’ not pay. He did not think that any hospital paid, and thus it was not right to deprive Paeroa pf its just dues on that account. For many years the Ohinemuri County had been the largest contributor to the Thames Hospital and nd protests had been made. He felt that the board was side-stepping, and urged that the Minister of Health be requested to exercise his powers under the ’Act and compel the board to- erect the hospital.

This was agreed to by the council, which also promised support and cooperation to the Borough Council,