HOSPITAL DISTRICTS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 5066, 17 December 1926, Page 4

HOSPITAL DISTRICTS.

THOFER & WAIHI AMALGAMATION

POSITION OF PAEROA HOSPITAL.

At Monday's meeting o'f the-Thames Hospital and Charitable Aid Board Mr P. E. Brenan referred, to the proposal that the board, should take over tjie Waihi hospital district, and drew attention to discussion which had taken place previously on ,the matter. He said that in the minds of some of the members the-question of amalgamation of the two districts was seriously prejudicing the prospects Of the early erection of the Paeroa hospital. He wished to move that the Minister of Health be written to and asked for his final decision with reference to the. proposed amalgamation.

In seconding the motion, Mr C. W. Kennedy said that the board would no doubt have the satisfaction o’f reaching finality in the matter. ■Mr J. W. Danby said that he was not in 'favour of the resolution for the reason that, if the Minister was 'forced to give a reply his decision would probably follow along the line of lejast resistance, which would mean amalgamation. He would rather the Minister met the two boards in conference. The Waihi board and the department no doubt favoured amalgamation, while the Thames board opposed it, and the Thames board’s objection might be' over-ruled. He was prepared to aiccept the Minister as a commissioner in the matter. The Hon. J. A.’Young was new to his office and he would'not have the'intimate knowledge of the details to give a decision on so important a matter. To date the department had not ’forwarded a mandate to the board, and it was not desirable, to force one;.

Mr Brenan said that the matter had been turned down by the boards, concerned, .and the move was from the department. It was. not fair to place the proposed amalgamation as an obstacle, in t,he‘ way the Paeroa hospital.

Mr E. L. Walton said that e|malgamation did mot dispose of the. farmers’ difficulties and objections to t,he erection of the Paeroa hospital. Mr Kennedy said that he was far more concerned about the early erection of the hospital than he was about amalgamation. At this time of the year the board members should be singing Christmas carols rather than being antagonistic towards each other. The department should be called upon to go ahead with the erection of the hospitals The case w'afc without, precedent, for the reason that the board had the land and the money in hand for the purpose. If certain board members continued their opposition taetjes drastic action would be taken. It was absurd to go on as the. board, was doing, and promises made by predecessors in office should be fulfilled. The matter had ,to be brought, to a finality and the undertakings honoured.

“ THINGS NOT WHAT THEY SEEM.”

Mr Walton said that things were not what they seemed to be. Thq mover and seconder were aiming at getting the Paeroa hospital through amalgaimation, and it was not desirable to confuse the .two matters. He submitted that the -resolution was quite out of order. AMALGAMATION HOLD-UP. Mr R. Robinson, said that the. board in its letter to the Paeroa Borough Council had advanced the bogey of amalgamation one of the reasons foi* the- hold-up of the Paerpa hospital. Mr Brenan’s resolution was to dispose of the amalgamation question, so that the way would be clear for the erection of the hospital. As a representative of the Ohinemuri County .Council, comprising lairge farming interests, he thought that the resolution was justified and the early erection of Paero'a’s hospital was justified. The members; in opposition on the board had no real grounds for objection. The board had no right to take the money and accept raj trust unless the purposei for which it was. collected was honoured. Lt, behoved the- board, to tarry no longer. On other occasions the casting vote of the chairman had enabled the board to defer the matter, but the position could not always prevail. He appealed to the chairman to stand to his gunq and make a definite move in the matter. A RULING SOUGHT. Mr Walton rose and asked for a ruling as to the validity oji the motion before the meeting.

The chairman said that the first portion with regard to amalg®imatipn was in order, but any reference to the Paeroa hospital could not bei accepted.

On receiving this ruling Mr Brenan asked for a copy of the letter folwarded to the department in which it was. stated that the erection of the Paeroa hospital was being deferred, among other pending the amalgamation question with Waihi be,ing disposed of.

The secretary produced a letter to the Director-General of Health dated October 20 which, on being read, wah clearly on the lines of Mr Brenan’s resolution a,nd Mr Robinson’s contention.

To meet the. ruling of the chairman, and in order to obtain finality, Mr Brenan moved that the Minister be asked for a- reply.

Mr Robinson .asked the chairman if Mr Walton still objected to the resolution.

•Mr Walton said that he still objected, because the erection of the hospital was being discussed bind a resolution moved under the guise of amalgamation. He aske,d if it was competent for Mr Robinson to dispute the ruling already given by the chairman. Mr Robinson replied that ho still considered the chairman was ruling incorrectly and unfairly in view c*f the correspondence.

Mr Brqnjyn said it was inevitable that the chairman’s ruling must be accepted, even though members thought he was wrong. The matter of amalgamation in connection with the Paeroa hospital had been moved by Mr Walton and seconded by thq chairman, and,-further, it had been carried on the casting vote of the chairman.

Mr Danby suggested that the resolution was asking for a reply ' to a reply sent forward by- the board to the Director-General..

Mr Brenan-reminded Mr Danby that it wasfffv fair proposition to ask the department, what its intentions were. The remarks parsed by Mr Danby could not be taken seriously, surely. Mr Danby stated that he believed in the sincerity of Mr Brenan, but that he was using a side issue to promote a principle.

Mr C. W. Parfitt then moved that befare a decision on the amalgamation question- was arrived at the Minister of Health be asked to act as chairman of a conference of the Waihi and Thames bo.ards and hear evidence on the question.

Mr Robinson interjected that the amendment sounded as if it had be.ea inspired by a solicitor.

Mr Walton seized the cue, and said that to show how good he thought it he was going to second it. Mr Brenan contended that-..the amendment was out of order. The position to be arrived at was.: Did the Minister intend to use his. full or did he intend to ignore the promises o'f his predecessor and climb down, and in so doing evolve; some othei scheme.

Mr W. J. Hall said that he was pledged to support the erection of the Paeroa hospital, but he- was opposed to amalgamation. Mr Walton said something to the effect that Mr Hall’s, supporters were trying to force gn issue to which he was opposed. Mr Kennedy suggested that Mr Walton should withdraw his insinuations. There had been enough side-stopping and quibbling already. Mr Walton said it was quite evident that his up-country, friends were willing to risk amalgamation in order to get the Paeroa hospital greeted.

Messrs Brenan .and Robinson stremu■ously denied the allegation, and maintained that they were there to further and study the. interests of the ratepayers.

Mr Walton: “The guilty flee where none pursueth.”

The chairman, said it was evidentthat an endeavour had been madq to intioduce the Paeroa hospital through round-about methods. Although he had been accused of back-sliding, there was, no foundation of the accusations. The next move- would come from the department, and in his opinion it was the duty of the board to wait for it. It was quite impossible for a small hospital board to maintain three or four institutions. For the. present,. as well as for the future, it was. the duty of the whole of the board to conserve the expenditure in every way possible.

The resolution with the addition df Mr Parfitt’s, words,, that before: a decision was arrived at the Minister of Health.be requested tp act as. chairman of a con erence of the Waihi and Thames boards and hear evidence on the question of amalgamation, was carried, Messrs Brenan Robinson, and Kennedy recorSing their , votes against it.