PAEROA HOSPITAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5239, 15 February 1928, Page 2

PAEROA HOSPITAL.

SUGGESTIONS BY DR, VALENTINE. BOARD AGAIN DEFERS ERECTION. The question of the erection of the Paeroa maternity and casualty hospital was again the subject of a long discussion by the members at Monday’s meeting 'of the Thames Hospital. Board. The matter was introduced by the receipt of the following letter, dated January 6, from the DirectorGeneral of Health (Dr. T. H. A. Valintiniel) :— “I have the honour to suggest that your board proceed with the erection of the maternity hospital, at Paeroa. So far as. the department is concerned it is absolutely compromised to see that this maternity hospital is erected. You m,ay remember that the question has been definitely before your board for l °ver seveni years. The erection of such maternity (hospital has been agreed to by two, if not three, successive Ministers, and I, as the responsible executive officer of the department, have encouraged the Ministers concerned to agree to the building and equipping of this small maternity hospital. “I quite appreciate the fact that your board is hard put to on account of hospital expenditure ; at the same time I am sure your board recognises that both the department and your board have a responsibility in connection with the proposed institution which must be faced in the njear future. Your board will not 'meet with any difficulty as regards capital expenditure, as I understand that the funds are already in hand. The question of maintenance, however, will devolve on your board, and it is difficult to forecast the amount of the expenditure .under this heading, but it should not exceed the sum of. about £750 net —say, £l2OO a ye.ar, less £450 receipts from fees. “I have discussed this matter with the Mayor of Paeroa .and some of his councillors, and I make the suggestion to your board that the. maternity hospital be put in hand early in the year, so that it will be ready fdr the admissiop of patients on April 1, 1929. Therefore, the expense of. maintenance will, not come on your board until after the date mentioned. I trust that your board will agree: to this proposal.” RESOLUTION BY CHAIRMAN. The chairman (Mr W. E. Hale) said that it was the same old question, and there was nothing further to report. The position for the members to consider w;ae, how many separate institutions could the board maintain. Unfortunately, the department had not seen fit to agree to the alteration of the status of the Waihi Hospital. The whole matter had been fully discussed on) former occasions. There were no new aspects, and the receipt of the department’s letter “cut no ice.” In his opinion there was no. need to prolong the discussion, and he moved :/

“That the secretary reply stating that the board ihad already passed a resolution deferring the question of the erection of. the Paeroa. hospital until the matter of amalgamation with the Waihi hospital district is first disposed of. ' This decision was based on the financial position of the farming community, which has not altered, and the board', therefore, cannot see its way to depart from its previous decision.” Seconded by Mr J. W. Lunge. Mr P. E. Brenan asked whether the chairman would agree to the erection of the Paeroa hospital if the Waihi Hospital amalgamation waist settled. It was apparent that the erection of, the hospital had been deferred because the Waihi Hospital question had not been finally disposed of Mr W. J. Hall said lie wished to make his position quite clear. On former occasions he had voted for the erection of the hospital, but since then he had faced an election during which he 'had pledged his word to the ratepayers he represented in the Thames County that he would oppose the 'erection of the hospital, for t'he time being. He intended to keep that pledge. ■ ’

The chairman said he did not intend to answer Mr Brenan’s question, and moved his resolution in answer to the letter from the Department. Mr Kennedy contended that Mr Brenan’s question was a fair one, and one that deserved an, answer from the chairman. Paeroa had found the money, and the board at one stage had been unanimous that Paeroa should have the hospital. It was. a surprise to know that Mr Hall had decided to vote against the hospital because he had pledged himsfelf to his ratepayers, although he had previously supported the resolution favouring the erection of the hospital. He contended that Mr Hall should resign from either the county council or the Board. .

Mr E. L. Walton asked the chairman to call Mr Kennedy to order and not allow a. personal attack to be made.

The chairman’ ruled that Mr Kennedy confine his remarks to the resolution.

'Continuing, Mr Kennedy said that people’s lives should not be measured by £ s. d. If that was to be done, then Thames did not need a hospital. The up-country members had never refused to sanction anything the Thames members wanted for the main hospital, especially when it came to putting up the maternity annexe, isolation block, and new laundry. The question) of the depresision in the farming community of the country .Was; merely a bogey. Mr C. W. Parfitt pointed out that the Hauraki Plains would have to find nearly 50 per cent. qf the maintenance. The farmers were living under a great handicap, and the drought was not improving matters. The reason why the up-country members had not objected to the erection of buildings at Thames was because there was such a thing as a sprat to catch a mackerel. He strongly supported the resolution on a former occasion, and was still of the opinion that a hospital at Paeroa at the present time was not warranted.

AMENDMENT BY MR. BRENAN. After further discussion Mr Brenan moved as an amendment, that the Di-rector-General be advised that the board was prepared to proceed with the erection of the Paeroa hospital as per the terms, and conditions set out in his letter, subject to the department giving an undertaking that the board would not be asked to assume control of the Waihi HospitalSeconded by Mr Kennedy.

The mover said that the amendment would make the position quite clear to the department, and if carried would remove difficulties. If the board did not intend to proceed with th© Paeroa hospital, then, let the members say so. The board had been holding £7500 for a considerable time, and something definite should be. done. The hospital would fill a long-felt want not only at Paeroa but throughout a large 'area of the board’s district.

Mr A. R. Robinison endorsed the reof Messi’s Brenan and Kennedy, and urged that something definite should be done., Mr Walton said that in his opinion Mr Brenan’s amendment .was a trap, and the members should be wary. The farmers were still experiencing .hard times, but it should be clearly understood that the board was not refusing, but merely deferring, the erection of the Paeroa hospital. Mr Brenan claimed tligt nothing was further from his mind than to set a trap for the members. He was there to do the best ih’e could for the ratepayers who sent him. As a resident of Paeroa for many years he wae qualified to state authoritatively that a hospital, at Paeroa was a necessity. Tihe chairman said he realised Mr Branan’te, position, and it was unfortunate that the majority of the board could not see eye to eye with him. The board had fallen on lean times, and while that state existed it would not hurt Paeroa or any other part of the district to wait awhile. Mr Danby agreed with the, chairman, and quoted instances arising at the Waikato Board’s last monthly meeting with reference to the Te Kuiti .and Huntly cottage 'hospitals, and said that he was compelled, after considered judgment, to smpport the resolution.

After further dLcussion. the amendment was declared lost on the showing of hands, Messrs Brenan, Robinson, arid Kennedy being the only supporters.

Oh the resolution being put it was declared carried by seven votes to three, Messrs Brenan, Robinson, and Kennedy being the dissentients.