PAEROA HOSPITAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5325, 12 September 1928, Page 2

PAEROA HOSPITAL.

LETTER FROM MINISTER. BOARD DELINES ACTION. At Monday’s meeting of the Thames Hospital Board thte> following letter from the- Hqn. J. A. Joung, Minister of Health, was read : — “I am desirous of giving your boa I ’* l an opportunity of proceeding with this work (the Paeroa hospital) on. the lines of the actual plan apd specifications which have been forwarded to. you. Please, therefore, submit again to your board and let mle,' know immediately after the boa,rd meeting whether the board declines to proceed forthwith with the erection of the hospital. Should the board decline to do so, I would be glad to know whether it is prepared to honour claims for progress payments when made in due course by the Public Works Departmen t. “1 wish to hake it plain that this is the final opportunity which will be affc'irded your board to determinje whether it will proceed with the work, and' if it decline:; to do so the issue of the requisite Order-in-Council which has now been: prepared by the legal authorities will go forward forthwith, and inimMiately after execution the Public Works Department will be asked to advertise for tenders. “I may say in this connection tha.t failure to. communicate the noard’s decision within a week of its next meeting must be taken! as a refusal to proceed' with the work. The Chairman; How many more final notices are we going to get ? I think this is about the fifth we havehad. Mr Hale, who was not present at the previous meeting, asked Mr Branan if he had taken a ny action. He had noticed .that Mr Brenan had been entrusted with the plans to taketo, Paeroa. Mr Brenan replied l in the negative. Mr Parfitt asked why tenders were called an,cl then cancelled. Mr Brenan observed that the newtpapers had given a great deal of space to the Paeroa hospital and perhaps the Government was of the opinion that the papers should get some revcniue in return. Mr Walton drew' attention to the request that the board autliorisfe the payments. Mr Brenan raid he cojuld see no reason, for declining this. The- Mir-istfe-r could extract the money from the board by cither means if payment was declined. Mr Walton moved that the Minister be advised that the payments wruld be made when demanded. Mr Brenan secqndied. Mr Hale suggested that it be worded “if demanded.” Mr Lange 'drew attention to the clause that if no reply was received in a week it would be taken; as a negative reply, Mr Parfitt moped in that direction, and Mr Lange seconded. ■Mr Dauby expressed the hope that before the department proceeded the plans would be amended, as otherwise the building would make the department a laughing stock. The board had had nothing to do with the plans. The chairman, pointed out' that three, plans had been prepare.]. The department had 'had ample oppoirtunity of designing a satisfactory building. The amendment, that the letter lie on the table, was carried on the votes of Messrs Hale. Danby, Lani’e, Flett, and Parfitt, with Messrs Walton, Robinson, and Brenan against. Mr Kennedy was not present, at the time.