Diseases Block For City Domain

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 819, 13 November 1929, Page 11

Diseases Block For City Domain

WILL COST .v. 35.039 HOSPITAL BOARD DECISION Within half an hour of the opening of a special meeting yesterday afternoon the Auckland Hospital Board decided to build on its Domain site an infectious diseases block costing £35.039. This amount represented the amended tender of the Fi etc her Construction Co.. Ltd. SLIGHT tenders lor the «re la-n : ;h block were considered l>> f Inboard at its previous meeting, the . lowest being that of the Fletcher Construction Company. Limited, which submitted quotations of £41.531 ami £60.790 for alternative blocks of three < and live storeys. The boards architects, Messrs. Brown and Kirk, estimated that the alternative schemes could be carried out for £33,500 and C 52.500 respectively. After considerable discussion it was decided to refer the lowest , tender to the Building Committee, which was to confer with the architects and Mr. C. S. Allan, technical adviser to the Health Department. When the meeting opened this afternoon, Mr. W. Wallace, chairman, announced that the building committee recommended the acceptance of the Fletcher Construction Co.’s Tender of £35,030. Mr. E. H. Potte moved that the committees report be adopted. Mr. J. Dempsey seconded the motion. Mr. S. J. Harbutt rose immediately and moved that the report be not accepted. and that plans and specifications for a less costly building bo 1 prepared. Dr. E. B. Gunstm seconded this, motion. At the request of members. Dr. T. H. A. Valintine, DirectorGeneral of Health, who attended the: meeting, expressed his view and said 1 he was absolutely of the opinion that i the infectious diseases block should . be erected in the grounds of the Auckland Hospital. He was aware that a section of the Press and the medical profession opposed this. The proposed site at Manurewa was about 12 i miles away. It would cost about £BO,OOO to build there, and a skeleton staff would have to be kept. “I would deplore any suggestion of large expenditure on an infectious diseases hospital in Auckland/’ Dr. Val- j intine added. “It must be remembered that before long the board will have to consider the erection of a hospital on the North Shore.’* In the course of the ensuing dis-1 mission Mr. Wallace coupled the name of Mr. Harbutt with the trenchant; criticism of the attitude adopted by an Auckland newspaper (not The Sun) which he said had diagnosed publicopinion wrongly as it had done in the , case of the recent Parliamentary election. Turning to Dr. Valintine, Mr. Wallace asked: “Do you consider 140 1 beds to be ample?” Dr. Valintine: Ye s. Dr. Gunson asked if an Infectious diseases hospital were being considered would Dr. Valintine consider the block to be too big. Dr. Valintine: It is difficult to say. j T do not regard this as an isolation j block —I regard it as an isolation hos-! pital. Dr. Gunson: So do I. But the board; does not. It regards the building as a block. Mr. Harbutt resented his name being coupled with the chairman’s re- \ marks concerning the newspaper. That paper was so full of inaccuracies that its opinion was not worth troubling about and he had ceased to pay any attention to it. His opposition was based on the fact that in bis opinion the proposed cost of the block was too high. Mr. Wallace withdrew the portion of his comment concerning Mr. Harbutt. Mr. Potter’s motion was then put to the meeting and carried on the voices, Dr. Gunson and Mr. Harbutt being the dissentients. The meeting then went into cornmil tee.