NEW HOSPITAL BUILDINGS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 218, 13 March 1912, Page 4

NEW HOSPITAL BUILDINGS

HUGE EXPENDITUKE FORESHADOWED.

By Telegraph—Press Association. Chris "church, Last Night. The North Canterbury Hospital and Charitable Aid Board proposed to expend £20,000 for "an administrative block at Cliristchurch hospital. Dr. Valintine, Inspector-General of llos- • pitals, attended, and gave reasons why such la large sum should not .be expended. He stated that the estimated.» capital expnflitu're to be raised for hos-I,' pital buildings in New Zealand -during—the next five years was £400.000. and that did not include the cost of main—tenance. He had certainly approved of plans for the administrative block, buthad not imagined that they were to cost £20,000. He considered that amount too great, and had, in consequence, thought it necessary to cut down the expenditure. It would certainly be false economy to erect the building in sections if that would cost £3OOO more, but he considered that the question wa&i whether the buildings were necessary'.. It was only a matter of time when Christchurch would have to have an infectious diseases hospital, and taking, that into consideration, he did not consider the erection of an administrative block a wise proposition; ah isolation" ward was much more necessary. Those anxious for the erection of new buildings did not perhaps realise that during the" next few years it would be necessary to, spend £67,500 in Christchurch as follows: Infectious diseases hospital, £12,-' 000; administrative buildings, £20,000:. isolation ward, £800; and the remainder*, to be spent in renovating the (present buildings. According to the chairman, lpcal bodies would be taxed during the nest few years as follows: This year, £6OOO to £7000; 1914, £5000; 1915, £5000; 1916, £5000; a total of £28,000, which, with the Government subsidy, would total £76,000. It was remarkable, too, that though Christchurch was the smallest of the four big hospital centres yet it wanted the biggest and most expensive administrative buildings. Wellington, nearly twice as large as Christ-, church as far as hospitals were coA I cerned, managed with one-half the accommodation proposed to be established by the Christchurch Board. The ward 9 of the Christchurch hospital certainly required attention before the administrative section. It was decided after discussion tliat further plans should be prepared for an administrative block at an estimated cost of' from £lojooo to £12.000, and for an isolation ward estimated to cost from £6OOO to £7OOO. .