OUR NEW HOSPITAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 279, 17 April 1913, Page 7

OUR NEW HOSPITAL.

AN UP-TO-DATE STRUCTURE.

THE BOARD'S PLANS.

During the past year the question of suitable plans for the new hospital at New Plymouth has been before the Taranaki Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, with the result that yesterday there were placed on the table complete plans and specifications from Messrs Atkins and Bacon, architects, of Wellington. The plans provided, they stated, sufficient data to enable the Board to call for and obtain tender*! for the proposed building. They ah'? submitted estimates witli regard to the hot water apparatus and decolyte flooring, for the further information of the Board's superintending architects. Any variation in detail could be readily adjusted by the architect who was superintending the work.

An interesting description of the projected sew building was contained in the animal rejiort of the chairman (Mr. F. C. J. Bellringer), who remarked as follows:

! "The architects have treated the ele- | vations in what may be called modern j hospital style. The plans for the new buildings show a central corridor Bft wide, and on the north side there are three wards of 22 beds each, one of 18 I beds, one of 2 beds, and four of one bed each, and a children's ward of seven beds, with sun room, making in all a total of 9T beds. Each ward opens on to a verandah 10ft Gin wide, and is provided with sanitary annexes, ward kitchen, sterilising room, linen room, cleaner's room, and room for patients' clothes; also situated on the north side of the corridor are the dispensary and matron's quarters. "On the eastern end of the building provision is also made for future extensions, comprising a' ward of 18 beds, with basement under. On the south side of the corridor are the main entrance, accident room, staff rooms, matron's offices, etc., operating chamber, X-rays rooms, kitchen 'block, with servant's quarters on first floor, boiler room, linen room, padded room, etc. A detached laundry building is situated at the west end. The building is to he constructed of brick, rough cast outside, with red brick dressings, and plastered inside. The verandahs, sun room, waiting rooms and single-bed wards are constructed of reinforced concrete, with flat roofs of similar materials. The main roofs are covered with Marseilles tiles. The heating is by hotwater radiators, and a complete system of hot-wgiter radiation and supply is prowith three 'ldeal' boilers in boiler room, libt-water boiler to kitchen range,: iind pile steam boiler in laundry, and the heating is divided into six circuits as under: Principal radiation circuit, operating wing circuit, principal domestic circuit, kitchen wing circuit from range,' laundry steam heater, laundry domestic circuit. A complete installation of electric light and power and telephone, service and electric bells are provided; all conduits and pipes are carried in subways in concrete under the corridors, etc. The floors of entrance, telephone, main corridors, ward corridors, ward kitchens, sterilising rooms, all bathrooms and w.c.'s, kitchen, pantry, scullery, etc., also operating chamber and sink rooms, are of decolyte laid in concrete. The floors of laundry block are cement; all other floors to be in wood.

"The walls of entrance, corridors, ward kitchen, seryerys, staircases, sterilising rooms, bathrooms and w.c.'s are to be of Keen's cement, with painted dado, Avails painted and flatted above dado and ceilings distempered. The walls of large wards, children's ward and sun room, one and two-bed wards, waiting room and dispensary are to be plastered, with painted dado, walls painted and flatted above dado and ceiling distempered; all other walla and ceilings to be distempered. The drainage is connected to the existing sewer at the present hospital. The storm-water drains are taken to the gully at the

kick of existing laundry. "The following provisions] sums are "provided in the specifications:—£loo for drying-house for laundry; £9O for kitchen range; £BSO for sanitary lutings from Doulton and Co.. London; £(i(!3 7s Cd for hot-water boilers, radiators and fittings from Messrs Jenkins and Mack", Wellington:. £l3O for electric light fittings; £302 for Deeolite and fixing; total, £2225 Os fid. TIM COST. 'T)ie estimated cost of the new building will he £33,000. Of tins amount the Government will provide £1(1,500, and the six contributing authorities will be required to provide a similar amount, allocated as follows: £ Tarannki County Council 5344 Xew Plymouth Borough Council 4070 Egmont Countv Council 3(120 Clifton County' Council 2557 Waitara Borough Council 507 Inglewood Borough Council 3i)3 £10,500 "The plans and specifications have been approved hv the Department, and tenders will doubtless be invited almost immediately, and it is anticipated that the buildinfs will be completed within about eighteen months. It will therefore be necessary for the contributing authorities to make early provision to meet their allocations as above set forth." PAYING THE PIPER. A SERIOUS POSITION..

The proposal to call tenders gave rise to a lengthy discussion, liin-riiiy on the impossibility of tlie contributing bodies being able to raise the money without financial backing' from the Government. Mr. Maxwell set the ball rolling by stating that many ratepayers would think that their representatives on the Board were not justified in putting them to further expense In the erection of a new hospital, lie understood, however, that the Hoard had simply to provide, a new building, whether they liked it or not.

Tlie chairman agreed that this was so. stating that the Board had had no option in the matter, tlie Tnspecor-Gen-eral of Hospitals having practically insisted on 11 new hospital.

Mr. Maxwell remarked tbftt the Board could not resist the authorities, and the local bodies, as eontribuors, could not resist the Hoard. This was called local government, but it was rer.lly local administration »t the dictatirn of the Government. The Hoard bad to do as it was directed.

The whole of the money would have to be provided, stated the chairman, within the next six or seven months. If the erection of the. new hospital were not. undertaken, the Board would be put to heavy expense in improvements and additions to the present structure.

Mr. G. W. Browne wanted to know wether the Government would assist the local bodies to find their proportion of the cost, in accordance with the promise given to (he Board by Mr. G. W. Bussell (formerly Minister of Public Health) on the occasion of his visit, to New Plymouth in Itis official capacity. Mr. .T. Itrown was emphatic in his declaration that he would vote against erecting any hospital unless the Government found the money for the local bodies at the same rates as charged by the Advances Board. If the Govern.

ment, as promised by its Minister, was willing to finance the local bodies, then well and good. In his opinion, however, they would be turned down by the Government. As chairman of the Taranaki County Council, he for one was not prepared to saddle his Council with a costly loan, at the rate of oor 7 per cent. The Council was certainly not going to provide it out of overdraft, for, in view of the present severe taxes on their resources, such a course was impossible. Mr. McAllum said that the Government was compelling the Board to erect the hospital. Let them, therefore, provide the money on the best possible terms, £4 17s 6d, the rate mentioned by Mr. Russell.

Mr. Maxwell pointed out that the then Government went back on its promise by almost immediately afterwards issuing a circular to the ell'ect that no money could be advanced to local bodies who had reached the £5(500 limit. Speaking for the Egmont County Council, he said that that body eould not provide a single shilling without the assistance of the Government. It was already put to a severe struggle to finance the heavy upkeep of its roads. He suggested that the Government should be informed that the plans and specifications of the hew hospital were now ready and the erection of the building would be proceeded with as soon as the Board received an assurance that it was prepared to find the money for the local bodies interested.

Mr. Brown was afraid that they had not the remotest chance df getting £16,000 from the Government Advances Board at the present time. . The chairman agreed with the contention that, the Government, having forced the hospital on them, should provide the money. What, however, was the Board to do in the meantime? A sum of £SOO had to be provided almost immediately in payment for the plans of the proposed structure. It was an unfortunate position but as the law stood, the Board, having no rating powers, was compelled to make levies on the local bodies. A wiser course than that suggested by Mr. Maxwell would be for the Board to wait until the local bodies had exhausted all possible means of finding the money and then to inform the Government that the Board could not proceed with the erection of the hospital, as the local bodies were unable to provide the necessary funds.

After further discussion, a motion was passed making a formal request on the local bodies interested for their respective contributions, so as to enable them to make the necessary financial arrangements.

Following on this, Mr. Maxwell moved, and it was decided—"That the Minister bo informed that the plans ami specifications of the proposed new hospital are now ready, but that the Board cannot call for tenders until it is assured that the necessary funds will be available. A levy has been made on the contributing local bodies for the amounts required from them, but as the Hoard knows that those bodies can only provide these sums by raising loans, the Hospital Board would like to be assured that the applications of the contributing local bodies for these loans will be granted. The Board takes the liberty of pointing out that this work is being carried practically on the demand of the Health Department, and that the late Minister (Mr. Russell) assured the Board that the loans would be granted, and granted on the best terms.''