NEW NURSES' HOME.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 January 1918, Page 3

NEW NURSES' HOME.

QUESTION OF SITE. DIVERGENT VIEWS The question of the site fur the erection of a new nurses' home at the New Plymouth hospital was discussed at yesterday's meeting of the board,, when it was apparent that members were not unanimous as to where the home should be built. The chairman (Mr. W. Fraser) said he was of opinion there was no longer any reason for delaying the work. The old board, when it had decided upon the erection of a new home for the nurses, had hoped that the war would soon be over and that the work would proceed under normal conditions. The land on wliich it had been intended to erect the home had been bought as the result of a report by the Finance Committee. He mentioned that estimates for the coming year would have to be prepared soon, and he suggested that the proper thing to do was to appeal to the contributing bodies for the amount required and to the Government for the subsidy on the amount raised. He moved as the first, step that the Finance Committee he instructed to authorise the board's architects to prepare plans and specifications for the erection of a new nurses' home, and that the committee consider the best means of financing the scheme and report on the same to ther »ext meeting of the board. He thought the matter should be done immediately, in order to give the- contributing bodies an opportunity of considering the rait. ing of their share of the money prior; to formulating their estmates for the/ coming year. The motion was seconded by Mr. Hill. Mr. Sykes asked if it would not be better to determine the site on which the home was to be built, as that would very materially affect the drawing up of the plans. He thought the matter might be delayed until there was a more representative meeting, or that a special meeting for the purpose should be called. The chairman: Now is the time to do it, prior to the preparation of the estimates for the coming year. Mr. Sykes said he considered it very, unfair to commit ratepayers to expenditure such as was contemplated while they were unrepresented on the board, lie said the delay in having the remaining members of the board appointed wa*i. the fault of the Government. Mr. Hill said it had already been de««bvl to build the home. Mr. Capper said that if the cliairman'st idea was carried out, the plans and speci-S ficatioiis and tbe camaiitteeia report would all be ready by the time-the new members took their seats on the board,, and the business would be that much further advanced. The ratepayers were expecting the work to be carried out. The chairman pointed out that the fault, as alleged by Mr. Sykes, was n»t wlfolly with the Government. He considered the ratepayers ha<l themselves to blame for not being represented, as, they had failed to elect representatives. Mr. Andrews isaid he thought the question of the site should first be decided. Although he did not agree with Mr. Sykes as to which *ite should he used, he recognised that the site would have u great bearing en the preparation of the plans. He judged the staff would have to be taken into the confidence of the architects in order to ascertain their requirements. Tie chairman said the eommittee that had been set up to go into the, question of the upper site had been Mr. Sykes,Mr. Hill, and himself, and although he and Mr. Hill had been agreed about the suitability of the site, they respected Mr. Sykes' enthusiasm in the matter of the board's work. Tt was impossible, and certainly not right, to ignore the work ofthe old board. Their work must be respected. The new board couM not dictate where the site was to be. The Minister for Public Health (the Hon. G. IV. Russell) had been present with the old.committee and advised'the purchase of the upper site for a nurses' home, and what was more than likely was that tfthe home was built anywhere else the board might forfeit the Government subsidy. The upper site was Well situatedi for the- purpose, and what was more, there would soon he a tramway service up there, while the lower site'was unsanitary. He said the nurses deserved* the best accommodation that could be' provided for tiiem, in order to ensure ''■ tb<. maximum efficiency of the staff. He- V] had consulted with the medical staff, the J matron, and the nurses, and all con-, -t demned the lower site a s teo far awav '■ and objectionable, and he felt that. * they erected the home there they would be doing a permanent injury to" the in- . stitution. i Mr. Hill said he agreed that the nurses. , were entitled to the very best accoimno- t| dalion, and he strongly favored the' , upper site. , , j Mr. Sykes moved *s an amendment < tnat the site for the home be in the.-" hospital grounds, as recommended by the- i board's architects. He said there' whs i a letter from the architects on the nmt- < ter, which had not liecn read, and he ' desired that it should be read. i The cliairman%sked who had author-,'i ised the architects to make a rejiert. j Had the board or a committee of the board asked, for it? Mr. Sykes said that as acting-chairman during Mr. Eraser's absence he had tils'' 't right to ask the architects to make such i a report, in order to facilitate, considera- i tion of the amtter when it eame before- ' the board. ' jj Messrs Hill and Capper said tlwy had f not been consulted regarding the report ■ from the architects. The chairman said he had n0 objection-: tn the letter i«,elf, but desired to pamt ; out that it had not been asked for W the board or by a committee, and it was therefore irregular. } The meeting agreed to the letter hera» I put in, and it was read by the sccretarr' Tn the letter M»ssrs Messenger and Griffiths reported that the upper site was surrounded on three sides by roads which would not be. conducive to toe" quietness required in such a. home It also overlooked th* iback of the hospital wrs exposed to the prevailing winds and, also to the smoke from the hospital and 'anndry fires. The tower site in the hospital grounds, about the tennis court could be e:isily utilised 'hv divertino- the road to circuit the north side of fountain ' lull ami by removing the gardener's cottage. The home could he planned to free oast and north, and would be set up in the centre of already well-planted grounds. They had no hesitation in recommending the lower site. Mr. Sykes then proceeded by statino that there was no recorded decision by the board at a thoroughly representative meeting to build the home on the unner site. ' r A minute was read of a committee ' favoring the site referred to, and which, the chairman pointed rjHt, was subsequently confirmed by,x. full meetine'ofc the board. h Mr, Sykes said the uresent board had . the right to select tht,»it« «* whisk t»

"build tne home, and then, apply to the Minister for his approval He'said the ; site in the grounds had luever .been sub-. 'mitted to the Minister. The chairman: The wte was there, < 'Mr. Sjukes: The site was a beattifiri' spot. It could not be unhealthy, as 'neither the health inspector nor the bor-, ough inspector, who were on the lookout •for tie unhealthy spots, had ever condemned it. It would be a. shame to put the nurses up, behind the hospital laundry, on a site wkere It would take ten years for trees to grow up, and whichwas sHimmded by dusty roads. By putting ,the home inside the hospital they, would be able to make goo& some'of the losses inenraed through previous mistakes made. They had notf 'merely the present to think of, bftt.the future also. The amendment was seconded by Mr Yom*g. . -'•The,chairman: Even though everything said by Mr. Sytees might be true* it w!»s only so much beating the air. |*ftr* would have to be submitted to tie. ll'jfttth Department, and it was not atJ «»H Bkely that consent would be given to bniklmg on one site., while the Maniater had advised a different site. He repeated that the medical staff, the matron, •and nurses all condemued the tower site,, and looked upon the suggestion to-.bu33l there'with dismay. /Mr. Andrews said he diss*grted witto! Mm idea of/fte lower site chiefly o4< ,»«e<mnt of its distance from the hospital Eve* though what wi&s done by the old boarii might not be binding on tfte< present .foard, he the upper site was whose the heme should be built. Mr Capper was of opinion that if the site was recommended by the Ministerthe board could do very little else in i. the matter. Mi-. Sykes, in replying, said the tinii of distance was nothing—at most it. would be fr<*n ]r> to 20 yards, according to the architects' measurements. He farther contended that the present board was liot responsible to the-old Board for, "to the Minister, but to the whose representatives they Were. The chairman'said the site selected* was a good one. He felt that if the* board flew in face of the opinions expressed by its staff there wouW be-sowit, «eed« of further discord, and that wou«< ■be a great pity for the-festitutUm. The amendment was put, and on a'division lieifig C a4led the voting was even, Messrs Sykes Yonng, and Capper voting in favor, and Messrs ftadrew,-, Hill, and against. The chairman * then gave his ratfßf.g vote against «ae, amendment. The original! motfen„en?being put. •wa*,«led»red,c*waed a .»ii tfeft