BOTH NEEDED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 243, 14 October 1935, Page 9

BOTH NEEDED.

MENTAL HOSPITALS. ; AVCNDALE AND KINGSEAT. STATEMENT BY OFFICIAL. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. "The public may just as well know now that t7iere is no chance of the Avondale Mental Hospital being abandoned in favour of Kingseat. Both will ■be maintained as separate institutions," said Dr. T. G. Gray, Inspector-General of Mental Hospitals, this morning. He said the general idea in Auckland was that Kingseat was to replacc Avondale, but when a former Minister made that announcement some ten years ago there was not the same information to work upon as. there was now, and in the meantime much had been done to improve Avondale, which was now a most modern institution and one of the best hospitals in the Dominion. Although building had been proceeding at Kingseat for seven years, and a number of patients had been transferred from Avondale, there were to-day 129 more patients in Avondale than when the work at Kingseat was commenced. Every year additional patients were taken in, and to abandon Avondale would mean an expenditure of approximately £750,000. What was being done at Kingseat was to expedite building operations by constructing four villas a year instead of two. This was to help the unemployment position. Four villas and a store were to be constructed, and tenders would be called as soon as plans were ready. Tenders for Kingseat. In the estimates submitted to the Unemployment Board provision was made for approximately 100 men in connection with the new Kingseat buildings. Mr. Bromley, deputy-chairman of the Unemployment Board, said that the successful tenderer for the Kingseat buildings would receive a building subsidy, but would not have to take men from the unemployed register. But in the event of men being required for unskilled work, the register would be used. For the year ended December last the number of cases at Avondale was IGOI and at Kingseat 355.