"SUGAR-COATED PILL"

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 23, 28 January 1939, Page 10

"SUGAR-COATED PILL"

NEW HOSPITAL

MAYOR'S ATTITUDE.

MR. MOODY REPLIES.

"CONFERENCE A WASTE."

CLOSE WARDS 11 AND 12?

"This statement can bo taken an a promise or a throat, or both," declared Mr. Allan .T. Moody, chairman of the Auckland Hospital Board, this morning in disclosing that it was considered the conditions in wards II and 12 at the Auckland Hospital wore so bad that it wag likely tlicy would be evacuated and demolished.

Mr. Moody whs speaking strongly with reformer to tlir attitude of some Incn 1 bodies in regard to the proposed now hospital, mill pnrtlrtilnrlv in reply to tlio statement it mi ilo liv tlio Mayor. Sir Renest Davis, mi tlio subject.

I here, will be »\ shock for some of them shortly," lie said. "1 have referred, n lid so have some of my members, to wards II and 12. I have too high it regard for my miming gtalf to allow it to bo further exposed to the chance of infection and to allow it to work under such shocking conditions. The temper of my board i* such that wo will probably demolish the wards mentioned. Their valuo to h nursing institution is useless—but they contain 50 bed*.

"To demolish those wards will mean that the hospital will have .">» beds less, and thp medical superintendent will thus have further difficulty in finding sufficient accommodation. I propose to put the responsibility for that on the public and the local bodies." City Council Attitude. Mr. Moody said he had been surprised to read the suggestions of the Mayor, Sir Krnest, Davis, which seemed to "him to be criticism "in the form of a sugarcoated pill.*" He did not think that the statement could have been prepared by the Mayor himself, for Sir Krnest had l>een a member of the board for some year*. If the Mayor was not aware of the position at the hospital, Mr. Moody said, and wished to gee it for himself, he would be pleased, as chairman of the hoard, to go with him at any time. "1 do not think that some of the councillors will be proud of being joined to the opposition led by the Mayor of Tirkapuna. Mr. J. Guiniven," said Mr. Moody. "When a statement made, it calls for • reply, ud 1 regret that t he council baa soon At to interfere with the Hoapital Board. In my opinion, it s a pity the council did not adopt the 'iignifled attitude of the One Tree Hill mid the Devonport Borough Council*, ••(id thus act an example to the local hod lea.

"It is a pity, also, that an officer of the council, in the person of Mr. J. Tyler, the city engineer, should have mode any statement on the question of | own planning. The vision of the board s shown in that it poseeseed the fore"L ,t® av "" ,t " e,f of th « services of the director of town planning. A like foresight on tlie part of the city would l»e of value to the council. The engineer should be a little more careful in

his figures, when he gays that we hare 11 acres in our area. He might be surprised to know tliat we have over IS acres. That statement of hie shows a lack of appreciation of actual hospital conditions. "Put Own House In Order." I might suggest that the Auckland ( ity Council should attend to its own vast business and put it? own house in order. My board has never interfered in City Council polities, though manv of my members are ratepayers and, like others, are alarmed at the expenditure of the council on its undertakings. r . " We ., ! ,ave recognised that the Citv Council i« quite capable of attending to it* own affairs, an<l wc ask the same consideration. Jt is to be remembered that the board wan elected by the same people who clooted the City Council.

"Die utterances mid suggestions of the Mayor, who s-peaks. as he says himself. only as a layman, do not carry a great deal of weight with me. Those suggestions had already been fully considered by the board, before the present plan was decided upon. 'Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.' and there has tieon too muc?h fear on the part of previous boards.

"A conference would bo a waste of both time and money," said Mr. Moody. "I would remind Sir Ernest that on •Fulv 7 last there was a conference to consider the incidence of hospital rating. I tun confident in saving that not one suggestion of value was forwarded to ♦ lie Minister by that conference. My board and I agree that the incidence of taxation is unfair, but its alteration rests entirely with the (iovernment.

"Xow there is talk of a conference between the Hospital Board and the local bodies, and further talk of a Royal Commission. That would mean a considerable expenditure of money, and might result in a finding like "that- in the case of Wellington, and mean that hundreds of thousands of pound* would lie spent on a suburban hospital or suburban hospitals. That matter ha* Keen considered by my board, but it feels that it must proceed with its major scheme. Headaches for Conference? "Delay seem* to be the attitude of the local bodies, but the public may rest assured that the board is an independent body. I would like to ask the local bodies: (1) Do they admit the present facilities are adequate? (2) Do they want the present position of affair* altered? (3) Is there any local body acquainted with the existing condition* competent to speak authoritatively in regard to their amelioration?

"I feel that if this conference is called it would be too severe a tax on the capacity of some of them, and would only end up in headaches for some of the members of the conference.

"I want further to answer the criticism of some of the public who seem to fear that the nursing staff will be starved. They can rest assured that snch has never been the intention of tbe board, and that the nursing staff of the Auckland Hospital will receive the best treatment it can be given by the board.

"My board has always* known that there would be criticism of the scheme, and is well seized of all the various aspects of the question. When it speaks it speaks as a united board. I repeat that the board has a duty to perform to the sick of Auckland and it will do its duty regardless of criticism. It seems that the attitude of the City Council is not so much opposition to the board's scheme, .but purely and simply a question of money. Where money ie wisely and carefully spent the boards feels that there can be no intelligent and reasonable opposition to it."