The Press. THURSDAY. MARCH 4, 1909. THE HOSPITAL.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13364, 4 March 1909, Page 6

The Press. THURSDAY. MARCH 4, 1909. THE HOSPITAL.

The informal conference which ivas hokl at the Hospital yesterday between tho nvembprs of th<* Boar<l', a representative of the Children's Ware! Fumi Committee, and mombors of the honorary medical staff panic to n decision as to tfco site of the Children's Ward that will no tlruibt be formally agreed to at the next r.ioetiiiji of t\w IJoanl. T!jc- qiust-on was not so i-;v~y to s>.-lt!-_> sis i-.f> t::ou : .:!i;. l>. c;;u:x- it Ik-.:! t> l>o C'.;r-.si.'.or.<: i:i <onnft»»oii wi;!; the work of re-Ut:ii<.:inj, iljo csiitiiig I

Hospital, a task which must, apparently, bo undertaken within the next f<? ".v years. However, suitable it might have been when, first

erected, few people, we imagine, need to be tckl that, apart from being too smnll for th<.- reo'iirc-ments of tho district, the Hospital is inconvenient and in many respects out of date. The outpatient department }ras long been the taus? of justifiable complaint, and: if it had bevii possible it wouiu no doubt hare hern better to pull it down, and with it tho administrative offices nnd tho kitchen, nnd place the new Children's AYard on the site. This, with the n["-•,-.• Hymon Marks Ward, would have ■■■snpplifd two modern emls to tiio old Hospital, which in the inevitable re-bui!ding ccu'd be re-nietlvlled. so as to be in keeping with i tho Marks and Children's Wards. The insuperable drawback to the adoption of this scheme was that the Boarti j -would have had. nowhere to put ilu* I evictetl deportments, and even if it had decided' to re-build them all at the same time as the. building of the Children's Ward- was carried on, the. work of the Hospital would have been hampered to an intolerable extent. Tiie old; outpatient department and administrative block must .therefore, stand, as i they are until the Board' can afford to erect new and adequate buildings on tho site facing Iliccarton road, which the Conference yesterday agreed was | the most suitable place for them. The Children's Ward, tho ground floor of which is to form a much-needed new surgical ward for female- patients, \\O* be very well situated beyond the Marks Ward, nnd th.-> careful allocation of the cost of tho two wards in tho new building will, no doubt, meet tho wishes of the Children's Ward Fund Co-mmit-tco nnd tho subscribers, who will thus (havQ assurance that the fund will be devoted to tho purpose for which it was raised. Mr Payling, the chairman of tho Board, is, we are glad to see, insistent that the erection of tho Children's Ward shall be pushed forward as rapidly as possible, and in this ho will assuredly have tho other members of tho Board with him. It would bo a very poor compliment to the ladies respoiisjblo for raising the money so speedily if its cxrjendituro. were unduly delayed. Then, when the new building is completed, and tho Consumption Sanatorium equipped and opened for the reception of patients, the board will have time to consider ways and means of bringing the rest of the Hospital up to the requirements of the community it serves.