MINISTER AND BOARD.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15752, 20 November 1916, Page 7

MINISTER AND BOARD.

A VERBAL ENCOUNTER. HON. G. W. RUSSELL IN DUNEDIN (SPECIAL TO "THE PRKSS.") DUNEDIN. November 18. The talk was hot, strong and straight this morning when the Hon. G. W. Russell met the Hospital Board in conference over that body's purchase of what is known as the Wakari site for a secondary hospital. Tho Minister and the Board have been at loggerheads for some time over tho purchase. The Minister contended that the Board had s"ld the Pine Hill site (originally bought for the purpose) back to the original owner, without public competition. He admitted" that tho Wakari .site was a suitable one, but said that the Board's action in connexion with the purchase bad been illegal in .that they had not submitted to the Minister before entering on the purchase. A man would shortly be appointed to enquire into the whole transaction, and if he advised him thnt lie had to condone the illegality of the Board, then lie would submit the matter to Cabinet.

The chairman (Mr J. JI. Walker) said that the Minister had made an ineorrect statement about the sale of the Pine Hill property. The sale was advertised in the Press, but no tenders were received for the property. As to the Wakari site, the integrity of the Board had been impugned by the Department. The statement had been made that he (tho chairman), the architect, and the secretary, were interested in the purchase, and lie understood that it was supposed to have emanated from the 'Minister himself. At the nresent time the consumptives of Otago were suffering through the negligence of the Department. The Board could get no satisfaction simply because of the technical point regarding the legalitv of the Wakari purchase. Mr Russell had treated the Board most discourteously.

There was a sharp encounter at the close of the conference. The Minister said that if the. onmiiry satisfied him that he could condone the Board's illegal net. he would at once authorise proceeding with the work. Tlio chairman said he would like Mr Russell's assurance about the statement attributed to him that certain persons "had participated," from which an inference had been drawn.

The Minister: I absolutely refuse to be cross-questioned by you in regard to any such matter. The chairman: If I had your assurance, the matter would have taken another form.

Tlse Minister: You can please yourself about it. I have made no such statement, and your asking me to place myself in the position of a quasicriminal is a pieve of the grossest impertinence. With this remark the Minister left the table, while the chairman was retorting that the Minister's opinions about liis question did not matter very much. Despite the rising cost of living there remains one article as economical as it is enjoyable. Desert Gold tea. The superior value offered at Is Sd, Is 9d. Is lOd, and '2s makes it popular everywhere, jl