PLUNKET ROOMS.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19644, 13 June 1929, Page 8

PLUNKET ROOMS.

THE CHESTER STREET SITE. REQUEST TO MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT. The claims of the Plunkct Society for the old Chester street Fire t>tatl |' u as their new rooms were submitted by a deputation consisting of Mrs Cracrott Wilson and Mrs Cecil Wood (secretary of the society) to the Parliamentary Committee yesterday. Mrs Craeroft Wilson said that she did not think there would be any other spot in the community so useful to the women and children of Christchurch. Their work would go on by leaps and bounds there, she added. Mrs Cecil Wood said that for years past the nurses had been working in inconvenient, uncomfortable, and inadequate rooms —always expecting better things to come, and thev wvT-i now at the stage when it was absolutely necessary tur something to be done as soon as possible. For nearly two years now they had been urging "the Christchurch City i Council to allow them to have the use ! of the old building in Chester street | that had been used as a fire brigade station, and which since then had been ly.ng practicallv idle. The last City Council decided" to grant the society the use of the building provided Parliamentary sanction could be obtained to raise the restrictions imposed on them bv the Christchurch Reserves Act, 1877, whereby the site reverted to the Reserves Board in the event of its ceasing to be used as a fire station. Unfortunately this decision of the Council was not arrived at until the very last few hours of the last session, and it was impossible to get the Bill passed. In the meantime it had been referred to the new Council as a matter of urgency and the society was at present urging it to promote a local H to raise the restrictions and allow the use of the building. It would cost only about £3OOO to put the building in sufficiently good condition for their use. They would be willing to pay a rent that would be mutually agreed upon with the Council. At present they paid about £155 a year. Thev could not see anything better than the fire station. "We are really concerned about the extension of ourwork," she added, "which is hampered at every turn by our inadequate rooms. We don't ask for the use of this building for all time, but we do appeal to you to help us to do our work among the mothers and babies by supporting the Council's Bill if it comes before the House." Mr E. B. Owen Protests. Later in the afternoon Mr R. B. Owen lodged a protest against any attempt being made to deprive the Citv of a reservo laid aside for the City many years ago. The Fire Brigade had been away from there for fifteen years, he said, and protests had gone forwajd from time to time against this building being kept there. He was sorry to oppose the claims of the Society. He thought their idea that it would be suitable to their requirements was misguided. For £3500 the Society could have a new building and a clean one, spick and span, for their requirements. Under the present proposals they would be getting a building infested with rats. Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P. (chairman) : If £3500 were spent on the building it would not be rat infested, would it ? "You might get rid of them," said Mr Owen. Mr Sullivan : ''Don't you know that every effort has been made by the Society to raise funds without success? What solutif.n have those opposed to this site to offor? The whole effect of your opposition is that nothing will be done for the Plunket Society. You have got to face the facts. You are sentencing the Society to a position where nothing would be done at all." Mr Sullivan added that the Christchurch Citv Council was willing to make a substantial financial contribution, but it was not going to take on the responsibility of finding a site.