BUILDING OF NEW HOSPITAL

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22465, 28 July 1938, Page 16

BUILDING OF NEW HOSPITAL

♦ Motion Rescinded By Board PROFESSIONAL ADVICE WILL BE SOUGHT The New Zealand Institute of Architects and the Health Department will be called into consultation by the North Canterbury Hospital Board to give advice on requirements for the proposed subsidiary hospital for Christchurch. The board rescinded yesterday its decision of last March to call for competitive designs for the subsidiary hospital, most of the members agreeing that before calling lor designs the board should know exactly what it required. The proposal for competitive designs was reported on adversely by the hospital committee of the board, which stated that after discussion with Dr. R. A. Shore, Director of the Hospitals Division of the Health Department, the committee considered that the proposal was not practicable. The chairman of the committee (Mr H. H. Holland) accordingly submitted a motion to rescind the former decision. “As far as the board is concerned we have not decided anything,” said the chairman (MrtL. B. Evans). "We don’t know whether we want 100, 150, or 200 beds. We cannot go any further till we have decided what we want.” During the meeting a letter was received from the Minister for Health (the Hon. P. Fraser) stating that the Minister favoured cr.lling for competitive designs, but considered that the competition should be limited to New Zealand architects. Following this suggestion the board carried this motion, moved by Mr J. S. Barnett: “That competitive designs be called for within New Zealand for a subsidiary hospital, on terms that will meet the conditions laid down by the Institute of Architects, or such modifications as may be arranged with the Health Department.” Need for Advice The securing of professional advice on the building of the new hospital was provided for in a decision, on Sir Hugh Acland’s motion, that a member of the board and a member of the special committee dealing with the new hospital should go to Wellington and confer with the Health Department and the Institute of Architects. “What we want is a professional adviser,” said Sir Hugh Acland, during a long discussion on Mr H. H. Holland’s motion to rescind the original decision. "Personally Ido not see how we can have a competition.” He added that competitive designs might be called for later, but in the meantime there was a great deal of ground work to be done with professional advice. Help might be sought from the Department of Health, or from the Institute of Architects. The institute could provide an adviser. Disappointment was expressed by Mr Barnett because, he said, the original decision had been generally approved, and also because the finance committee had not been consulted. The two new motions were carried after more than an hour of discussion.