DISTRICT HOSPITAL

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2129, 22 April 1914, Page 7

DISTRICT HOSPITAL

FOR Him & PETONE

CONFERENCE SUGGESTED

Further discussion took placo at the meeting of tho Lower Hutt Borough Council last night on the Question of establishing a hospital for trio district. Drj Purdy said that since the last meeting he'had gone into the matter of tho subsidy which they had to pay, and he thought that the best thiilg that they could do would bo to institute a hospital in tho Hutt and Petone district. With regard to their which was considered tod high, they could apply to bo put in a special district, but l'etoiie was opposed to this course. Tho Mayor of Petolie was in favour of Buch a hospital, and he also thought tho Hospital Committee would be in favour of it. Ho (tho speaker) took it that such a hospital Would bo on all fours with the Otaki Hospital, which, apart from the Sanatorium, cost £1340 last year. He might say, incidentally, that Otaki paid £125 in hospital' rates. It was estimated that a hospital for Hutt and Petone would cost £1000. to £1200 per year. Even if the hospital did not relieve tho general expenditure of the Wellington Hospital by taking away a number of patients, and supposing the cost of the hospital for Hutt and Potono to bo £1200, it would only mean an extra cost for Hutt of £30. At present they were ,paying £950, and they were certainly not getting that amount of bonefit. If the)- had to pay £960 they would get something far more like ah equivalent. A motor ambulance ;had been suggested for tho district, but tho patients would have to bear the cost—at least ,30s. per trip. Mr. M'Ewan,, the Mavor of Petone, had stated that, if a hospital were erected hi tho district, it should be under tho jurisdiction of tho Hospital Board, who would/have.the; . financial, responsibility for the whole thing. He had also, said that only ordinary cases of sickness and minor operations would be dealt with in the .local hospitalj but. it should bo pointed out that those comprised nine-tehths 6f the cases which now wont from tho district to tho Wellington Hospital. In their, district they had many industries,, and accidents were frequent," and patients in such cases couid bo rer,y..muoh bptter,. treated. oii ( tho spot. He,"and'every medical: officer in the district held, that a hospital was necessary, irrespective of tho large amount of tho contribution which I Petone and Hutt had to send to Wellington. Even if they only had to pay £100, or £120 per year, as Otaki aid, ho Btill held that a, hospital should be established in'thfl district. The district now had a population of over 10,000. Ho held, also, that tho Public Hospital should bo absolutely free to patients. If that was the case, tho expenditure Would decrease, instead of increase, for many people took advantage of tho Hospital how, and claimed that the.V were paying full fee, while they were only paying a small amount for their maintenance. A freo hospital would keep away that class. He would liko a conference with Petone on tho subject. ' There was no great hurf.v, for they would havo to pay this year's estimates in any case. He moved that the Petone Council and the Hutt Council should bs approached to see if 8 hospital for their Combined areas coitid bo erected.

Councillor J. Ball seconded the proposal, and favoured Dr. Purdy's contention that all hospitals should be free. A conference with Petono wouldj ho thought, lead to some good* The Mayor (Mr. E. P. Bunny) thought that, before they went in for sUcli a thing, they shotild bo fortified with strong arguments in favour of the hospital. There was the question whether the community ivotild not bo bettor served by tho hospital in Wellington. where they were spending large sums of moiiey on keeping the institution up to date. At tho sahio time, he did not object to tho conference. Councillor H. E. Kempthorne thought that, if they had a local hospital, a great many more people would talco advantage of it than the number that took advantage of the Wellington Hosmtal, aiid the increased cost would bo a tax on tho borough. _ . After further discussion, was carried. 1