HOSPITAL PETITION

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 96, 18 January 1938, Page 13

HOSPITAL PETITION

Circulation In Petone

COUNCILLORS DISAGREE

A sharp verbal exchange occurred between Councillors G. Loudon and J. Huggau at last night’s Petone Borough Council meeting during a discussion following a request from the town clerk of Lower Hutt that the council have placed in public positions where as many signatures as possible could be obtained copies of the petition being circulated asking that the Local Government Loans Board be directed by the Prime Minister to reexamine the Wellington Hospital Board’s building purposals. “What is a suitable place?” asked Cr. Huggan. "Personally 1 don't care where it* goes.” Councillor London : If you favoured it you would find a place. You go one way one minute and the other in the next. Cr. Huggan said he was "all out” for the nationalisation of hospitals irrespective of the opinion of the council. Cr. London: This is supposed to be a democratic country. Why not give the public a chance to sign the petition? Cr. J. Cumming: What is a suitable place? A hotel? Cr. D. M. Dickson said the council’s approval or otherwise was not asked. The council was merely asked to have the petition placed in public positions for signatures, Cr. London moved that the request be acceded to. Cr. Dickson second this. Mayor’s Attitude. The mayor said the council had previously given support to the Hutt, county’s proposal of a Royal Commission to investigate hospital expenditure generally and in particular the need of the proposed Wellington hospital extensions. His contention was that, having supported this, the council would look foolish to present the petition before it had received a reply from the Prime Minister to the Hutt county proposal. His opinion was, as he wrote to the mayor of Lower Hutt, that “the petition would further complicate the position and its value would not be comparable with a deputation from the mayors and chairmen of the contributory local bodies waiting upon the Prime Minister -.through the Minister of Health.” If the petition were to be any good it would have to be taken around the people, said Cr. Cumming. Otherwise it was a waste of time. Personally he did not favour the petition because he thought he knew what was behind it. Apparently the proposals did not suit a certain section. The whole proposal possibly did not suit all, but the hospital had to be brought up to date to meet the need. , He agreed entirely with the suggestion for an auxiliary hospital for the Hutt Valley and its 42,000 people. Those in Lower Hutt who now championed the Hutt auxiliary hospital previously opposed such a proposition.

Ci's. London and Dickson were supported by Cr. A. Macfarlane ill their motion, and, only one voting against it, the motion was carried.