HOSPITAL LOAN

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 20, 18 October 1941, Page 7

HOSPITAL LOAN

County Council Refers

Letter Back

A decision to refer back to the Wellington Hospital Board its letter asking the council to agree to the proposal to spend an additional £25,000 on the Hutt Valley Hospital for a block of 100 .beds for soldier patients, was made at a meeting yesterday of the Hutt County Council. The council further resolved to refer the matter to the Counties’ Association for joint representations with the Municipal Association to the Government. The hospital board, in its letter, said that it had no alternative but to accede to a direction given by the Dir-ector-General of Health, to have the block available within six months.

"This is a straight-out military hospital matter,” commented the chairman, Cr. R. L. Button, who added that it was not an obligation for ratepayers, and he moved- that the letter be referred back to the board. “The matter has been well ventilated already,” said Cr. S. Blackley,, who expressed agreement with the adoption of this course. No doubt, he said, the present hospital board had a legacy from the previous board,of £500,000 in loan money on which it was losing 2 per cent, interest, amouning to over £BOOO yearly. The board should be able to validate its use for other than the original purposes by Order-in-Council without calling on the local bodies for approval. The ward was for military purposes and the cost should be met by the Government. Cr. J. J. Maher: And we have no financial obligation. “I can see that we are going to be asked for little tit-bits for some years, and that at the end of that time they are going to use in addition £-100,000 of the original loan money,” said Cr. Blackley, when the council agreed to another hospital board proposal to spend £9OOO on the provision of an emergency 500,000 gallon water tank for the main hospital in case of any major breakdown in the city water supply.