NOT SUITABLE

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 152, 29 June 1914, Page 2

NOT SUITABLE

<t» LAND PURCHASED FOR BRANCH HOSPITAL Whenever that very much discussed, project, the establishment of a cottage hospital in the Hutt Halley, crops up the question arises: What about the land purchased by tho Hospital Board some years ago? Why not utilise the land procured especially for the purpose? On closer examination of the facts it is not difficult to see tho reasons why the land has not been made use of ac a hospital site. In the early part of the centirry hospital matters were administered by the old District Hospital Board, a body which went out of existence upon the passing of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards Act. It was considered unwise to hay« a large number of buildings together for hospital purposee, and on looking ahead it was seen in the future that it. would bo necessary to greatly increase the accommodation. It i was also thought that there would be a large increase in the population of the. Hutt Valley, providing proportionately tho same number of patients for the hospital as the city, and that it would bo wiee, on economical grounds, to erect a [ hospital for tho treatment of the Hutt Valley people. Thus, with the object of carrying the idea out, the board 1 purchased ten acres of land on the Willoughby Knight Estate, Lower Hutt, tho price paid being £4000. This was appioximately nine yeaTs ago, but during the interim the only purpose the land ha."» served is that of a market garden. From present indications the land is likely to remain a market garden unless it is bold for other purposes; in any case it is regarded by many people as fairly certain that a hospital will never cover it. Firstly, it has not yet been definitely decided whether the Hutt Valtay is to have a cottage hospital or not ; secondly, the land is, from tho expert's point of view, said to be unsuitable. In the ovent of the Hospital Board agreeing to establish a branch hospital in the Hutt Valley there is a/vailable plenty of land more suitable, which, though not lull laind, is high and dry. Further enquiries go to show that Petohe* residents would rais» a strong objection a hospital being erected in anything but a central position — that is to say, on a site not within comparatively easy reach of both Hutt and Petone.