DUNEDIN HOSPITAL.

Evening Star, Issue 12874, 25 July 1906, Page 4

DUNEDIN HOSPITAL.

LAYING THE FOUNDATION STONE ■ / OP THE NEW MEbICAL WING.

This afternoon at 2.30 a very large number of citizens witnessed the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the new wing of the Dunedin Hospital. The arrangements for the accommodation of the guests were all -that could have been expected considering the fact that the' gathering was on a dug-up enclosure that is in the bauds of workmen. Carpets were laid from the side door of the old building, and the rails were so placed as to allow' the front ranks of the spectators to stand close to the speakers. His Excellency was escorted to the ground by the Otago Hussars, and saluted at the entrance by a company of the Permanent Force under Lieutenant Gard’ner. The company included the Hon, T. Y. Duncan (Minister the Mayor (Mr Lawrence), Colonel Robin, the local members of Parliament, a large muster of the medical profession, and representatives of local homes. Mr Peter Miller, chairman of the Hospital trustees, met His Excellency and escorted him to the enclosure. Light rain began to fall Just as the proceedings commenced. Mr Peter Miller thanked His Excellency for coming to Dunedin to lay the foundation stone and for the active part lie liad taken in the inauguration of this sclieme ten months ago. He was sure that all would be pleased to know tliat the financial aspect of the scheme was very satisfactory. Though it was only ten months since the calling of the inaugural meeting to raise funds for t-be work, bo wus pleased to say that since then the sum of £6,750 had been collected from the people of Otago and surrounding districts.-—(Hear, hear.) The money seemed to come, rolling in without axiy effort on the part of the energetic Committee—though it was an energetic committee. _ Not only was this amount promised, but it was actually paid ‘in cash.— (Applause.) He referred to the part His Excellency had taken in the movement, and went on to say that the money subscribed by the people would, with the Government subsidy of 24b in the £ and interest, amount to about £16,000, which was at the disposal of the Trustees for the carrying out of this work.—(Applause.) The i rustees bad already expended on contracts, furnishing, etc., about £15,250, leaving a small balance for contingencies. Hie building, when completed, would bo a very splendid adjunct to the present hospital. The holding capacity of the hospital now was really 120 beds, u.rt they somchad to accommodate up to about 130, which was too much. The now wing would increase the capacity to over 170 beds, which would' leave a fair margin for a long time to come. Tlie Trustees had spared no expense in maJdng this an up-to-date wing. A great deal of care had been taken by the architects, the medical staff, and the Trustees to find out the latest requirements, and they were satisfied that the work when finished would be a noble structure and something that the people of Otago might feel proud of. He himself thought that the new building would be as fine as, if not finer tlian, anything in the Southern Hemisphere.—-{Hear hear.) Something like £30,000 had been expended on the hospital already. Some might think that this was too much, but it had been spent in urgent requirements. He doubted whether it would nob have been better to rebuild from the bottom, but they the best they could.—Applause.) The foundation stone was then laid by His_ Excellency. A bottle containing comes of the papers of the dav being deposited in the cavity bv Mr White, the contractor, the stone was then lowered, and His Excellency, having applied the level, said : “ I declare this stone well and truly laid, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.” Lord Plunket then said ; Mr Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, —I have to thatilc ! ! the Committee for having postponed the ■ 1 ceremony, and thus given me an opportunity of being present. I could not have come earlier. The reason you know —the death of my Premier and the deep mourning throughout New Zealand, and, indeed, far beyond. I could not, in such circumstances, have come before, and 1 am gratified that you have delayed the ceremony. It seems to rne only the other day that I was privileged to take I part with prominent citizens of this town | and neighborhood in calling upon the i poonle of Dunedin and the surrounding districtsrfto realise that it was absolutely • j necessary that a large sum should be ©xi ponded on improving and enlarging this | hospital. Right promptly and nobly | was that appeal answered. * It would be difficult to decide who deserves the greatest praise for the splendid response made, and I am not going to undertake so invidious a task, but I think, if it comes to the matter of congratulations, that j there is one class who are to be con- ! gratulated more than the rest, and I that; is the doctors, the nurses, and the \ Medical School of this institution. I j ask you to realise what it must have been j 1 to them to pursue their arduous and an-1 ; xious work week after week and year after i ! year under unfair handicapping, because ! that is wjiat it really came to, having out- j of-date, gloomy, and almost insanitary j wards attached to what was otherwise a i most excellent hospital. I ask you to rea- I lise what it must be to those brave men | and women to have their hands strength- i ! ened by -the weapon you arc now forging to i j help them in flieir conflict with pain, with j weakness, and with the power of death. I I have also to congratulate you upon the suc--1 cess of your late Hospital Saturday. You : had disadvantages to face, but the result i was wonderful considering everything, and i it would be a thousand pities if the Hospital | Saturday collection were not continued ; from year to year. It is so, ! as you know. in nearly all the ! , big towns at Home, and, as you may be aware. His Majesty the King has taken trouble to encourage it, and keep it going wherever he can. Personally, after having heard of the extraordinary energy with which the collectors on that occasion carried out their work, I am rather glad that the ; Governor did not happen to be in Dunedin : | with a cheque in his pocket.—(Laughter.) ’ And if it should so occur that I am coming | here again when Hospital Saturday is on I shall ask Colonel Robin to provide me with an escort of the most blood-thirsty and de-termined-looking men ho can command.— (Laughter.) I shall wait, Mr Chairman, 1 with interest for news that this wing is : completed, and I shall be charmed to come j I down and inspect the work within its walls. [ • —(Loud applause.) Mr Miller, on behalf of the architects, ! Messrs Mason and Wales, then presented j Lord Plunket with a gold and sreenstone : trowel and mallet suitably inscribed. Lord Plunket: X have to return you my sincere thanks for yonr thoughtfulness. 1 1 shall prize the memento very much- if al- | lowed to keep it, but it is so beautiful that | Lady Plunket is almost sure to claim it as soon as I get back.—(Laughter). At the call of Mr Miller three very hearty cheers were given by the crowd for the Governor, and one for ’Lady Plunket. Dr Barnett, on behalf of the medical staff of the hospital, expressed the appreciation of the staff to His Excellency' for his interest in the hospital, and particularly for the very strong impulse he had given to the movement to collect , funds for this building.—(Hear, hear.) j This building would be a most valuable addition to the hospital.. As His Ex- . cellency had said, it was an absolute ne- ' cessity. When this ward was completed they would have pretty well all the essentials of a hospital for some time to come. The Governor had himself indicated the fact that in a place like Dunedin, with its Medical School advancing

thing more than essentials was necessary. The essentials for a hospital in this colony were mainly paid for out of ordinary taxation. It was a fair thing to ask for everything that was important and useful in the treatment of the sick and suffering. He agreed that the Hospital Saturday collection should be an annual affair, and he hoped the sum collected would increase vearK. We wanted in New Zealand to inculcate the habit among wealthy people of leaving legacies to institutions such as the hospital. He thought this habit only needed to be started, and then they would find that the people, on discovering that they had an institution to be proud of, would be willing to give. The members of the staff were anxious to see the 1 Dunedin Hospital the best in New Zealand, if not one of the best in the Southern Hemisphere.—(Applause.)

The Hon. T. T. Duncan congratulated Dunedin on the laying of the foundation stone. In any civilised country suffering, whether among young or old, required to be attended to, and it was not too much for nurses and hospital attendants to expect to have the best appliances. This matter of hospital accommodation had been thought of by our late respected Premier a short time before his departure to Australia. His injunction then was that the Government should set aside » portion of our lands for the purposes of education and hospitals. He (Mr Duncan) would have a Bill prepared to cany that out. and it would be ready for whoever might be Minister of Lands when Parliament met. It was not too much to say that if 2.000,000 acres were set aside for education and 1,000,000 acres for hospitals it would be a very good thing. His Worship the Mayor joined in congratulating the medical staff, the Trustees, and all who had helped in bringing about the fulfilment of this work. He asked all to cany a hearty vote of thanks to the Gover nor for coming from Wellington to lav the foundation stone. The motion was carried with cheere. pieu there were cheers for the chairman, and tie rain dispersed the crowd. THE NEW WING. Between the inception and the completion of such scheme as this there arc many intermediate steps. Of these the laying of the foundation stone is the most notable. Once that is done people begin to look forward to seeing the building itself, and to speculate on its appearance when finished. At present there is nothing much to, see, though a great deal of work has been done, fine foundations are in, and there wn-s more difficulty in getting a sufficiently solid bed for them than had been expected. They cover the space from near the main building almost to the Hanover street boundary. Tho frontage to King street projects slightly beyoSd the line of the main building, so as to correspond with the wing on the Frederick street side, and the depth of the wing has necessitated considerable encroachment on the spacious lawn and garden. The poplar trees have escaped demolition, and there is still room for a pleasant open-air retreat for convalescent patients. The foundation stone itself is about the centre of this rear frontage, if one may use the term. It will be a memorial more seen of the patients than of the outside public. It is of bluestone, bearing the inscription; This Stone was Laid by His Excellency the Governor, Loud Plunket, K.C.M.G., K.G.V.0., 25th July, 1906. The new wing, or pavilion, will be in brick on concrete foundations. It will bo two-storeyed, with a basement, and the design is similar to that of tho children’s and Campbell pavilions, on the Frederick street side of the building, in which the main entrance is. It will be separated from this main block by a space of 40ft, the connecting corridor being in wood and lined with nralite. The new wing will accommodate 64 patients. There arc two large wards 100 ft long by 26ft wide and 15ft high, two wards 24ft long by 26ft wide, and two small separate wards each 15ft by 14ft. In addition to the wards, there is a small sitting and dining room for convalescent patients, a ward kitchen, and linen and store rooms. The lavatory and conveniences are situated at the end of each,ward, and form towers at each end of the building. These are cut off from the wards by a corridor, in order to obtain the necessary ooss ventilation. At the north end of the building there arc two sun rooms, each 55ft 6in bv 10ft, into which patients may ho wheeled if requited. A hydraulic lift is provided .for, capable of taking a patient on a stretcher with two attendants to the first floor. The staircase is 4ft wide, and is to be built of "Waikawa stone. The ground floor will be kept on a level with the floor of tho main building; this will give a height of 9ft to the basement. The object of having a basement, is to prevent the absorption of damp, and provide room for the beating and ventilation arrangements. The basement floor is to bo asphalt, and ia to be continued to 6ft outside and all round the building to a water channel constructed of concrete to convey all storm water to the drains. The roof is carried on framed principals, and is to be covered with slates. The floors throughout are fireproof, being constructed of reinforced concrete, and will be covered with matai (black pine) for all the wards and rooms except tho lavatory towers, which arc to be laid with Arkalite. The windows are in three sashes, the lowest and middle of which are hung to slide j up and down, while tho topmost sash is | hinged to a transom to open inwards, and is to bo fitted with screw fanlight, openers, the key of which will be under tho control of the nurses. The doors are framed and panelled, but not moulded, all arrises being rounded. The walls and ceilings arc plastered and polished perfectly smooth. All external angles are rounded, and re-entrant angles are hollowed, including the angio of the walls with tho floors. Expanded metal lathing is to be used foiythe ceiling. Outside, tie quoins, door window jambs and facings, and string course are finished in cement plaster. Both outside and inside of the building will be painted. As before mentioned, tho coils for beating are placed in the basement close to tie coiling. All tio flues for ventilation come from the basement, and a free current of air under the floor ensures that the air taken into the building will be as pure as possible. Tho ventilation of each ward is independent, and is a combhiation of the natural with the artificial system. Tho boating is to be obtained by a hot-water indirect system, which has been carefully designed, and after considerable discussion adopted. There will bo twin boilers placed in the basement. From these boilers the hot water is convevod in four separate circuits round the basement walls. The radiators are placed in wooden boxes lined with galvanised iron and felt, with an opening on the under side for the admission of fresh air, and at the upper cud a flue is carried to and connected with aid ducts carried up in tho brick walks. These ducts open into the wards at the level of the window sills, and are fitted with hinged doors. Each circuit is fitted with a valve as well as each radiator, so that, any radiator or all may be out out, or the flow of tho hot water through the radiators reduced, so as to reduce the temperature if required. The boilers will also be arranged so that one only may be used, which, in all probability, is afi ifiat will be required to bent the building for about six or eight months of the year; consequently only sufficient fuel will be used to maintain the temperature of the wards. T.n this system the air is not warmed again to be robreathed. as is often the case if the direct method of radiation is used, the radiators being placed inside the wards for the direct system, instead of in the basement, as in the indirect system. Another advantage of the indirect system is that the attendant can attend to the radiators without entering the wards and disturbing the patients. The vitiated air is drawn out of the wards through openings in the ceilings which connect with air ducts in walls and is carried up and connected to aspirating shafts fixed in the roof. In the bottom of each aspirator a steam coil of copper pipe is to be fitted, which will raise the temperature in the flue much higher than the temperature of the air in tho wards, which will' draw the vitiated air through .the ducts, whence it emerges at the heigTit of 60ft above‘the ground level. The sanitary fittings have been specially selected, tdie-^latesh.. qThua jjgfeJp

?. f bunding inclndifig fcorridora, will !* lighted by electricity. V The well-known film of Mason and Wale are the architects, and Mr J. E. White the contractor for the erection of the buildinoIt may be mentioned that while no money is being expended on merely ornamental work, eithiA inside or out, and while utility and best value for the money available hkve been the guiding principles alike of the Trustees and the architects, the structure will be pleasing in appearance and in keeping with the other wards which have beei added to the institution from time to time