HASTINGS HOSPITAL

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 236, 18 September 1934, Page 4

HASTINGS HOSPITAL

FORMALITIES COMPLETE Builder to Begin Work EXPENDITURE OF £12,000 Sanction of the expenditure of a sum of £11,987 on additions to the Hustings Memorial Hospital was received by the Hawke’s Bay Hospital Board yesterday in a telegram from the Minister of Health, Hon. J. A. Young, and the position now is that the last of the formalities necessary to the putting in hand of Mr. 11. Abbott’s contract has been completed. The original scheme has been modified’ in one or two minor details, and as a consequence there will be a slight reduction iu tho original contract price.

Mr. C. 0. Morse presented a report on his negotiations in Wellington, and this was approved by the board. The tender of Mr. H. W. Abbott is to be accepted, and the managing secretary and Mr Morse are to make adjustments in the eontract price. The net results of the deputation from the Hospital Board to Wellington in connection with the additions were: —extra subsidy on the W’hole of the labour involved was approved; an ap plication to work 44 hours per week was approved; the plans and contract price were approved; the steam service is to be a charge on levy and subsidy; and the holding-over of the ante-natal clinic was approved. Mr Morse, reporting to the board on the developments at Wellington, said that the alterations suggested by the department were quite numerous. All the department’s suggestions which were considered reasonable were met and all those that were not considered reasonable were overcome. All the alterations had been overcome without materially altering the scheme. They would reduce the contract price. It had been a long-drawn-out fight, added Mr Morse, and all were pleased that it was finished. He thought the Minister had been verv helpful tn bringing the matter to completion. STEAM SYSTEM UNSETTLED. They had not yet the Minister’s consent to the steam system; that would be a matter for negotiation with the department’s experts. No doubt they would soon have the Ministerial consent and the steam would be put in as the building progressed. The Minister had approved of the principle that the heating and steam service should be paid for by means of levy and subsidy. The board had been allowed in the meantime to use the money estimated for equipment for the steam service this year. It would be March before they were ready for occupation, and they would have to budget next year for equipment. “I have been consistent in my attitude in this matter, ” Mr Morse concluded. “I agreed in the first case that Hastings should have hospital accommodation, because we have the bequest to provide additional maintenance if necessary.’’ He wished to pay tribute to the work of the managing-secretary, Mr E. T. Rees, in the matter. Mr 8. J. McKee, representing the Hastings members, congratulated Mr Morse upon the fact that the matter had been brought to finality. He t'elt. that Mr Morse’s persistency in the past seven or eight weeks had shortened the argument considerably, and the people of Hastings and Hawke’s Bay generally would appreciate this conclusion, for this hospital had become a factor iu tho development of Hawke’s Bay. Ho hoped that everytning would go along smoothly. He wished to congratulate the chairman on his fine stand throughout. NO FAULT OF CHAIRMAN. Dr. H. M. Wilson also expressed appreciation of the way in which the chairman had worked. “You’ve boxed ♦ hat final round up to a high stand ard,” he commented. Mr Lasscu also extended congratulations. He said that, it had been a long-drawn-out contest, but it was not tho fault of the chairman or of the board Dr. Berry said: “I still maintain ♦ hat tho principle is wrong. However, the whole fight is finished, and my attitude is that we should try to make it as efficient a hospital as possible.” In a brief discussion following the approval of the report Mr Morse and other members of the board paid tribute to the services of Mr H. M Campbell, M.P., and Mr G. A. Maddison, Mayor of Hastings. Mr Morse said that he wished to express the board’s thanks for the consistent way in which Mr Campbell bad acted and assisted at all times. Whenever they had appealed to him ho had always been ready with assistance, and he had given them every opportunity to pursue the matter.