MUDDLING CHARGE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 158, 20 June 1935, Page 8

MUDDLING CHARGE

ARCHITECTS ABSOLVED Napier Hospital Plans CONFERENCE CLEARS THE AIR Yesterday afternoon certain members of the H.B. Hospital Board met representatives of the associated architects in Napier and discussed with them the responsibility for delay in securing departmental sanction to plans of the new administration block at the Napier Public Hospital. The architects’ re- . presentative, Mr Rene Natusch, made it clear that they had supplied the department with all the information they wore required to give, and that so far as he knew all plans and specifications had been sent down to the Department of Health. Board members agreed that Mr Natusch should have been present when the board discussed the alleged muddle on Monday afternoon, and agreed that his presentation of the facts was correct. In future, the architect, secretary and board engineer will check all plans before they are sent to a department in Wellington.

Board members present at the meeting were Messrs C. 0. Morse, chairman, A. E. Bedford, Dr. J. Allan Berry, Messrs. R. Harding, 8. J. McKee, and H. V. Hoadley. The architects were Messrs Rene Natusch, D. B. Frame, W. P. Finch, E. A. Williams, and J. A. Louis Hay. Mr Morse said that the committee would be glad to hear the architects’ view of the situation, as it had been concerned at the delay in securing approval of the plans. Apparently, everything went well till the time for presentation of the plans at Wellington. There was no personal animus in the situation so far as the board was concerned. Personally, he did not know to whom the blame could be attached. No reflection upon the architects was meant, and the subject of the meeting was: Who was responsible, and in what way could further delay be obviated? The department had said that the plans for the steam-heating had not arrived with the others, but the board’s engineer, Mr W. G. Sandes, said that they were sent to the architects, to be forwarded to Wellington.

ARCHITECTS’ CAUSE FOR COM

Mr Natusch said the architects had

just cause for complaint about the meeting on Monday. He was in the building at the time, and sent in a note to ask whether his presence was requested, but was told it was not. In view of what was said at the meeting, it was only fair that he should have been present. He was pleased to hear there was no personal feeling in the matter, but only a desire to further the interests of the board. A letter from the Department of Health on May 8 indicated that all documents, with the exception of two items dealing with hot-water heating and radiation, had been forwarded. Had there been any misunderstanding in the matter the architects should have been asked • bout it, and it was clear that the department expected the board to supply the information about the water-heating •nd radiation particulars. Then on June 13 the architects received a letter stating, among other things, that they were responsible for the delay. He thought that it would be in the best interests of the board if the ehairman kept more fully in touch with the secretary.

■fuming to Mr Morse, he said, “You are a hard worker, and give these matters a tremendous amount of attention, and busy man as you are you naturally slip sometimes. Had Mr Rees been informed of various things, some of these misunderstandings would haw been obviated. I ask you not to mind my speaking plainly.’’

Mr Morse asked for specific instances, and Mr Natusch replied that the architects knew nothing of what was going on between August 13 and October 3 of last year. Had the secretary been fully advised upon the position, the architects could have known what was being done. It' there had been delay, it wns not the fault, of the architects.

All they were concerned with was the lay-out, and the steam-heating specifications were to be sent by the board’s engineer, who thought the architects were dealing with the whole cf the heating and radiation problems, whereas they wore dealing only in part with them. The letter from the department dearly showed that. There was no reflection upon Mr Sandes, who had done excellent work. TWO SETs OF PLANS SENT. Subsequent questions by Mr McKee and Dr. Berry showed that the plans of the steam-heating plant went down with the general plans of the administration block, and that a further set of plans was sent down. Mr. E. T. Rees, the board secretary, made it clear that any instruction he hnd received had been carried out within 24 hours. Mr Morse said that there was no inference of neglect by Mr Rees. In reply to n question by Mr Morse, Mr Natuseh said there was i»> rea-on for the department’s request for a second set of plans, to which Mr Morse replied that the trouble was caused through the department’s vague telegram asking for a second set of plans. Mr Natusch said that he was certain that no sheet of specifications could have been omitted when the plans were sent down, and Mr Sandes told him that tin l radiation figures were supplied to the department before they telegraphed. In response to several que.tions r.y Dr Berry and Mr McKee, the chairman said that though he had approved in Wellingt erlain alternative specifirat.irwis for gleet wi«li»W», wallboard lag and tooling, his approval would

be subject to the ruling of the build-1 ing sub-committee. Mr Hoadley said that other than the chairman none of the board members knew on Monday that Mr Natusch was in the building. Had they known, they would have been pleased to see him at the meeting, so that a number of points could be cleared. Mr McKee expressed himself as being perfectly satisfied that there were only a number of details to receive attention. Had the architect, the board secretary and the board engineer gone to Wellington, there would not have been any muddle at all. Dr. Berry agreed. He regretted the long discussion at the board meeting on Monday without the presence of the architect. SHOULD BE SATISFIED. Mr Hoadley said the board should be quite satisfied with the explanation given by the architects. In the circumstances, everything which could be done, had been done, it seemed. The chairman said that when Mr Natusch sent in his note to the meeting, which was in tho early stages, he had not read it but presumed tho accompanying letter would cover all details necessary. For that reason he had said it would not be necessary for Mr Natusch to attend. No discourtesy was intended. Misunderstanding had occurred through two sets of people handling the situation, but everything was done in good faith by the architects. In future, before plans are sent to Wellington, there will be full understanding among tho architects, the board secretary and the board engineer, so that no further misunderstanding will arise.