THE HOSPITAL QUESTION.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXII, Issue LXII, 23 January 1912, Page 4

THE HOSPITAL QUESTION.

It will be seen by the report of Monday s_. meeting of the Hospital Board that pr Valmtme, Inspector-General of Hospitals, does not favor for the present the erection of a new hospital His advice, m effect, is "go slow," but prepare for the future. It is good advice, but the problem which the Board has before it is whether it would be more economical to repair the present building or commence to work in brick or concrete on a definite and permanent scheme. A committee has been set up to attend to the work of making repairs, but the extent to "which repairing is to be carried should be made to depend a good deal on the expenditure which shall prove to be necessary. If repairs are to run into £2000 or £3000 which we cannot credit, the policy of repairs will be doubtful; if for a few hundreds the building can be made good tor some years to come, then the question of rebuilding may well stand over It is., satisfactory to learn on the testimony of Dr Valintine that the woodwork is sound and that there is nothing to be seen in the building to suggest decay or insanitation. As to the Jroject of getting a new site, we doubt whether that is necessary from the point of view of want of room. There fu-e objections to the present site from '-ts rather close and too suggestive a«--ocintions with the, cemetery, but there are points in its favor. It is of considerable size, say five acres, and ther*' is contiguous another area of borough property of equal size, which we do not doubt the borough would reserve if neoessary, for hospital purposes, making a total area of ten acres.