THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY. Motto : Public Service. BEREAVEMENT NOTICE. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 8, 1937. THE HOSPITAL MERGER.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 47, Issue 2667, 8 September 1937, Page 4

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY. Motto : Public Service. BEREAVEMENT NOTICE.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 8, 1937. THE HOSPITAL MERGER.

VERRAN.—The family of the late Mrs Thomas Verran, of Paeroa, wish to sincerely thank all kind friends and relations for expressions of sympathy in their recent sad bereavement, also for letters, telegrams and floral emblems received.

NO surprise will be evinced locally by the report published on Monday that Cabinet has approved of the amalgamation of the Thames, Coromandel and Waihi hospital districts. A certain section of Waihi people, particularly some chamber of commerce members, will be very chagrined, but it is hard to see that the Government could do otherwise than endorse the Commission’s finding. Here is, in Waihi’s case, a small hospital and a very circumscribed hospital district tucked away in a corner of, and completely surrounded by, a large district. Waihi’s argument, that its district should have been enlarged at the expense of Thames—part of Ohinemuri county and the Paeroa borough in particular—carried little weight except in the minds of the authors, and they were not working from any disinterested motives. Under the new arrangement Waihi will still have its own hospital, the borough will pay on an equitable footing compared with the other constituent local authorities of the new area, while it will be available for the admission of patients closer to that institution £han to Thames —a very welcome reform to settlers in the Waihi plains and Whangamata districts and Waikino.

Coromandel’s position is rather different. The board there has endeavoured to justify the retention of its own self-govern-ment, based more, it must be said, on parochial grounds than for legitimate or logical reasons. Always self-centred, partly because of its former isolation, the Coromandel peninsula has hitherto kept itself to itself, and intimate association with other areas will naturally surprise and dismay the people, or at least, their representatives. Modern communication methods, however, have turned Coromandel’s isolation into a different category—it is only less accessible, through rougher roads, than other counties. Sea, land and air all give faster and better service than even 10 years ago, so Coromandel’s claim grows weaker every year. Insofar as service is concerned, it will still maintain, as the Minister of Health has guaranteed to the board, the institution to serve as a maternity and a casualty hospital, while it is stated by the Commission that the Coromandel levy under amalgamation will be halved. The board disputes this, but it is very hard to see that the contribution will be increased, even if the board’s figures are nearer the true state of affairs than the

Commission’s, so Coromandel should welcome Cabinet’s decision and endeavour to co-operate with the new board and its neighbours in the larger district. It is likely that a small extra burden will fall on the present Thames board’s constituent local bodies, and to counterbalance that the Commission has recom-

mended Government financial assistance, disappearing at the end of 10 years. No reference to the Commission’s report was made by Cabinet, but it may warrantably be presumed that if the finding has been accepted, then the basic terms of that recommendation will be endorsed. A larger district, not so big as to be unweildy, should lead to an improvement in the service offered. The logical next step is—the extension of the district at Waikato’s expense. Inclusion of Te Aroha borough and part of Piako county would reduce the load on the present Thames board’s ratepayers without materially affecting Waikato’s constituent authorities. Paeroa would then become the geographical, and logical, centre, with many natural advantages over Thames as a site for the hospital. As the present Thames structure is nearing the finish of its useful and efficient life, rebuilding will shortly become necessary. To give the maximum service to the greatest number, then the new hospital will have to be built at Paeroa, and, under the suggested boundary alterations, the arrangement would be eminently suitable to patients and ratepayers. Let the new board, when it is finally constituted, remember that.