THE WHITE ELEPHANT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXI, Issue 15334, 17 June 1910, Page 5

THE WHITE ELEPHANT.

BUILDINGS ON THE PORT HILLS.

UNFIT FOR CONSUMPTIVES.

MIGHT DO FOR INEBRIATES’ HOME.

Ono of the principal subjects of public. discussion in Christchurch yesterday was Dr Black more’s very sweeping condemnation of the liandsomo and expensive pile of buildings on the Cashmere Hills. There were rumours soon after Dr Blackmore took charge, some months ago, that the buildings were not suitable for a consumption sanatorium, but the public were hardly prepared for the statement, repeated at the meeting of tho Charitable and Hospital Board on Wednesday, that it would be bettor for the Board to “scrap” the buildings and erect new ones.

Mr F. Hcrrell, chairman of tho Board, is one of those who believe that Dr Blackmore has a good deal of justification for his condemnation. “ I have always felt that the site on the brow of the hills is too much exposed for consumptive patients,” ho said to a reporter yesterday. “My own opinion is that we ought to have gone out to Burnham for a site. There is an area there of about. 100 acres in a reserve belonging to the Selwyn County Council, which is very suitable. It would liavo been very easy to obtain the land either by purchase or at a peppercorn rent. The land is dry, the air mild but bracing, and there would be plenty of space, even for poultry and other occupations. The area on. tho Cashmere Hills, I understand, is about twelve acres, but it is a steep saddle, and the land runs down on each side of tho institution, as well as in front. Excavations have to be carried out whenever a building is erected, and the ground is like sugar, and will not hold together. It is a bad place, and will always bo a had place. The Board’s troublo is to know what to do with tho great building, if it is abandoned. I hardly think that the public can he appealed to again. In any case, even if another consumption sanatorium is erected by the Board, what are we to do with the present buildings? The only plan that occurs to me is to induce the Government to take them over as an inebriates’ homo. That would certainly relieve the position. It would be a great blessing to the Board in many wavs, as the cost of maintenance is exceptionally heavy on account of carrying provisions up the hill and the extra work thrown upon tho nurses and cthor officers. • I suppose that we will have to keep it going for a time, at any rate, until something is done. Dr Valin tine. Inspector of Hospitals, has asked for an expert report on the buildings, and until Dr Blackmore has prepared that nothing can be done. I must confess that l am at a complete loss to supply a fitting use for the buildings, unless, as I have stated, they afe turned into an inebriates’ home.

THE QUESTION OF SUITABILITY. DEED OF TRUST PROVIDES FOR OTHER USES. A reporter asked tho Mayor yesterday whether he carod to comment on tho opinion expressed by Dr Blackmore that the Consumption Sanatorium was unsuitable for the purpose, and that it would almost pay the. Board to “ scrap” it. Mr Allison said that before the plans had been approved lly the old Hospital Board they had been brought up at a meeting of tho Board. Members had then not had an opportunity of scrutinising them closely, and the position was much the same as the presont position ip connection with the proposed extensive alterations to the Christchurch Hospital buildings. “In order to protect myself about tho question,” continued Mr Allison, “ I put the question to tno representatives of the. committee present —Dr Jennings, Dr Finch, Air Evans and others—whether the medical stalf of tho Hospital and the Health Department had approved of the site, and I was assured that they had. Acting on that, the buildings wont on, and it was only when I found out the extremely exposed nature of the site and the impossibility almost of protecting it that 1 saw it was going to bo a considerable source of expense to put in working order and conveniently maintain it. Dr Blackmore is apparently moved by tho feeling that it is too rfnicli exposed and that the carriage of supplies is too expensive, but I have not had anv conv.'iwalion with him as to the suitability or otherwise of the site in regard to elevation and such matters. But if the wind and tlio expenso of getting supplies up are iho only objections I think that can bo gpt over by providing increased facilities.” “ When I was chairman of Ihe committee of the Sanatorium ” the Mayor continued, “wo oven then had under consideration the question of constructing a tramway, but the Board lelt that it could not undertake everyth'ug of that kind at once, because the original provisional committee instead of banding over tho institution complete and equipped as it was understood would bo tho caso, left it- very incomplete, and it was estimated that a sum of £6OOO would he required to put it in working order. We have not spent that £6OOO, because we found that one or two things proposed by tho original cbrr.miltoo could jm dispensed with for some time. For instance, there was the sream laundry, tho machinery of which would have cost something like £IOOO, and would have required a- trained engineer in attendance to run it. That may come >n time, and when it comes too tramway may also bo established, and pivibralv by that time also the I'laec may be in a more sheltered position with the trees growing up. Meantime, 1 think, it :s necessary to erect some 1-ind of w.n-i screen.”

“ Although I was opposed to taking the institution over,” the Mayor said, in answer to another question, “on the ground that tho committee had not fulfilled its obligations, I arn not prepared to say that tho expenditure lias been all wasted or anything like it. There aro difficulties connected with the establishment of any institution, and those difficulties will bo gradually overcome. A good deal of dissatisfaction has been expressed because everything is not complete. “No,” ho continued, “I do not think that the membors would consider the question of ‘ scrapping ’ it for a moment. I. objected to it being transferred as a sanatorium solely, and I got included in the trust deed at tho time provision to uso the buildings after a certain time for other purposes. As Dr Blackmore says, it is suitable only for cases in tho early stages of tho disease, and wo cannot well provide at that institution for all stages of the disease. It may therefore be desirable to convert it to some of the other uses mentioned in the trust deed, and do what was contemplated at one time, namely, erect a loss expensive establishment somewhere about Rollcston or Burnham.”

COST OF THE BUILDINGS

ROME INDEPENDENT VIEWS

The buildings, which were erected about two years ago, cost £17.500. Of that sum about £13,000 was raised by public subscription and Government subsidy. Two"residents of Canterbury, Mrs Townend and Mr W. H. Clark, pave £IOOO each. The old Hospital Board, when it took the buildings over from the Sanatorium Committee, therefore, paid only about £ISOO. The silo was given as a donation by the trustees of the Cracroft Wilson Estate- The movement to have a sanatorium established began six or seven years ago. There seems to bo some difference of opinion in regard to Dr Blaekmore’s statements. • A doctor in Christchurch, for instance, says that both the buildings and the site, are quit© suitable, and he thinks that the Government, the public and the Charitable Aid and Hospital Board ought to feel very grateful to the old Sanatorium Committeo for wliat it has done. Tho Ikisprl, especially, should he thankful

that the citizens came forward when they did, as the Government would have compelled tho Board to erect a, sanatorium, whereas one was erected ready for it, at a cost of only £ISOO. After the movement had been got well under way, it was believed that Ashburton and Timaru would come- into tho scheme, but the Act did not provide machinery for co-operation in that direction, and when the defect had been remedied, those two districts refused to join Canterbury, which had to carry out tho scheme without their assistance.

A gentleman who is interested in the welfare of the institution, and who did a good deal of work on tho Sanatorium Committee, states that Dr Blackmore is a “ now broom,” and, very naturally, is anxious to sweep everything that can be swept. This gentleman says that the site is almost an ideal one. Several objections wero urged to it when it was chosen, but these have been proved to bo quite groundless. It was stated, for instance, that thotramcars going to the hills would bo crowded with consumptive patients, who would spread disense by expectorating in tho cars and on the footpaths. Experience, ho says, lias shown that there is no danger from that source whatever. As a matter of fact, tho institution was intended from the first to bo of an educational character. It was not intended for chrome, cases, hut in order to arrest the disease in individual cases, and to give a wide circulation to methods of chocking and preventing the disease’s progress. It. was urged at tho time that the institution should ho far from centres oF population, on Castle Hill or some other remote place, hut in New Zealand, as in larger countries, that idea was found to be quite impracticable on account of the difficulty of inducing competent officers to take up tho work, and also on account of tho expense.