P.N. HOSPITAL BOARD FRAMES ESTIMATES 1 TOTALLING £21,100

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6851, 5 March 1929, Page 8

P.N. HOSPITAL BOARD FRAMES ESTIMATES 1 TOTALLING £21,100

Local Bodies’ Levy £3BOO

PROVISION FOR EVERINCREASING NUMBERS

Capital estimates totalling £21,100 for the coming financial year were framed by the Palmerston North hospital board yesterday. The levy to be made on contributing local bodies will be £3,800, the same as last year. _ i The biggest payment will be £12,320 which is portion of the contract money due on the new two-stqrey block in course of erection. Sinking Fund Instalments. The next biggest amount will be £1770 mado up of loan sinking fund instalments. In reporting on the position of the loans the secretary stated: We have at present running tho following loans—(1) £46,000. This was borrow'od in 1918 at 51 per cent, with 1 per cent sinking fund and is due in 1948. It is necessary to provide £770 this year for sinking fund instalments. (2) Tho second loan is an amount of £3,000 which was borrowed in 1922 as a supplementary to tho £46,000 loan. This is a loan at 6 per cent with no sinkino- fund. This amount, £3OOO, is due to be paid in 1943. (3) £40,000. This was borrowed in 1926. £4,000 is repayable annually in respect of this lean,' £B,OOO having already been, paid and a further £4,000 is to be paid this year. The wisdom of making this loan a short term one is evident, as though 1929 is the fourth year of the ten year period, the indications are that before the ten years are up, still further work will have to be considered.

Fever Ward. A great deal of discussion ensued upon the question of improving the fever ward, in view of the fact that additional accommodation would be necessary very soon. It was decided place an omount of £0 on the estimates to provide a room that could be used as a dining room and sitting room for patients who were out of bed. As soon as money is available it will be necessary to add to the fever ward accommodation and the present proposal is made as part of a scheme for future additions to this building. Milk and Meat Rooms. “During the past summer we have had continual complaints regarding the keeping of milk and meat.” reported the secretary. “The rooms are badly ventilated and it is essential that, some improvement be made. It is desirable to put fans into both rooms and effect other improvements.” The amount of £250 was authorised by tho board to be spent on thoroughly equipping cool chambers. More Quarters Wanted. To cope with the shortage of accommodation for the staff, an amount of £350 is to bo spent in completing the rooms over the bulk store. Destructor.

The estimates contained two items —£loo for the addition of 15 feet to the height of the chimney stack at the engine room to improve the draught on the main boilers and roduce tho coal bill and. £250 for a new destructor.

Mr. J. K. Hornblow urged that the £l2O for a new destructor should be set aside for a year in view of the fact that the board had decided that only necessary expenditure should be made. The secretary pointed out that the destructor was more important really than the extra chimney top to cost £IOO. An easterly wind blew the smoke and smell of the present destructor over the maternity home, which was very objectionable. As a matter of fact, the present destructor could not be used to full capacity on account of the nuisance created. Other Items. Other items of expenditure agreed to were: —Improvements to steriliser room £4O, surgical instruments £125, microscope £55, ico chest for maternity home £25, kitchen improvements (nurses’ home) £360, trolleys and distilled water tank £SO, furniture, bedding, linen, etc, for staff quarters £450, additional lockers for wards £6O, bacon slicer and bread cutter £SO, beds for special cases £45, skeleton and wax model £45, farm improvements £IOO, miscellaneous £750. On tho question of miscellaneous expenditure the secretary reported as follows:—“As all the foregoing items have been kept down to a minimum and as other items arc suro to occur during the year, this amount will be essential. I have in mind the possibility of capital expenditure for additional equipment at the Otaki hospital (tho position regarding which has not been investigated up to the present), and the possibility of capital expenditure in connection with an epidemic.” aedm ts.xrf piemen tq6im daddo..7ld