Sale of Hospital Farm Under Fire

Northern Advocate, 10 August 1938, Page 7

Sale of Hospital Farm Under Fire

Severe criticism of the manner in which negotiations for the sale of the Whangarei Hospital Board’s Neville Estate farm at Waikiekie were completed by the farm committee was made by Mr. A. J. McKay at the board's monthly meeting this week. Mr. McKay remarked on the lack of information provided by the committee members concerning the state of the farm prior to the sale. He had sought information regarding the fences and an'estimated upset price, but this had not been supplied by the committee members, he contended. In his opinion, also, the sals should have been the subject of a full-board discussion. and not. left for the farm committee to decide. An Urgent Matter.

The chairman. Mr. J. A. S. Mac Kay, drew attention to the need for urgency in dealing with the sale. Tenders had been called, and the committee had been empowered to deal with them. Delay might have been costly to the board, he said. Mr. Mackay emphasised that he had no knowledge of the successful tenderer until the tenders were sent in. The tender accepted was well in advance of the other tenders and more , than the amount suggested by the committee as a reasonable price. Mr. F. Elliott also declared that, as a member of the farm committee, he had no knowledge of the successful tenderer prior to the shle. He regretted that Mr. McKay should have been led to make the remarks he had done. Action Confirmed.

Mr. McKay informed the board that he had heard the result of the negoti- \ ■ y ■ . 1 . ations on the afternoon on which tenders closed. He had been the only one not consulted in the matter. To this the chairman replied by again emphasising the need for urgency in making the deal, A cash transaction was of much greater worth to the board than any other, he said. 1 When a motion was put to the meeting to confirm the farm committee’s action, Mr'. McKay remarked ‘that he was satisfied that if the committee had power to make the sale there was no need to have the action confirmed at the board meeting.

The committee’s action in disposing of the farm was confirmed. . Mr. D. M. Walker, of Tauraroa, was the successful tenderer, his price being £2875. Of this amount, the board will benefit to the extent of about £I6OO,

A FRACTURE of the left leg was suffered by Mr S. Irwin Crookes, of 21 Maungawhau Road, Epsom, when he was knocked down by a motor-car at the corner of Seccombe’s Road and Mountain Road shortly before 8 o’clock "ust night N