East versus West

Northland Age, Volume 28, Issue 28, 23 March 1928, Page 4

East versus West

Painting Mangonui Hospital, Mr Kitchen Ruled Out Shifting the Main Hospital A Question Tabooed

Quite a little breeze occurred at the Mangonui Hospital Board’s 1 meeting yesterday over the ques- 1 tion of having the Mangonui hos- | pital painted. It is wellknown | that Mr D Kitchen has always ( advocated having a central hos- | pital for the Mangonui County. ] Consequently when the question . of expending over £4OO on the ■ Mangonui Hospital came up at 1 the board meeting, Mr Kitchen , opposed the expenditure of any money on the hospital building for the present. He said it could stand for another year at least. The Chairman : The board has gone to the expense of getting an expert to report to us on what should be done to conserve the present buildings at Mangonui and he makes certain recommendations. If you did not want anything done you should have said so when the matter of engaging an expert to report to us was before the board. Mr Kitchen : I don’t consider it will make a great deal of difference if we leave it for another year. lam quite convinced that in two years time that the hospital will not be there. The Chairman ; We don’t want any more of this kind of thing. We are not dealing with the question of shifting the hospital at present. We are dealing with the question of painting the building. Mr Kitchen : If you were of the opinion that the hospital in two years time The Chairman: I rule you out of order. Mr Kitchen : If you were sure that the hospital would be shifted in two years, you would not be advocating the painting in any shape or form. The Chairman : That is not the question before the meeting. Mr Kitchen: lam of the opinion that the hospital will be shif- : ted in two years. The Chairman: If you are not going to talk of painting you will sit down. Mr Kitchen: But Mr Chairman . surely I have the right to say j w(iat I think on a discussion affecting the painting of the hospital. lam opposed to it and I r will vole against it and my reason r is that I don’t think the hospital - will be there in two years’time. The Chairman : You are out of r order Mr Kitchen and you will J please sit down. Mr Evans: I certainly think we should go on with this work. . It is very much needed. As to ’ the question of shifting the hospital, I would like to know where we will raise the £16,000 which will be our share of the cost. The ratepayers have enough to face now without putting any more on to them. ; Mr L J Matthew ; I will move 3 that the exterior of the building , be painted, and the other maintenance work coming within the 5 scope of our estimate be done. Mr Evans seconded.

Mr Michie : I support the motion Mr Chairman. The question raised by Mr Kitchen does not enter into it. In connection with Mr Kitchen’s remarks, though I disagree with him entirely, with all due respect to yourself, sir, I think that had you granted him permission to say what was in his mind you might have been the gainer and this board would not have been the loser for it. I regret that he has not had the floor to express himself. I respect your view in the matter, ivlr Chairman, but I do feel sorry he has been called to order. The Chairman: Too much lati-

tude is allowed at local body meetings in this county and we will get on better by sticking to the matters under consideiation. I have a motion here to have this painting done. We engaged an expert to report on the condition of the buildings at Mangonui. He has been here and we have incurred the liability. We must go by his report or turn it down, I only called Mr Kitchen to order because he left the subject under discussion in the course of his remarks. Mr Cosson : I don’t think the hospital will ever be removed. We would never think of getting that old building removed to Kaitaia. In the meantime I think it good policy not to allow the building to fall into disrepair. Moreover, we allowed a certain amount on our estimates for this work, which we considered frem the beginning was necessary. I support the motion. Mr Mclntosh : 1 congratulate Mr Matthews on pruning his estimates considerably. 1 support the motion. Mr Kitchen (to the Chairman): Will you allow me to bring this matter up in the “general business.” The Chairman : That is quite a different matter, Mr Kitchen. The motion was carried, Mr Kitchen dissenting.