THE HOSPITAL SITE AND THE OLD PEOPLE'S REFUGES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9180, 9 October 1888, Page 6

THE HOSPITAL SITE AND THE OLD PEOPLE'S REFUGES.

At the regular meeting of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board held yesterday evening, the oft-threshed subject of the erection of the Old People's Refuges on the Hospital site wa9 brought up again by a letter from the Public Trustee, who had been applied to for a lease of the Hospital site, and also by a series of resolutions of which Mr. Bell had given notice. The Public Trustee forwarded a copy of a letter from Messrs. Brooktield and Son, having reference to the request for a lease of lot 41, section 3, suburbs of Auckland, and said, " I am unable to take the action desired." The letter was as follows :—

Colonial Bank Buildings, Auckland, 19th September, 188 S. To John Moginie, Esq., Agent for Public Trustee, Auckland : Dear air,—Wo have perused the accompanying letter from Mr. Garland, and are of opinion that the Public Trustee cannot legally carry out the suggestions therein contained. The land was originally granted ''upon trust for the site. and for an endowment for or towards the maintenance and support of a hospital," and the Public Trustee holds it upon the same trusts. The suggestion of Mr. Garland is that the Public Trustee should divert this trust to another purpose and let the whole property, with the buildings now erected thereon, to the Charitable Aid Board, which may possibly cease to have charge of the Hospital before the expiry of sixty-three years, and in that case would be able to change the present buildings from a Hospital to a Refuse or Workhouse. The carrying out of the third suggestion would, we think, render the Public Trustee liable to proceedings in the Supreme Court at the .suit of any ratepayer, as the effect of it would be to prevent any of the public from bidding, and in fact to commit a breach of the truHt in not letting lor the best obtainable rental and letting a valuable building site lor -a long term at a nominal rental, and thus depriving the Hospital of that maintenance and support which is the object of the trust. Wo would advise the Public Trustee, it' ha determined to let any part of the Hospital ground, to have it p.opcrly pegged off itll■ I put up for lease in the usual manner, with stipulations as to value of buildings to l ij elected aiid inspection of plans, etc.; but in the present state of public opinion as to the erection of a Refuge on that .site, he should be very careful not to play into the lunula f>l the present members of the Charilable Aid Board. —Yours, etc., Bkookkikld and Son.

There was some laughter at the latter portion of the letter as to the state of public opinion, but the chairman reminded them that Messrs. Brooktield were advising their clients, not the Board. He suggested that the letter be considered with the motion of which Mr. Bell had given notice. The mistake was in applying for the whole site. He moved that the secretary write to the public trustee, asking him whether he would lease a portion, and what portion of the site, and on what conditions.

Mr. Crowthkr said they should give him to understand that the Board should submit plans and specifications, &c, if required. Mr. PffcMlNG asked what was the position of the public trustee—was it that of a mortgagee '! The Chairman said the property was vested in him. It was formerly vested in the Superintendent of the province, but then it became vested in the public trustee when the provinces ceased to exist. Mr. Dignan moved, "That the further consideration of this matter be deferred until Mr. Bell's motion was disposed of." Thi!.(pHAiRMAN said they first wanted to know wivether they could get the site, and

Mr. Niccol coincided with this remark, and seconded the chairman's motion. The amendment was put and carried, five voting for it and two againefc. Mr. Bull then moved tlio following resolutions, of whicli ho had givon notice :— "(1) Thafc all previous resolutions of this Board as to tho site for tho Old People's Refuge be rescinded. (2) That steps be at once taken to build a llofugo on tlio site at One-tree Hill ; and (3) That in order to have the whole of tho Hospital buildings available for patients, it is necessary and desirable that a nurses' home bo erected on the Hospital grounds." Mr. Bell, in moving the resolutions, said he did nob intend to detain the members at any great length with his remarks, for the matter of fixing upon a site for the new refuge had been so fully ventilated of late that it left little for him to say. Ho could not, however, help drawing their attention to the fact that if they selected the Hospital grounds ae the site for the Refuge they did so against public opinion, against the opinions of the honorary and resident medical staff, and ho thought they would agree that this was also the opinion of the Public Trustee, judging from the concluding paragraph of Mr. Brooktield's letter. Anyone who had visited other cities must be convinced that the centre of a town was scarcely the position to select for those who had come to that time of life when quietness was the greatest boon they could desire. In the sister colonies their refuges weresome considerable distance away from the centre, and why, he asked, should they wish to be different in Auckland ? The Hospital grounds were none too large for the requirements of a city like Auckland, not perhaps what it was now, but what it would assuredly become in the near future. Ere long they would require to build a nurses' home, a lying-in ward, a convalescent ward, a children's ward, and a cancer ward, and they therefore should not want to cram the whole vacant space with buildings of other institutions. Besides this the grounds surrounding the Hospital should be laid out in gardens, walks, kc, so as to afford ample room for the convalescent patients to walk about and recoup their shattered health. If therefore they rook portions of the hospital reserve for other purposes they robbed the citizens of Auckland of the bent-fits which they should enjoy. Suggestions hue! been urged that if the Refuge was moved away from its present site there would be no medical man to attend the sick and infimi, but that surely could be overcome by providing a telephone at the Refuge and a horse for the resident medical officer at the Hospital. Other colonies did not experience any difficulty in this matter. Then, as far as visitors were concerned — for ho knew that some objections had been raised that either the One-tree Hill or Ellerslie sites were too tar for tiie present friends to travel—he could assure them that there were many willing and charitably disposed persons residing in these suburbs who would be only too happy to take up the work. He maintained that although it was possible the journey might oe prolonged by a quarter of an hour, the Onetree Hill site was more easily got at than d\'t present Refuge, for the tram cars, which left every 15 minutes, went within a stone's throw of what he trusted might yet be the front dour of their building. He concluded by moving the first resolution, " That all previous resolutions of this Board as to the site for the Old People's Refuge be rescinded."

Mr. Sttkges seconded the motion. He said that they were all aware of hi 3 opinion on the subject. He considered the great tiling against, the selection of the Hospital site was that it was possible that it could be so easily alienated, especially when they had other sites available.

Mr. NIGCoL said instead of giving a silent vote, he preferred giving a reason, although he could hardly say anything new. Mr. Bell seemed to think that because other colonies did one thing — such as Melbourne or Sydney—that they should do likewise. It was the old story of the frog and the ox, and if they did so they might burst as the frog did. In their present circumstances they must first attend to economy. Auckland was only like a suburb of one of these great cities, and the time had not yet come for removing these institutions into the country. He had given the matter as much consideration as any member of the Board or the public, and was convinced that the Hospital site was the most fiuitable, and for that reason ho should vote against the motion. Mr. Atkin, as an amendment, moved the resolution already moved by the chairman, " That the Public Trustee be written to tusking , him whether he would lease a portion of the site, and what portion of the site, and on what terms." He said that such a site was not available in any of the other colonies, for with the Domain on one side it could not be crowded.

Mr. Growthi;r seconded the amendment. The amendment was pub : Ayes, 7 ; noes, o. It was then put as a resolution. Me. Bell moved as a further amendment, " That the whole matter be left over until the new Board was elected." There was no seconder. The motion was then put and carried. Mr, Bkll, said the first resolution not having been carried, he thought it useless to move the second, but he moved fche third, and dwelt on the necessity for there being a suitable place of rest for the nurses. If the nurses were provided for outside the hospital, the present sleeping apartments, and the diningroom would afford room for from 35 to 40 beds for patients, and in order to have extra space for patients and proper accommodation for the nUrses they should have a suitable building. Ho contended that the old people or the patients got no benefit from Costley's bequest. The only persons benefited were the ratepayers, but that was now beside the question, and he moved the resolution. Mr. ATKiN" seconded the motion pro forma. He sympathised with the motion, bub he suggested that it be left over until the question of the Refuge was settled. Mr. L>PY objected to the constant cry that the ratepayers were being saved by the Costley bequest. The Chairman said that the bequest enabled them to expend more on the old people, and he was surprised that Mr. Bell should make such unthinking statements. He should recollect that the bequest was made to the Old People's Refuge and to the Hospital, not to the old people or the patients. Mr. CBOWTHEa drew attention to the Sailors' Homo ap an institution in the city where persons getting 10s a day could go and get a dinner for fid, the managers being enabled to provide it because of Costley's bequest. Had it not been for Costley's bequest they never would have heard of a Sailors' Home, and he doubted very much whether they would ever have heard of the new Refuges.

Mr. Fleming supported the motion proposed by Mr. Bell, but he did not think an expenditure of £1000 would be required at the present low rate of building.

Mr. PIGJfAN said they ull sympathised with the desire to have a suitable place for the nunses, but it was a matter for consideration when they proceeded with the erection of the, Refuges. The Board nt present, considered they were expending the Costley money to the best advantage, and hail it not been for the Costley bequest, tho.se who were in the Refuges would be in the Hospitial, for, without that fund, they would nob be able to provide for them in the Refuse

The Chairman suggested that the matter be referred to the House Committee, as it might be found that the room occupied by the nurses, might be economised, lie again suggested that he defer the motion.

Mr. Bull said he could not be present at the next meeting. Mr. Udy moved " That the consideration of the question be deferred until the Refuge site was settled." Tliis was agreed to and the subject then dropped.