THE INFECTIOUS DISEASES HOSPITAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12240, 8 April 1903, Page 6

THE INFECTIOUS DISEASES HOSPITAL.

GOVERNMENT STOPPING SUBSIDIES. PROTEST FROM DEVONPORT. At last night's meeting of the Devonport Borough Council, a notification was received from the Government Treasury Department, intimating that subsidy to the amount of £187 10s was due to the Council, and that the sum of £37 7s had been forwarded, being the amounts of the Council's subsidy, less the amount payable to public account, being contribution due in respect ot the infectious diseases hospital, Auckland, viz., £150 3s. The Mayor said this matter was a most important one. He pointed out that the local bodies had almost unanimously resolved that the decision of the Health Department to build an infectious diseases hospital at Point Chevalier should not be given effect to, and the resolutions they passed had been forwarded to the Minister for Health for his consideration. The protests of the local bodies had not yet been considered by the Minister, yet they had this intimation from the Treasury that £153 had been deducted from the borough subsidy for the infectious diseases hospital. At the outset the cost of the hospital at Point Chevalier was estimated at £8500, and the contribution of the • Devonport borough was assessed at £157. Now the plans had been modified, and the total cost was to be £6700. while the borough's contribution was apparently £150 3s. Dr. Mason informed the local bodies that he intended to proceed with the erection of the hospital at Point Chevalier. He had since been in Wellington, and the action of the Treasury indicated that the Health Department and the Government had combined to arbitrarily enforce Dr. Mason's mailed-fist policy, and that the decisions of the representatives of the people are not to be taken into consideration. In his opinion the action of the Treasury in deducting ' this £150 3s was quite * unjustifiable, and should be vigorously protested against by every local body. He moved, " That in the opinion of this Council the action of the Treasury Department in stopping £150 as amount payable to public account, being contribution due in respect of the infectious diseases hospital, Auckland, and using the money for the purpose of building an infectious diseases hospital at Point Chevalier in direct opposition to the almost unanimous decision of the local bodies, is a misuse of the power vested in the Treasury Department, and we protest against 'such action, and claim that the whole of the subsidy should be paid direct to us, leaving the public body or department entitled to claim payment from this Council to follow their legal remedy, and that copies of this resolution be forwarded forthwith to the Minister for Public Health and also to the Paymaster-General." Mr. Walker seconded, and the motion was adopted unanimously.