TAURANGA AFFAIRS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18354, 21 March 1923, Page 10

TAURANGA AFFAIRS.

DOMAIN AND HOSPITAL.

DEPUTATIONS TO PREMIER.

[by i-eleqraph.— CORRESPONDENT. ] TAURANGA. Tuesday. Two deputations waited on the Prime Minister to-day. Members of the domain board pointed out that about £2000 has been expended on the domain. The grounds had been levelled and provision made for athletics, but the work was not quite completed. The deputation desired to ask the Prime Minister whether the Government would give a subsidy to enable the board to finish the work. Mr. Massey said it was a matter for the Hon. D. H. Guthrie to deal with, but he personally would look into it and see what could be done. The deadlock over the proposal to build a new general hospital in Tauranga was discussed by members of the board with the Prime Minister. Correspondence was read from the Director-General of Hospitals who asked what the board intended doing to provide cottage hospital facilities ait Te Puke in terms of a previous understanding between the board and the department. It had been noted by the department that the loard had decided to defer the building at Te Puke until after the election of the board. Therefore further consideration of the Tauranga proposal must be similarly deferred. The chairman, Mr. Southey, explained that the plans had been prepared for a new hospital at Tauranga at an estimated cost of £16,500. The sum of £12,500 had been borrowed from the Public Trust Office in anticipation of the work being proceeded with, but the money was lying idle and the board had to pay interest on it. The. board had also received some £9000 in donations. Mr. Massey said that the Government had received many complaints in regard to the increase in hospitals expenditure in the Bay of Plenty. He would see the Minister for Health, the Hon. C. J. Parr, about the matter, with a view to ascertaining what could be done.