SHELTERS IN DOMAIN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19717, 17 August 1927, Page 12

SHELTERS IN DOMAIN.

COST OF NEW BUM-DINGS.

THE GOVERNMENT CRITICISED

INADEQUATE CONTRIBUTION

The offer of the Government to subsidise the Auckland Hospital Board £1 for £1 up to £250 for the cost entailed in removing the T.B. shelters in the Domain, conditional on the board undertaking the removal and re-erection of the shelters, was criticised by Mr. W. Wallace, chairman of the board, at a meet ing yesterday.

Mr. Wallace said that when he heard ot the offer, he thought- the Government had had an enlargement of the heart (Laughter.) He was satisfied that neither £250 nor £SOO would cover the cost of the work. Both Dr. Maguire, superintendent ot the hospital,, and Dr. A. N. McKelvey, superintendent of the Auckland Infirmary, had recommended that new shelters should be built when patients were shifted to the new site. The work entailed adequate drainage, the pulling down of the present brick kitchen, the erection of a now dining-room and other things, and he did not think the whole of the .work could bo done for under £IOOO. He felt it was a national matter, as much as the looking after the patients in the Evelyn Firth Home was a national matter.

Continuing, Mr. Wallace said the now site chosen in the Domain was a very fine one and better in every respect than the old one. The men themselves had expressed their entire willingness to go to the new location From 4»e point of view of administration the site was excel lent and would obviate the necessity of nurses having to go out in the wet and cold at night The mannet in which the Government had responded to the appeal for assistance was indeed penurious. In reply to a question whethei the City Council had granted the use of the site, Mr. Wallace said the Parks Committee had the matter under consideration Hud would report to the council to-morrow evening. He added that if the site were granted there was no intention of en croaching upon the Domain The land would in no way be alienated from the Domain, and when the patients recovered and there whs no need for shelters the land would still be Domain property

Mr. W. K. Howitt said the £250 oliei of the Government was only a "flea-bite."

"The whole matter will be considered by the special committee on Friday after noon," stated Mr. Wallace. "We cannot' do anything more before then."

The board received a letter from the Southern Cross League suggesting the re moval of the shelters to Epsom. This was received. The Hospital Boards' Association also wrote asking for an expression of the board's views in regard to a future Dominion scheme for combating disease "The executive went into this matter and telt the time was inopportune to incur heavy expenditure in connection with the various hospital boards," stated Mr. Wallace. Mr. E. H. 'Potter added the question had been investigated very thoroughly. It was decided that the question should be discussed further at the next meeting of the board.