NEW WING FOR THE HOSPITAL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1049, 8 April 1892, Page 35

NEW WING FOR THE HOSPITAL.

DEPUTATION TO THE PREMIER. A deputation of representatives of local bodies waited upon the Premier on Monday morning to seek the assistance of the Government in the raising of funds for the proposed enlargement of the Wellington Hospital. There were present—Mr H. D. Bell (Mayor) and Mr Page (Town Clerk of Wellington) ; Mr F. H. Fraser, Chairman of the Hospital Trustees; Rev H. Van Staveren, Chairman of the United District Board; Mr Death, Chairman of the Hutt County Council ; at.d the following suburban Mayors:—Mr Alex. Cameron, Onslow Borough ; Mr Lancaster, Karori Borough ; Mr J. EE. Heaton, Melrose Borough ; Mr W. A. Fitzherbert, Hutt Borough ; and Mr R. Mothes, Petone Borough. Mr Bell explained that a sudden demand had arisen for increased accommodation at the Wellington Hospital. The Trustees had therefore considered it neoessary to add to she Hospital a new wing, which would cost £6OOO, and the United District Board and the Trustees together had determined to make a levy for the purpose upon the contributing bodies. He personally represented the body which would have to pay by far the larger share of this levy. The deputation wished to ask the Premier whether something could not be done by the Government for Wellington of the kind that was done for Dunedin last year, when the Government provided £BOOO out of the Consolida ion Fund for the institution. Ihe case of the Wellington Hospital appeared to be very similar. There was, however, this one point of difference The Otago University had its medical students engaged in walking the Dunedin Hospital. In every other respect the two cases were of a parallel character, and the proposed expenditure was just as urgently required for the Wellington Hospital as was the £BOOO granted to the Dunedin Hospital. Mr Fraser could more fittingly speak as to tho necessities of the local institution. If these representations were not to be acceded there was an alternative proposition, viz., that the Government should find the sura required, in which event the contributing bodies would be content to beav the burthen of interest and sinking fund. There waa authority under the Act for the local bodies to borrow for such a purpose. The Premier asked why then the local bodies did not borrow without approaching the Government at all ? The case of the Dunedin Hospital was quite different from that of the Wellington institution. The Dunedin Hospital was reported to be in a very insanitary condition, and to be absolutely to pieces for want of repair, so that it was absolutely necessary to do something. Here the same plea could not be urged. The local Hospital was a splendid building, the erection of which had been very largely helped out of colonial funds. Mr Bell remarked that if the local authorities at Dunedin allowed their Hospital to fall into the condition stated by the Premier, it was an improper act on their part, and they were alone responsible for it. The Premier said he was not sure of that. The two eases were very different. Mr Fraser wished to explain that the emergency in connection with the Wellington Hospital had not arisen suddenly, although the application for Government assistance might be considered rather sudden. For the last year or two all the available rooms at the Hospital had been drawn up to a very largo extent, and they had been obliged to do what was hardly the correct thing—place double beds in the rooms. He had with him a letter from the honorary medical staff, which makes the Trustees’ action in this respect to be almost criminal. It was as follows: "The honorary staff of the Wellington Hospital desire to take this opportunity of addressing the Trustees on behalf of the proposed additions to the Hospital. They consider that for some time past the Hospital has been constantly overcrowded, and they desire especially to point out that the compulsory grouping in any one ward of operation and fever cases is most dangerous.” [This letter was signed by Drs Grace, "Adams, France, Fell, and Collins.] The Trustees felt that their position was a very peculiar one, inasmuch as if it were proved that any person died in the Hospital thiough this over'crowding—especially after this warning from the surgeons—they would be liable for culpable negligence. It bad been proposed to provide some small temporary accommodation, but the Trustees considered it much better to put up a new wing which would afford room for 50 new beds, and serve for the next 20 5 e-irs, rather than go to the expense of erecting a series of little buildings that would not enable them to satisfactorily meet their requirements. He had also received a letter from the House Surgeon, Dr Ewart, who stated inter alia : —“ Another reason why I think another ward is necessary is that I don’t consider it safe to mix up medical and surgical cases. Our honorary surgeons do not care to have their patients placed in the medical wards for a major operacion,as the risks of the operation are very much increased by so doing. For my own part, I consider it to be a scandal to the Wellington Hospital that it should be necessary to have operations and typhoid cases in the same ward. Were I an honorary surgeon I should refuse to act under such conditions.” With regard to the case of the Dunedin Hospital, he trusted the day was not far distant when Wellington would have a University College of its own, and medical students walking its Hospital. He wished to pointjout that in a twelve months’ time the Government would have to pay the Hospital Trustees a sum of £ISOO or £2OOO on account of the insurance on some buildings that had been burnt down. The Government might at least hand over this sum at once, instead of waiting until the payment fell due.

The Premier did not think there would be any objection to this. Mr Bell pointed out that if tho £6OOO were to be levied upon the local bodies the Government would have to find, £39§9 watUr

ths Hospitals and Gharitablo Aid Act, so that the deputation were really only asking for £3OOO, quite apart frem the question of the insurance money just mentioned by Mr Fraser.

Mr Fraser said that if the sum required wore raised by donations and subscriptions, the Government would give £1 5s for every pound so raised. The Premier : Supposing tho Government undertook to give £1 5s for every pound raised, is there any probability of your raising the funds by subscription ? The Rev H. Van Staveren was afraid not.

The Premier : Then that is out of the question, and the question is: What is practicable? What can you do ? It is quite clear you can raise the money by rate, aud you would then get from the Government pound for pound. The Rev H. Van Staveren said a sufScent sum could be raisod by rate and by mortgaging the buildings if the Government would pay £ISOO in advance. In reply to Mr Fraser, the Premier would not like to say absolutely there waa no possibility of getting any money from the Government apart from the subsidy on the rates, but he feared there was very little chance of it. The Government must lay down some principle with regard to these matters. They could not make a special grant in one case without making a special grant also to every hospital similarly situated.

The Rev H. Vin Staveren asked if there were any possibility of a new Hospitals and Charitable Aid Act being introduced to Parliament next session.

The Premier said the matter was now under consideration, and in all probability some amending Bill would be introduced. The Cabinet had not yet decided what form the measure would take. Mr Bell suggested that £3OOO might be borrowed from the Government on the security of the Hospital endowments. The Premier said that the income from these reservsa was £I6OO, and if interest had to be paid out of this, where would the income for the Hospital oome from ?

Mr Bell said a levy would have to be made upon the local bodies for the purpose. Mr Heaton remarked that it struck the local bodies that £6OOO was an excessive amount to spend upon one wing of the Hospital. He understood that Dr Macgre<ror was the authority as to the necessity for this large expenditure, but he did not understand on what authority such a large amount of the ratepayers’ money was to be Fraser explained that the Trustees considered it better to put up a wing at once providing for 50 beds, though 2o beds would meet immediate requirements. I hey had now three wards for mal«s and one for females, and in the latter case it was necessary to put fever and operation cases iu the same ward. So far as Dr Macgregor was concerned, the plans had merely been submitted to him, and he had said they provided for just the thing that was required. He had not so much as hinted to the Trustees what they should do in the matter. They thought it the correct thing to show him the plans before asking for the money. After some further interchange of views the Rev H. Van Staveren said if the Government would grant £3OOO subsidy for this year, which they would have to pay if a levy were made, and would also pay over the £ISOO due on insurance a year hence the remaining £ISOO could be raised without mortgaging the Hospital buildings. Mr Bell : That is to say, treat it as if it were raised by rate and pay over the SU did not think the Government had power to lend except under the Loans to Local Bodies Act. Mr Heaton asked where would K ® v H Van Staveren raise his £ISOO ? he understood that the local bodies were only called upon to contribute maintenance money. . , ~ Mr Bell said that if the income of the Hospital from endowments were reduced by paying interest and sinking fund on loan, the local bodies oould, of course, be called upon to make the difference as maintenance. Mr Ballance did not see any great difficulty if the Trustees prooeeded under their ordinary powers. The Government would assist as far as it could. Rev Van Staveren asked whether, if the Trusts spent £6OOO on buildings, &0,, the

Government would give them the £3OOO this year, which, they would have to find for subsidy were the full rate levied? The Premier replied that he did not know whether this could be done in accordance with the law. He could not give a positive answer, but he would bring the matter before the Cabinet, and he thought it very probable they might agree to it. With regard to the £ISOO (ho was not sure this was the amount, it might be only £1200) he would also bring it before the Cabinet. He could not give any more decided answer. He asked that they should put their requests into writing in order that they might be considered in Cabinet. The deputation then proceeded to the Corporation offices to draw up a formal application to the Government.