COTTAGE HOSPITAL

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8736, 19 May 1914, Page 6

COTTAGE HOSPITAL

HUTT VALLEY PROJECT QUESTION DISCUSSED AT BOROUGH COUNCIL CONFERENCE. A meeting of representatives of the Hutt and Petone Borough. Councils was held last night at Petone, for the purpose of discutlsing the establishment of a cottage hospital in the Hutt Valley. j Mr H. Baldwin, Mayor of' Lower Hutt, thanked the Petone Council for acceding to the request of the Hutt Council. He stated that the question was brought before his council by Dr Purdy, and it was then resolved to approach the Petone Council and discuss the matter at a conference. There were obstacles in the way of the proposal, but it was trusted that ways and means would be found to overcome these difficulties. A hospital in the district would be of, benefit to the community. Mr J. W. McEwan, Mayor of Petone, welcomed the delegation from Lower Hutt, and said that he would be glad to see discussion on all large questions affecting the valley. In the near future the question of a secondary school would come forward, also the matter of turning the Petone Technical School into a day technical school, and it was sincerely trusted that Hutt would meet Petone and thrash these questions out. (Applause.)' Dr Purdy said that in Hutt and Petone there were 10,000 people, roughly speaking. Many of the residents were engaged in the farming and mechanical industries 1 . Many accidents happened, and it was detrimental to patients when they had to be sent from nine to thirteen miles for treatment at the hospital in Wellington. It was an established fact that a small hospital did as good work as the larger one. The records proved that the small hospital could be run cheaper and was efficient. Petone and Lower Hutt paid something like £2OOO annually to the Wellington hospital funds, which was a large amount for a small community. The Wellington hospital was an abnormally large institution for a population of about 70,000 -people and a district which topped 100,000 people. If a hospital were established in the district, a contribution would have still to he made to the main hospital, but this should only amount to one-fortieth of £2OOO, which would be £SO. Special cases might still have to go to Wellington, but they would be very few. He knew the Government was against small hospitals, but ne did not care: the Government was wrong, and the fact cbuld not be .ispatel that small hospitals were cheaper ail round than large ones. Mr Baldwin gave figures relating to beds at the main hospitals.

Mr McEwau pointed out thus the cost would not be less under the scheme, and instanced'that in Wellington the cost per bed was £94 ss, which was reduced to £79 7s by fees paid, while at West-port (where the patients were equal to .those going to the Wellington hospital from Hutt and Petone) the cost per bed amounted to £153, which was reduced to £ll4 3s by fees paid. A local hospital was desirable for accidents and minor cases, but it should, if established, be a branch of the main hospital. He thought the matter should now be brought to a bead. Hr Purdy said a hospital containing

ten bods couM bo established in' the <E». fcrict for an annual cost of £I2OO.

Mr Anderson said he was getting in a tangle. The question should b« brought to a head at. once and statistics left out.

Dr Purdy moved:—“That this con* ference affirms the desirability of the establishment of a cottage hospital in the Hutt Valley.” After further discussion the motion 1 was carried almost unanimously. It was further resolved to forward the resolution on to the Hospital Board-