HOSPITAL BUILDING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25136, 29 January 1943, Page 2

HOSPITAL BUILDING

ABOLITION OF CONTRACT WORK PROTEST BY DUNEDIN BOARD Strong exception was taken by the Otago Hospital Board last night to the proposal of Cabinet to abolish the tender system of building hospitals in favour of the schedule system. The Finance Committee of the board had already reported that it did not approve of the proposal, and when a letter from the Director-general of Health announcing the Cabinet’s decision was read to the meeting the chairman, Mr J. W. Dove, endorsed the committee’s report. Mr Dove said he felt that if the board accepted the proposals of the Cabinet it was not doing its duty by the ratepayers of the district and the taxpayers of the country. The board had on hand a very heavy building programme. involving a considerable sum of money, and it was its bounden duty, on this score alone, to oppose any suggestion that its construction work should be carried out under the schedule system. Schedule System Dearer

“ I have been credibly informed,” Mr Dove continued, “ that the schedule system is much dearer than the contract one. In one job carried out by the board under the schedule system the price was considerably higher than the architect’s estimate, but I did not raise any objection at the time because it was an urgent job,” Mr Dove added that he had been told by an official from Wellington that the board would lose priority if it insisted on its work being carried out on a contract basis, but he thought the board should risk this. In the meantime, a strong protest should be lodged through the Hospital Boards’ Association. Mr A. F. Quelch supported Mr Dove’s contention, and said that if a protest were to be lodged it should be lodged immediately. Dr W. Newlands said it was generally known that the schedule system was almost always dearer than if the woe]? was done by contract. The board’s main massage block was one exceedingly important job that had to be carried out as soon as possible, and it was difficult to see how priority for it could be refused. He was sure it was just as important as. for instance, the linseed oil factory, which had been exempted from the schedule system and given priority into the bargain.

Resolution of Protest

“The board should protest against being dragooned into the schedule system,” Dr Newlands said, “ and our chairman should make the protest as vigorous as possible and forward it through the proper channels to the authorities.” Dr Newlands then moved —“That this board register an emphatic protest against'Cabinet’s proposal to abolish the tender system of building and that the chairman bp empowered to forward the protest to the authorities through the Hospital Boards’ Association.”

Mr R. Walls seconded the motion, and expressed the fear that if the work did not go on Dunedin would lose many more skilled tradesmen. The motion was carried.