SECONDARY HOSPITAL SITE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3006, 25 October 1911, Page 52

SECONDARY HOSPITAL SITE.

FURTHER POSTPONEMENT.

A VACILLATING BOARD.

At last week's meeting of the- Hospital and Charitable Aid Board a good deal of discussion again, took place in regard to- the selection of a site tor the proposed secondary- hospital. The sub-committee — consi stung of Messrs- Talboys, Wilkinson, and Clara—reoarani ended the purchase of Chapman's property at Wakari at. a price of £4OOO. The extent of the property is about 47 acres, though all of it is not suitable for building purposes. _ Reports were also received from the architect, and the medical staff. The medical men consider- the ground is not large enough, and recommend' the acquiring of an additional portion adjoining. ' On the reports being brought up for disr cussion, Mr Wilkinson moved—" That consideration of the matter be held, over till next moeting, wheh , the committee _ will again report." The committee appointed to go into the matter, he said,, had bad jomo further information laid before it,' jriid be thought that it would be in the, best interests of the board that the matter should fee held over, and that the committee be empowered to get further information to be submitted to next meeting. If- the members, went into committee he would tejl them all about it.; Mr. Driver seeonded the motion.

Mr Larnaeh said that be would like o know what those particulars were. He Mggested that the board go into oomxtiftee. • The Chairman said be thought thai; it would be really wise, in view of the statejneiate that bad bee® made in the public press, if the whole matter were threshed out in truibfic. Mr Wilkinson said that, as they were -aware, they bad other properties offered ko them. He did not wish to discuss, them because they had gone a certain length with regard to some of them, and he did not want to prejudice what they- had already done, -- ■■■' ■ „ - The Chairman said that if the sub-com-mittee assured tbesn that it would be wise to defer tbe- matter for a fortnight he thought that the board would accede to their wish. He tbeugM, however, that whatever discussion took place should be in cryea. 'board. .... . "Mr Talboys said that the committee had inspected other sites, brat had net come to a definite conclusion. The matter should be deferred for a fortnight until shey got the medical staff to inspect another pFoperty they had before them.' Mr Clark said, he objected to- the matter being shelved, for the reason that unless they" got an opinion from the board: on certain-points it was absurd for the committee to consider any. sites at all. Certain objections had been raised to the site they suggested. In. greater or less measure those objections, would, apply to any site at all and if tbey were to try and select a site about wMeb no objections would be raised they would be on a wild-goose chase. Unless the committee could have a clear indication from the board on certain points tbe sooner it resigned the better. Mr Tapper asked if the committee wanted to shelve the matter so as to keep the people in .the dark as. to whose property it intended to select. Mr Wilkinson said that that was not '.tne reason at all. ' ' ■'■ j ' j. i_ -. • Mr Larnaeh said he was pleased to hear it because if the committee, thought that the site was good enough it should not take other neople's views into consideration at all. * If the Wakari site was suitable tbey should take it.' The Chairman: That is my opinion. Continuing, he said that the secondary hospkal would be for all the that weve treated in tbe Dunedm Hospital at J ,be present time. It was not "omg to .be a. consumptive sanatorium, but a general hospital. He could not understand whythere should b« so much ambiguity about the matter. •-,'":' . .1. Mr Larnach moved the adoption ot tne

the suggestion of the Chairman, the reports were then read. ■ Mr Myers- supported Mr Wilkinson s motion. He said they should make it their business' to go ont and have a look at; the other sites and then they would all kno .v where tbay stood. A good dual had been said about the danger of housing the consumptives, but. he had the assurance of the best medical authorities that proper housing was the safest for the general public. When so housed they were shown how to treat themselves,. and how to live on without spreading their disease. The secondary hospital would relieve the general hospital to a great extent. ... Mr Clark said he could not see his way to'spend any more time in inspecting rites.. Certain clearly denned particulars should he laid down by the board that night. At public meetings and in the press the most extraordinary and unfair statements had been made as to what the committee was really looking for, and they should havr> a clear understanding as to what the board intended to do. Apparently his work in looking over, the sites hud been absolutely wasted.

i Mr Talboys said that it seemed to him that Mr Clark was not loyal to the Sites Committee, but was trying to.have a little game of his own. If he meant to suggest I that any of the committee had weakened ' on the report they had sent in he was ! wrong. They h&d visited other properties, 1 and Mr Clark himself had spoken about, the ! advantages of some of them, arid they '. should therefore be considered.■ Ho had j never met a man like him in the -matter, • and he felt a bit disgusted. ! Mi* Ewing said the board could not be congratulated upon its methods in looking for a site. The Pine Hill site which they had just about made up their minds to buy some nine months ago, was now absolutely gone, unless they took it un<fer the Public Works Act. .It appeared that the . same thing would occur in- reaard to Chapman's site. He wasi surprised at the attitude which a. certain member of the beard had taken up. He had no doubt that Mr Ha.mel would bo able to explain himself to his own'arid the board's satisfaction. He trusted the board would come to Lsome finality and make a definite selection. Mr Templeton said it was a great pity [ that the Pine Hill site had been lost to i the -'board. At some future time the base j hospital would have to be removed, beI csuse it was not in the healthiest of places I and was too close to traffic. He paid no | attention at all to the protests that had j been offered by the hill boroughs. Their j attitude, was very selfish and childish indeed. They cared rot where it went provided it did not go into their district. ( Mr Hainel: That is not correct.

Mr Templeton said' he was satisfied that even if they secured a site there would be no hospital on it for the next 10 years at least. Mr Hainel said he was in sympathy with the motion for the adjournment. It would, be wise to review the other sites on offer. Mr Knight said .he failed to see any urgency in the matter. He was inclined to think that when the new women's ward at the Hospital was built it would relieve the pressure a good deal. The Chairman said it was urgent that they should get a site, whether they built on it or not. One thing that had haid a. rather disquieting effect upon him was that the medical staff said that the site was- not suitable with the exception of 17 acres, and if they, were prepared to take that site, in face of that they-" would be committing an;, error,. .Mr;.E.wi»g was-not justified, in. saying: that Ishey had been, dilatory over the Pj.ne Hill site. The fact, was, that water was. not .procurable there. They had. had before jfchein sites Anderson's Bay and Caversharn aadfive-in Roslyn,. arid, with the idea of coming to some finality all had been, referred to th<; sub-committee, and if that coiriaiittee had ' cotoe with a. unaiun\p.uey recommendation, backed by medical opinion he would have been prepared to support it, -irrespective of, to his mind, hysterical froifchings in the papers. Mr Larn&ch asked if the comimittee could assure the board that it would be the last adjournment. " The Chairman said he could give his assurance that it would be the last adjournment. ."' On being put to the meeting, Mr Wilkinson's motion was carried, and the matter h tlxerefore referred back to the Sites Committee, which will' agsain rteport at next meeting.