THE NEW HOSPITAL

Southland Times, Issue 19122, 14 December 1923, Page 5

THE NEW HOSPITAL

PREPARATIONS OF PLANS CONTRACTS IN EIGHTEEN MONTHS STATEMENT BY THE ARCHITECT. Mr E. R. Wilson, the Board’s architect, was present by request at yesterday’s meeting of the Southland Hospital Board. The chairman (Mr J. Matheson) said it was the wish of the Board to know how soon the new hospital at Kew could be completed. Mr Wilson said he was having a very busy time at present, owing to the large amount of building enterprise that was going on in the province. He thought the plans would be ready in twelve months and the contracts could be let eighteen months later. Mr Niven said Mr Wilson would have to remember that the Board was up against a serious position so far as the Hospital was concerned. There was already grave over crowding at the Southland Hospital, but if they had to wait for five years for the new building the matter was going to be still more serious. Mr Wilson said he thought that the fault, if any, lay with the Board. They had entirely revised their first scheme. The chairman asked whether Mr Wilson could not employ extra labour in order to get the plans out sooner. ’ Mr Wilson said that at the most only three months could be knocked off his es timate. Mr Fleming said he thought they would have to make some alterations to the existing buildings in ofder to overcome the overcrowding. The chairman: In any case, we will be safe in making financial arrangements for starting the building in eighteen months’ time. Mr Wilson: Yes. The interview then terminated.