DOCTOR’S HOUSE AT RIVERTON

Southland Times, Issue 24547, 23 September 1941, Page 4

DOCTOR’S HOUSE AT RIVERTON

Trustees Reply To Hospital Board A claim that the trustees were in no way responsible for the delay in the erection of the medical superintendent’s residence at the Riverton Hospital was made in a statement issued on behalf < f the F. J. Dyer Trust. The matter was discussed at the meeting of the Southland Hospital Board on Thursday and a report published on Friday stated that the board had expressed concern at the delay which was caused through difficulty in getting the trustees to agree to the plans and specifications. The F. J. Dyer Trust was created by order of the Supreme Court and consists of Mr George O. Cassels, town clerk of Riverton (chairman), Mr G. B. Saxelby, inspector of the Wallace County Council, Mr R. T. Meredith, of

Invercargill (solicitor for the trustees), two members of the Southland Hospital Board (Messrs T. Golden and W. M. Norman), with the secretary of the Southland Hospital Board (Mr A. M. Williams) as clerk.

“The medical superintendent’s residence is only one phase of the Dyer trustees’ scheme for which the trustees (Messrs Cassels and Saxelby) set aside a free gift of £3500,” stated the chairman of the trust. “The building will not cost the Government department or the Hospital Board one penny. The trustees desire a building in keeping with the gift of £3500, but the department is endeavouring to skimp the building by pulling the cost down by £lOOO to £2500. As the trustees desire a building erected in accordance with the free gift of £3500, they do not feel inclined to accept such a large reduction. Plans for this reduced building were only received by me on September 13. Although the trustees desire to see the medical superintendent’s residence gone on with in keeping with the free gift, they are vitally concerned with another phase of the scheme, which is the erection of a massage block and children’s ward at the Riverton Hospital. The trustees have not yet received any intimation from the Hospital Board that the plans for these buildings have yet been approved by the Health Department in Wellington.”