HOSPITAL FOR OPUNAKE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16611, 8 December 1919, Page 4

HOSPITAL FOR OPUNAKE.

DEPUTATION FROM THE BOARD. PROVISION FOR COTTAGE HOSPITAL. A meeting of ratepayers in the Opunake district was held at Opuiiake on Saturday to discuss the question ot hospital accommodation at Opunakc. ine matter has been under consideration ot the board for some time past. About fifty persons wore present, the meetmg being presided over by Mr. \\. b. "Wright (chairman of the Egmont County Council. The following members of the Hospital Board were in attendance; —Messrs v M. iraser (chaiiman), A. H. Halcombe C. Andrews, Jas. Young. S. Campbell, and E. Hoiden (secretary). _ • , . In opening the meeting the chairman said that there was no doubt, owing to the growth of the district, hospital accommodation must be made, and with so many public works in view, such as the railway, harbour.works and the electrical scheme, they must be piepared for accidents. There was also the maternity question to be considered. The position was somewhat similar to Taihapo and Whanganiomoua, both of which \vex*e demanding hospital accommodation. There were difficulties to face, but they could be overcome. The County Council merely collected the rates and handed them over to the Hospital Board. They had no power oi initiative. . , The Rev. Palmer, secretary of the Egmont Nursing Association, said there was imperative need for a district nurse, but they had been informed that it was impossible to get one, unless suitable-quarters were found. He had suggested that it would bo an advantage to have a home of their own lor the nurse instead of a couple of rooms, and it was now suggested that they should have a cottage hospital, equipped with beds for emergency cases. Regarding a site, they had interviewed Hr. \\ ilkinson, who did not consider there would be any difficulty. A further scheme had been brought forward, viz., that of

SEPARATION FROM NEW PLY MOUTH,

Those responsible asked them to withhold their hand on the question of site as it was felt that the proposed site would not bo large enough. At a meeting of ratepayers the suggestion for separation was carried. Alter further correspondence he had suggested that the Hospital Board should send a deputation to Opunake. The Nursing Association had on Thursday last passed a resolution that in the opinion of the Egmont Nursing Association a cottage hospital would need to he a fully equipped hospital, having beds for i eight Europeans, two Maoris, and two I maternity cases, with tho necessary accommodation for nurses and assistants. The chairman of the board (Mr. Fraser) said that the Rev. Palmer had taken him by surprise, especially about tho requirements of Opunake. It could scarcely be called a cottage hospital. It was really a permanent separate hospital. and strangely enough they had not said where tho money was to come from. A conference would have to go into tho matter. Ho pointed out that at New Plymouth there was no separate ward for Maoris, and no maternity ward. He thought that he would have had to make excuses for the apparent neglect of Opunake by the hoard, hut he could assure them that the board had never lot the question of providing a district nurse drop. Again and again they had approached tho authorities, who assured them that unless they were prepared to find a considerable sum of money to build a cottage hospital they would never get a nurse to go there. The difficulty was that of finance, as the large increase in tho cost of supplies made tho board’s finances very lean. Then again, there mnst ho more unanimity amongst tho people of Opunako as to tho scheme to be decided upon. The department under tho old system required an outdistrict which wanted a cottage hospital to find half tho cost, as had been done at Uruti. Opunake would require something much more commodious, and it was agreed that Opunake should bo treated more generously and bo asked to contribute, say one-fifth or onosixth of tho amount required. Tho board had prepared plans for a modest hospital of two wards, which it was estimated would cost from £ISOO to £I6OO. It was proposed to erect the building in concrete. If the people of Opunako were prepared to find £3OO or £4OO the Board was prepared to call for tenders at once. However, tho Opunake people must be prepared to, put their hands in their pockets, and the question was: How far were the Opunake people prepared to go? On any sum raised tho amount would carry a Government subsidy of 24s in the £., whilst they would also get a subsidy of 20s from the Hospital Board. Between the three they should ho able to build a very good cottage'hospital, but how were they going to finance the matter? In reply to Mr. Macßeyuolds, tho secretary of tho board said that the plans before tho meeting provided for two wards 14ft. x 12ft., a fireplace in each room (five in all), and three beds in each ward. Of course tho necessary conveniences were also included. Mr. Macßeynolds said that ho had been secretary of tho Nursing Association for four years, and paid a high tribute to their work. During tho four years £195 5s in fees had been Collected and £249 18s lid donated. They had handed to the board £sl 10s, which with subsidy would produce £125 5s 3d and in addition the board had £l2 19s 3d. For tho year ending November, 1917 ,the nurse had attended 175 patients, making 349 visits. He desired to congratulate members of tho board for coming out to discuss the matter.

Mr. M. O’Brien said that as a ratepayer and a resident of the back-blocks ho did not welcome the chairman’s proposals, which were utterly inadequate for the district and impossible of acceptance. Their position was that Egmout County paid £1579 8s 8d in hospital levy per annum, in addition to £225 interest on loan. The hoard also received about £I2OO in Government subsidy from the county’s contribution, besides, say, £SOO in fees from patients from that district, making a total of £3300, for which they got practically nothing in return. Now the board came with a 'proposal which Was awful to think of. During the epidemic the district was in a deplorable condition. and since then the school had been burnt and the hall condemned by the Health Department as a hospital, so that in the event of an outbreak

there was no place but the hotels. He was firmly or the opinion that the county could well buiid and equip a smalt hospital suitable lor its requirements. Un expert advice he bad been assured that a cottage hospital could j bo built and equipped lor £IO,OOO. Ho! had also proof that Dr. Boyd’s hospital! at Kaponga, with leu beds, cost £'JIo j per annum to ruu. ( Mr. Fraser: Docs that include thoj medical fees ? | The chairman: I rise to a point of j order; we are not hero to discuss the I question of a separate hospital. That) is quite out of the range of politics, j The figures quoted by Mr. O’Brien have | been discussed before. I Mr. O’Brien: If I’m out of order let; the meeting say so and I will sit down.; Mr, T. S. Hickey: I rise to a point j or’order. I move that Mr. O’Brien be j heard. - The chairman: The meeting was' called to discuss a cottage hospital, not to talk about a genera! hospital. Ho did not wish to have the time of the: meeting wasted. I Mr. J. Lawn: You are throwing cold I water on it. | The chairman: I am not. I want to | keep to the business before the meet-T ing- . . j Continuing, Mr. O’Brien said that as: regarded ways and means they could borrow £SOOO under ''the local bodies’ i scheme, and the Government would j give them a subsidy of. £SOOO, so that j interest would cost £275. Then the >

whole thing would not prove a burden to them; in fact, they could carry it bn their heads. He considered the hoard could well afford to erect iho building tho Nurses’ Association suggested. The present levy was more than required to maintain a £IO.OOO hospital. They were paying too much money, and tho board uas using it for other purposes, and then had tho impertinence to ask them lor an additional sum. Tho board tried to make out they had no money. "Well, if they had not then the Opunakc people had none of it. Tho game had gone far enough. If tho board would come straight out and build an up-to-date hospital then they would bo prepared to pay for it. If they could not do that then lot them' go on their own and they would not be a burden to them. The chairman said he strongly objected to the previous speaker’s remarks. Tho board bad never objected to separation ; in fact they had no power in the matter. That was a matter for tho people to decide. Continuing, Mr. O’Brien said they were quite willing to submit to an extra rate to bo struck over the whole county, and if any of tho outside districts wished to be left out they could be. New , Plymouth was evidently making money out of the rate collected over the Egmont County, and that was why they did not want thorn to leave. Mr. Eraser: You are making money out of us, if you only knew it. Mr. Fraser said they could not make

a levy over a portion of the hospital district. Tile question of severance was not before tho meeting. Statements had been made, but they were open to rebuttal. Of course they did not want any portion of the district to break away.

MV. O’Brien: Will you withdraw opposition to the hospital? , Mr. Fraser: We have, no power to make other proposals than to recommend the board to carry out any suggestion adopted by this meeting. Mr. Hickey asked if that was tho maximum elforfc they were prepared to put forward for tho district. Mr. Fraser said they had brought forward a proposal which might bo modified. If it was not sufficient, then it was for tho people of Opunakc to say “we will put our hands in our pockets and make it better.” Mr. Hickey congratulated iho board upon their adroitness; they practically said that, they could have a hospital if they paid for it. Well they could do that in any case.

The chairman said that before they, could raise £SOOO a poll of the ratepayers would have to be taken, and ho doubted whether it would bo carried. Mr. O’Brien contended that a poll to raise £SOOO would bo carried easily. Mr. Trotter said ho was not particular about severance. All they wanted was jnst and fair treatment, which thev had not received. Mr. O’Brien moved: “That in the opinion of this meeting of the ratepayers and inhabitants of Egmont in public meeting assembled, tlie proposals of the Taranaki Hospital Board for the health of the people of tbo said county as now placed before this mooting arc. totally inadequate and unsatisfactory, and that a cony of this resolution bo sent to the Hon. Minister for Public Health, tbo member for tlie district, and the Taranaki Hospital Board.”— Seconded by Mr. Trotter. Mr. Halcombo said that be bad no idea that members of the board bad attended the mooting to be insulted. In tbo past great interest, bad been taken in tlie Urnti cottage hospital, and the results, lie admitted, bad been very good. Tbo department had asked the board to meet tbo people of Opunake in regard to the cottage hospital and tbev bad mine for that purpose. Then they wore accused of .running away with their money. Ho understood they wore quite satisfied with the proposal for a cottage hospital until recently. A yoice: No! Continuing. Mr. Halcombo said ho understood the Opunake pooplo were willing to subscribe tbo samo as XJruti, but now they .wanted a complete hospital. Apparently they did not realise that a small hospital ra's going to cost nearly as much as a large one. However, if they wanted a main hospital then the power was in their own hands. They had always been treated fairly by the board. The district had their representatives to watch their interests and if it was thought that they were not doing their duty, his advice was to kick them out.

The secretary explained how the levy was made, and that they could not make a special levy over a special area, and m reply to a question said that patients irom outside districts were charged Is per day additional. Mr. J. Lawn said that they had been trying lor years to got a cottage hospital, but without success, and were thus unable to got a medical man to stop. The question was whether they would remain with Kcw Plymouth or lorra a separate district. Mr. O’Brien asked Mr. Fraser whether ho would accept tho demands of the Nursing Association and carry them through in reasonable time. If so it would smooth tho way. Referring to Mr. O’Brien’s figures Mr. Fraser said that from his experience these had no sense whatever. The department allowed tho board 5s per day for soldiers, and it cost the board 8s per day. Mr. O’Brien said that his figures were simple enough for a child to understand. Dr. Watt had supplied him with tho estimate for building a hospital and ho was an export. Tho other figures were taken from records.

Mr. Camplipll_ (member of the board) asked Mr. O’Brien to withdraw his motion, and suggested that the best way out of tbo difficulty would bo to meet tho board haif-way by sotting up a committee to meet them.

Mr. O’Brien asked if such were done would the bqard and committee give tho scheme due consideration. Tho chairman; Certainly. Mr. O’Brion then withdrew Ins motion.

After a short discussion tho following committee was set on:—Rovs. Palmer and Strand, Messrs. M. O’Brien, T. H. H. Sinclair, and C. A. Trotter.

Votes of thanks to tho chairman and members of tho Hospital Board, and to tho chair terminated tho meeting.