CONSUMPTION SANATORIUM.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9424, 24 December 1908, Page 1

CONSUMPTION SANATORIUM.

TO BE TAKEN OVER IMMEDIATELY. The question oi when the Consumption Sanatorium at Cashmere Hills should be taken over by the Hospital Hoard was decided at yesterday's meeting of the Board, a motion being carried that tho Hoard should take- over the- institution ni once. The matter was introduced by the chairman (Mr G. Payling), who said that a letter had been received from the Sanatorium Committee stating that at a meeting of the executive it had been agreed that the accounts for payment .should be paid by the Board iv the usual way, having been passed by Iho executive. There was a, further i sum to be dealt with, which it wat> anticipated would bo settled by arbitration in a few days. The executive also desired to bring under the Board's notice the- following resolution of the committee: "That the Hospital Board be- written to asking i'or a formal statement of its willingness to take over the Sanatorium, and the Board be requested to fix a date for tho forrial ceremony of handing over the institution." Tho chairman added that the letter had come before the House Committee, and before anything was done he bad asked the secretary to prepare a balance-sheet showing what deficiency, if any, there would bo. The balance-sheet had been prepared as follows: — Assets — Bank of New Zealand, £123 0s 3d; debit balance, £424 4s 2d; total, £547 4s od. Liabilities— Balance due on original contract, £72 19s 7d ; legal expenses, £43 3Us 4d ; insurance, £18 17s 10d; Scott Bros., £30; sundry small accouuU, .Cl 7 Ijs 8(1 ; architect.*' commission, £3(j3 15s; total, £547 4s ud. Mr Horrell moved that the matter of taking over tho institution should be held, over until the Board was in a position to do it. This, he said, would be about .March next. Mr C. D. Morris raited a point of order that the motion was out of order, the Board having decided to take over the institution. The chairman ruled, tho motion out of order. Mr W. Dunlop said that it v.as a disgrace that tho building should be lying idle. Ho moved. — " That this Board proceed to formally take over the Sanatorium from the committee at once." The committee, he .said, had done good work, which tho Board would have iiad to do in any case, and there would be no difficulty in obtaining the remainder of tho money. Mr Morris seconded the motion. Mr Horrell asked whe.ro the money was to come from, and quoted an opinion of Mr George Harper that the only machinery for raising the money was that provided by the Public Health ACt. The chairman said that the Sanatorium could be taken over under the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board Act, the money required being obtained under the next annual levy. To hear Mr Horroll's arguments, one might think that tho Sanatorium Committee had don© something injurious to Canterbury and New Zealand in building the institution. There were numbers of consumptive patients in the Hospital who should be in the Sanatorium, but that institution was lying idle and spoiling because the Board did. not take it over. The Board could easily finance the undertaking and lr.ako tho building lit to take a few patient 6 meanwhile. .The first thing , needed was water-supply and drain-. ace, and if water could be got from the , City Council's reservoir it would .save a lot of money. Ho had suggested that the Board out of its general funds could find £500. but even that was unnecessary, for tho monoy would not be needed until it could be included in the- next levy. The Board was going to get a sanatorium for £42-1." The patients of Christchurch and tho. surrounding districts required attending to. and it was the bounden duty of the Board to tako over the in- , stitiition. . ■ The motion was carried, Mr Horrell , dissenting.