WAIKATO HOSPITAL.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12145, 28 November 1908, Page 5

WAIKATO HOSPITAL.

OPENING OF THE INSTITXITION.

On the; 19th inst. the fine new hospital, which the-Waikato'Hospital Board* have recently hiEid erected, was officially opened. The work of erection, was entrusted to Messrs Russell and Bigiiell. of Wanganui, who were the successful' tenderers.. The firm only some three ago completed their-; contract which, as was expected, had'taken over 18 months t:> bring to completion. Tho Hon. Gee». Fowlds, Minister of" Hospitals, was to have -performed the I opening ceremony, but in his unavoidable absence, Mr H. J. Greenslade,;^ M.P. for Waikato, fired the honoured' position, and the.; proceedings.- thought" '; tain • was ■fialling,"'/i we?e ■a^tend;dv "by. ;a,:r \ lnrge nnnibVr of Hainiitoii townspeople. VMr J, S. Bond/Mayor of Hamilton,tind Chairman of the Hospital- Board, congratulated the district on: the buildins,, which was .one,-of which .all...could" 1 feel nroud. .' ; . . . ~ Mr Primrose (past member, cf/the "Board) referred, to the up-to-datness of tho^laldln^jitfihich, though costing-- a largo sum of money, was worth all thatr.. was spenfeurionf;it. ..;,-■' Mr Greenslade, in declaring the building open, said the Board had provided" wdl for*tfh<S'Tpi'eki and injured of its district, j{wbi&H%xfends to Kawhia, Raglan "Waipa, Piako. Cambridge, TeAroha, and other northern parts. Thebuilding; was, he claimed, equal to any in New Zealand. The orisrinai hospital, n. six-roomed house erected m 1887, now did duty as a residence for the Old" People's Home^^retaker...= In June,/ 11104. -the Boggd; to; re-build, -and in June, 1905, Messrs Ru.=sell and"" Bigneil were entrusted with the workr(f''(*T:6feti^fg.^+.^e'i.'fii:st wing which.:', cost - £2400. JJjEiTJttfe'L'the. foundation stonewas laid for a bmlding which was ».■■■ credit to thC;'&^k''te?fy "the builders, the Board, the district and all concerned. In TDOS a new nurses' homewas erected at a, cost of £2250, and inJanuayy.;\2©o7v* a. cpirtracf) "was let toMessrs Rupsell and Bignell for the re-* mainder of the scheme, at a cost of" £16 000, thus making the total expenditure v6ft buildings i£2I,POO i^ithina fewfiyeiJ'a. ; Of this sum onh £3jsoft~ had" been received from ..the Government in grant-and -subsidies. The result was a most complete building/ in which it was hoped: -.tfte medical; I and 1' nursing staff would progress rjnj-their-good work in the cause of suffering humanity. .. •..-. ■■ \:>r£U'X;■''/?' .y^-.^u.^: Mr A.A. Atkins, chief of the firm or Messrs Atkins and. Bacon, of Wanganui, .architects for the- institution, .congratulated the district on the important work that had b^en_ cp.mplwtj|d. Ho appreciated the association he,.hitd had" with such ,an, und£rta.king. vn jHe conJgratulated the district :on iis'energy-in/ engaging in the?matter in/;sucb a ;t|or- : ough; manner,.yfhi^h" they- wnjitld Jwer'.-. regret..: . Th#y./;hd ; cl,-,a: blHd^rig.TChjiDh would .last th<*m s&~ life time' a^id/be: very slow in out of 'Saw? /Bewoitld not say rfc was a better hospital" than that in"' Watfeanui; birtit was certainly lareejr. and for. Its, js'^'vf^lild bethe best in the Doniinioh; • JHfe^thanked" the Board'for the kindness and'dourtesy its members had^lrowii-him^aind" made special reference to the way in F which Messrs Russell And Bignell had* carried out their contract.\yhich .e^cell-«ct-anything; -he hAd eyerjse^u. ;*4 .. ; /Tho Chairman sa;d- rthW*W~wish^ to place on record the Boa'-d's appre- , ciation1 <if 'ihe (of- the' -'Kmlders , for the way in which they hod carried '; out their wdi-k/aiid'-the;^architect for - designing: such a handsome and conve- ;' hieuFblock of; buMings. * " Mr Bignell expre?sed pleasure at the . ':■■ completion:,^! the.,.work, -find.rtho"ght' '.., that tho Hospital Board was td^ be \ commended in-providing a building; so .wnrthv of.,+>>-o district.;... H)is..!Bar/fe/in- ' the- w-^rk; had; personally;. b?CT<i small, ■~ tho -workine:. heingr, entri^tpd^tp- hisforema:n (Mr J. BrodipV-arnd; .st.att, : .He- : thanked the people orrHami^pn^forl theii' kindle treatment'of,him:, ■ forced +o the 'ples»sant.^s.socp'atipns,.-he-v had with -tho prchitect and Board. Messrs Burrell and Si^ey were resr ponsiblo for the whole of the plnmbmgand other fittings eoi:rie''.t<<d...with their . trad°, md this branchT from f-ommence-mpnt to co»cln.si9n. \vns ably carried "' onfc under the porsonal supervision of' Mr Burrell