A LOAN SHELVED

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 428, 20 November 1930, Page 6

A LOAN SHELVED

INFECTIOUS DISEASES BLOCK ERECTION POSTPONED The Wanganui Hospital Board has abandoned, at least for the time being, the intention to erect an infectious Ji. ease block-

Thi; decision was arrived at at yesterday’s meeting. It is nearly four years now since the need for the erection of accommodation of this type was first stressed in proper form and when the Board met yesterday the matter had reached a stage when plants had been approved, the site selected and a tender accepted. The move to shelve the undertaking was sponsored by Mr A. S. Coleman (Rangitikei) and came as a bombshell to some of the members. His reason was that the stringency of the times did not warrant the raising of a loan.

A letter from the Public Trustee advised that he was unable to meet the Board with a 20 year loan of £12.060. This left the Board with finance to be arranged. Mr W. E. Broderick (Wanganui), the chairman, was averse to going to the banks- The rate of interest was too high for a local body, he said.

This prompted Air W. J. Rogers (city) to move that local body debentures be offered to the public at 5J per cent. “The public has sufficient faith in the way this Board is managed to take those debentures up,” he said. Dr- G- J. Adams seconded. Borrowing Opposed “I am strongly opposed to raising a loan at such a time as this,” said Mr A. S. Coleman (Rangitikei). Ho held that the economic conditions did not warrant it. Tho hospital had done without the block for a good many years and another year or two would not matter. Mr R. Farley (Waitotara) took the same view. The country was up against things to-day, and it was not a fair thing to ask the ratepayers to raise a loan. Six months ago, when this matter was under consideration, the outlook was not quite as bad as it was at present. He stated that a farmer in a big way had to shear 14,000 to 15,000 sheep to pay for his road rates, income tax and harbour rate.

* 4 Local bodies must be more careful in their borrowing,” he said. “They should help the Government and economise.

Messrs D- D. Simpson (Rangitikei) and J. A. Morton (Waimarino) were of the same opinion. Air H. Christie (Taihape) asked for a lead from the medical mind on the Board. Views Conflict Dr. Mollie Christie (city) could see no harm in waiting until next year. There were very few infectious cases at present. Dr. G. J. Adams (city) was surpri t d at members of the Board being unaware of the vital need for such a block. 4 ‘There has never been such dire need for an isolation block.” he said, “and to find that the members of the Board appreciate so little the necessity of it is astounding. The cost to this Board will be £5OO a year. How much is that extended over the district as a whole? The Board should give this thing its utmost support, but I infer from what has been said tha, the members do not appreciate the risk from iufect a.is cvcase that is being run. This Boat"! had been exposing itself to a fine of £l'>o for allowing diphtheria

Lt r.i.kes me tremble to think what, would happen if the press was to go through the institution and compare it with places like Palmerston North. There are 60 patients in a corridor not worthy of ten. If wo have such an epidemi.*. as infantile paralysis what are we going to do with it ? 1 can’t tell you, can’t help you at all. We have been fortunate in the past, but we never know when the trouble will come in the future. We arc casting a slur on the district and on ourselves as a Board in not providing for the dire necessities in coping with infectious disease. ’ ’

Mrs James Siddells (city) supported Dr. Adams. She had heard that day of a chield (a hospital patient) who had nearly recovered From scanct fever but had caught the disease again. She would be a “guest” at the hospital for another six weeks. “Bloodless Stones”

“There are some people against this block,” Airs Siddells proceeded, “but surely we can get the money.” Air Coleman: You can’t get blood out of a stone.

Mrs Siddells: You can't tell what will happen and there might never be a more opportune time.

Dr. S. Skerman (Rangitikei did not favour raising another loan until that to finance the steam plant had been fully paid off. There was one instalment to wind it up- It had been a heavy burden on the ratepayers tor a short five years period. He believed he had been the first to suggest an infectious disease block, but. at the time, he had no idea it would cost so much. He thought £5OOO would have been sufficient.

At this stage an amendment was moved by Air Coleman to the effect that the Board considered the time inopportune to raise a loan for an infectious diseases block. This was seconded by Mr Farley. Four Years’ Battling “We have battled for four years for this block now,” said the chairman. “When we are about to finalise it we got. this slump down on us.” He quoted figures to show, approximately, what the cost to local bodies would have been had the Board been successful in floating a loan for 20 years with the Public Trustee. The Rangitikei County would have been called on for £l3O to £l4O, the city for xls(i to £l6O. Wanganui County £7O to £75, and Waitotara £5O to £55.

“So. if you come to boil it all down,” Mr Broderick proceeded, “the burden would be very small. The £12,000 will cost the Board £lO5O a year and the Department will find half of that. In the £12,000 we have allowed a wide margin to cover everything, levelling the site, erection of the building and furnishing, right up to the time the staff takes over.”

Air Coleman stated that he agreed with all that had been said. “But the whole thing boils down to this,” he added, “whether the ratepayers can afford to pay for it. We are hoping in Rangitikei, that the hospital rate will fall.”

The chairman: You can rest assured it will.

Exercising his right of reply Air Rogers contended that the expenditure even if it was twice as much, was justified. It was to safeguard the health

of the community. Although members of a local body were on safe lines if they exercised common sense he was paying due weight to the medical ad-

A division carried the amendment not to proceed with tho loan. For postponement: Drs. Skerman and Mollie Christie, and Messrs Coleman, Simpson, Farley, Alorton and Christensen.

Against postponement: Dr. G. J. Adams, Mrs Siddells, Messrs Rogers and Broderick.

The chairman: I trust that this has not disposed of the matter wholly?

Dr. Skerman: No. Bring it up again next year after the steam plant loan is paid.