REASON FOR DELAY IN ACQUIRING LAND FOR NEW SANATORIUM

Wanganui Chronicle, 18 February 1949, Page 6

REASON FOR DELAY IN ACQUIRING LAND FOR NEW SANATORIUM

The delay in a site chosen at Levin I for a new sanatorium being acquired i by the Western Districts Joint Sana-| 1 torium Committee was explained by| 5 the chairman, Mr D. D. Simpson (Hunterville), at the monthly meeting ( yesterday of the Wanganui Hospital ' Board. The new institution will be constructed lor tuberculosis patients. I “This matter was held up because 1 the Minister was reluctant to take the ■ land under the Public Works Act un- I less the land was available,” said the ( 1 chairman. 5 Committee members had ascertain- , ed- however, that th e onus of taking , the land was not on the Minister but j on the local body concerned. The ( procedure was for that body to notify j the owners of its intention to acquire 'i the land under the Act. The local body was not required to ' f find th e owners othef land. ' i It had been decided that the Palm- I j erston North Hospital Board, as the ! > trustee board, be requested to notify j the owners of the committee s inten- | tion to tak e over the land. The com- j mittee was unanimous that the Levin' site was the best inspected. “The Minister was reluctant to do ■ it, but this lets the Minister out,” the { chairman said in reply to a question | J by Mr A. S. Coleman (Marton). I “The need for a sanatorium is ur- i ! gent. This is an ideal site acceptable , to all concerned, and if there is a possibility of getting on with the job we j should do so,” the chairman added. jThe man in the street, reading ( newspaper reports of the committee's progress, must have formed the opin- y ion that the committee was weak and A should have taken stronger action, I said Mr A. P. Howard (Marton). j Mr Coleman: The people between Wellington and New Plymouth hare \ become concerned about the way the 3 situation has been handled by the t committee and the Government. t The new building would be modern j and compact, instead of being spread f all over the place, as at Otaki, said r the chairman. Nursing conditions would be bettei' and there would be .. more attractions for staff. J. During April a survey would be t made of tuberculosis patients in the western area and this would have a t distinct bearing on the size of the jinstitution.