THE NEW HOSPITAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3191, 10 April 1911, Page 7

THE NEW HOSPITAL.

PLANS PROVIDE FOR SPLENDID BUILDINGS,

ARCHITECTS’ ESTIMATE OF THE COST.

The. plans which were submitted to the Hospital Board on last Friday evening im connection with the proposed new hospital, give promise that the structure when completed will be not only a handsome edifice, b-ut one of the most up-to-date institutions in the Dominion. Situated on an elevated plateau at Mangapapa, it is intended that the Hospital shall be approached by three ways, viz. Hill Street, near Mr. McLisky’s property, a proposed road near Mrs. Clayton’s residence, and a similar road from the back towards Mr Von Pein’s residence. On the right of the plateau will be the resident medical superintendent’s bouse and the nurses’ home, while on. the left will stand the caretaker’s residence, workshop, stables, etc. A drive, borseslice in design, to the right leads to the main, buildings, .whilst to the left it approaches the isolation buildings, which will stand on the. western portion of the plateau. A little further on again the drive branches off to the- left to the tradesmen's entrance to the domestic department of the institution. The hospital proper will be: a lofty single storey building on the “unit” system, of four pavilions, joined together by a corridor about 300 feet in length. Entering the entrance hall there is the superintendent’s room, committee room, writing loom, dispensary, etc. Tlig main corridor to tlio right is to lead to the matron’s quarters, a convenient suite of four rooms, openinor out on the women’s court , and the children’s ward will open out on: the southern end of the block. On the opposite side of the corridor access 1 will he gained to the women’s medical ward, measuring 24 feet by 101 feet- in length, which like the other units, abuts endon to the main corridor. This ward, in common with the other three wards, has accommodation for 24 .beds. The women’s surgical ward forms the opposite side of the women’s court. Proceeding along the corridor one will reach the house surgeon’s quarters, blanket and linen stores, which divide the two women’s units from the two men’s wards. The first men’s pavilion reached is the surgical ward. Opposite it, on the other side of the corridor, the plans provide for the operating depaitment, comprising an accident examination room, laboratory, sterilising room, etc. From the anaesthetic room tlit patient will pass into the operating room. Further along the- corridor again and forming the second 1 side to the men’s court, will stand the men’s medical ward. Across the corridor from this the plans show the domestic department of the institution, comprising kitchen, nurses’ dining room, sefvery, stores, etc. all conveniently arranged. J his portion of the building will be a twostorev structure, the second floor being taken tip with bedroom accommodation for the servants. • . ■ • Each ward wiil be provided with verandah accommodation, bathrooms, and ail the necessary conveniences. Each one is to have an independent ward kitchen one and two bed wards, linen cupboards, etc. There are a set of separate buildings for the isolation quarters, and provision is made for an incurable diseases buildNext to it is a- carefully designed building for the nurses in attendance on infectious cases. Beyond, again, aie two infectious wards. The Bc-ard has approved generally ot the scheme 1 outlined, but lias decided to- allow the resident, medical superintendent’s residence, the incurables block, and the smaller of the two lso.a-ti-on wards to stand over in the- m-ean-Ul Altogether the- scheme approved of provides for -accommodation for 120 beds. The structures. throughout are proposed to be erected in brick.

ESTIMATE OF COST. According to- an approximate estimate forwarded by the architects for the l Hospital. Messrs Atkins and Bacon, of Wellington, the cost is to be made up us follows: Main- hospital complete. . except women’s eastern ward and children’s ward and men’s western ward and special ward, black, £22,505; nurses’ home, £6309: water supply tank and boundary, say, £600; drainage, £400; fencing and gates, £325; laundry, £85o; surgeon superintendent’s house (proposed to , leave this out at. present), £1666 • caretaker’s cottage,£so2 ; workshop, £349 ; stables £236 : total £34,072. Future .additions: Women’s eastern pavilion, £4142; children’s pavilion, £1625: men’s western pavilion and spe-

cial ward block, £5244; nurses’ home, eastern, for, say, 32 extra, £2500; general hospital for 157 beds, £47,583 ; infectious diseases hospital, 24 beds, £6688 ■ home for (proposed to be left over till a future date), £3572* total, £57,843. MR F. J. LYSNAR’S VIEWS. The foregoing figures’ were placed at the disposal of a ••Times” reporter by Mr. F) J. Lysnar on Saturday, subsequent- to the - meeting of the Hospital Board, which approved the plans. At that meeting Mr. Lysnar explained that he had asked the- Chairman if the above figures would be available for the pi ess, and the Chairman- had replied that the meeting was in committee. He (Mr. Lysnar) said that he then produced his notice of meeting, showing that they had not been summoned to a committee meeting, but to a “special meeting of the) Board.” That being so, lie states that he asked the Chairman lioW they were in committee, as there had been no resolution that- the Board should go into- committee. Mr. Lysnar further explained that ait- this stage several members expressed the opinion that the meeting was really not in committee. and acting on that, he had intimated that as the press had not been notified c-f the meeting lie- would supply the reporters with a copy of the- resolution and the approximate estimates. He felt that the people had a right to know what was going to bo asked of them, and that as the- meeting was not in committee- he made his intention perfectlv plain—of informing the press of the proceedings. Continuing, Mr. Lysnar said that the Board had decided to hold over for the present the erection of the house- for the medical superintendent and the Home for incurables, and that it would leave the estimated 'expenditure a-t £52,600 The resolution, carried at the meeting was, he said, moved by the Chairman- and seconded by Mr. Johnston, and was as follows:—“That the Board adopts the plans in so far as to make provision for 120 beds.” This resolution, be added, was carried by those- present, lie alone voting against it. The Hon. Captain Tucker, who arrived later, also agreed with the tenor of the resolution. Mr. Lsynar states that lie then raised the question as to how the proposals were going to be financed, and eventually it was decided that a meeting of the Finance Committee-should be held before next- meeting of tlie Board on April 21st-. “My own personal view of the maittr,” con-eluded Mr. Lysnar, “is that- although I approve of the purchase of the site for future requirements, the present hospital could, I feel confident-, be made -to se-rve the district- for the next few years, especially in view of the heavy expenditure that is apparent in other directions. THE CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT. The Chairman of the Board, Mr Clias. Gray, on being approached on the subject of the foregoing remarks by Mr. Lysnar, said that he had little or nothing to say in the matter. “A special meeting of the Board was called,” he said, “and- the Board went into committee. as there were certain figures to be mentioned which it was not thought wise should be mdae public at this juncture; that is all.” Continuing, Mr. Gray said that Mr. Lysnar must have got a little confused over the matter. The statement referred to was partly from- figures supplied by the Board’s architests and was partly what the Board thought the cost would be. ANOTHER MEMBER’S VIEWS. Mr. G. W. Tiffen, in conversation with a “Times” reporter, said that the position was that- the meeting was a special one all right, but the- Chairman had ruled-that they were in committee. This, he- thought was done, not because tlie Board wished to hide anything from the ratepayers , but because they thought the estimates should not- be divulged and be known -by possible contractors. When Mr. Atkins was in Gisborne lie bad asked the Chairman that the estimates be submitted—which were only approximate, and subject to revision, should not be made public in their present form. It- was thought advisable to take the. matter in committee. “It really does not matter a great deal,” continued‘Mr. Tiffen. “We are all convinced as to the absolute necessity foil a new hospital, and the only questions seems to me to be whether wo should not go on with the whole scheme at once. If that is not done, there is a possibliity that we may interfere with the local bodies’ finance.” Proceeding, Mr. Tiffen said that^ while tlie entire cost was to be about- £57,00U there would be a Government subsidy of £ for £, and there would also be the amount realised for the nine acres comprising the present site. Tlie balance would have to be made up by the local bodies. He did not consider that the present site was at all suitable for a hospital, the ground was too damp and the building was too near the river. “Mr. Lysnar is not wrong,” he concluded; “it was a special meeting and there was no resolution to go into committee. The Chairman simply said that we were in committee.”