112 A DISTRICT hospital: its construction and cost. 



faulty schemes is but small. Now although fairly good plans are 

 sometimes submitted, it is very seldom that any are met with so 

 drawn as to show that the architect has practical knowledge 

 of the requirements of hospital buildings ; and occasionally 

 egregious, and to the trained eye very singular errors, are 

 unconsciously committed. Under these circumstances it has been 

 considered whether a model plan could be put forward; but it 

 appeared that the difficulty of suiting the tastes and requirements 

 of various neighbourhoods was too great ; moreover it is no part 

 of the business of the Department mentioned to supply plans, for 

 which indeed no means are at its command. Nevertheless it 

 appeared that a carefully designed building, if its details were 

 made known, might serve a useful purpose by showing what 

 measurements, arrangement, ventilation and drainage, are 

 unobjectionable, even if they might not be thought actually the 

 best that could be devised ; but in order to give this scheme 

 practical force, it seemed to me necessary to be able to refer to an 

 existing building, and not merely to a series of drawings. When 

 therefore, about a year ago, Dr. Harman Tarrant, who at that 

 time was a member of the Assembly for the Illawarra District, 

 asked me to furnish a plan for a small hospital of 8 or 9 beds for 

 the coast town of Kiama, I gladly took advantage of the opportunity. 

 The building has been erected in accordance with my design, and 

 has been occupied now for some months ; photographs and a 

 plan of it are before you ; and it is this of which I propose to 

 offer some description. 



Construction and Material. — Communities proposing to erect 

 hospital accommodation for their district seem unable to command 

 large sums of money as a rule ; apparently they can seldom 

 gather much more than a couple of thousand pounds. And, 

 generally speaking, they have a prejudice in favour of — but perhaps 

 I should rather say, a preference for — bricks and stucco. But the 

 cost of any building is proportionate to its cubic contents and the 

 kind of material employed; it follows, therefore, that when the limit 

 of cost is sharply defined one of three courses must be pursued. An 

 attempt may be made to diminish the dimensions ; but this course 

 cannot be followed far, for dimensions which are large as compared 

 with those of dwelling houses are necessary for hospitals. Then 

 the number of beds may be reduced ; but here again the downward 

 limit is soon reached, for it is scarcely worth while to build a 

 hospital of less than ten beds, and the administration sufficient 

 for ten is (or should be) sufficient for 20. Thirdly, bricks and 

 mortar and stucco may be discarded and some cheaper material 

 chosen ; whereby the largest number of beds and the amplest 

 measurements may be had for the limited sum which I am led to 

 name as the datum of the calculation. The last is the course I 



