HOSPITAL RATE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 05, Issue 53, 15 May 1942, Page 5

HOSPITAL RATE

A 7S PER CENT RISE BOROUGH COUNCIL CONCERNED "I Avant to point out that the hospital rate this year which rises from £11SU to £1980 represents a 78 per cent rise," said the Mayor, Mr B. S. Barry, at tlic Borough Council meeting last Mam day. "I hope therefore that ratepayers wrl'l; realise when they receive their demands that we have no less than a 4d hospital rate" Mr Barry touched on the other points which since the, announcements of the new Hospital levies have been giving local bodies concern.. The main reason he said appeared to be tlic sudden influx of patients into hospitals since the inception of Social! Security. The 6/per bed which the Government allowed could not be expected to meet the 20/f) per bed which it cost the local board. The balance had. to be met by the ratepayers. One aspect, he said, which was generally overlooked, was that all building permits in the Borough, Averc returned to the Valuer General, and went to raise the capital value upon which tlici, Borough Avas rated. As a. result the rale went up year by year. In the County this Avas not ,* enforced with the result that the valuation of the County Avas more or less stationary—the lasb one having been made in 1937. In vlcav of thisi the Borough Avas most likely paying more than it should;. He added that the general rate in the Borough, ering the Avhole of maintenance costs was onty 6}4di in the £. This compared Avith the ncAv hospital rate of 4d in the £ would give ratepayers some idea of the burden it had bc-

come. Approach the Minister He suggested that the Council should take active steps to bring the position before the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health, and showing the, increase over the past ten years. He further suggested that the executive of the Municipal Association be acquainted with the position of town and count3 r valuations and urged to agitate for fairer legislation on that point. Cx Shapley said the system might be costiljy but it was very hard to beat. He drew the comparison between the running of New Zealand hospitals and institutions in other countries: which relied upon charity. There Avasi no doubt but that a children's ward-was needed in Whakatane and that would have to be built in the near future. The rising cost was regrettable and he agreed that the Government should undertake a

greater share. A Two-fold Tax Cr Sullivan said that the present rate of maintaining l the hospitals was unfair., as ratepayers were taxed twice —once by the Social Security levy and again by direct taxation. It was quite a well known thing that the Social Security benefits were being abused extensively in this district and it was these abuses which helped to increase the cost. Nobody could have any complaints about the actuals running of the hospital, but the sudden rise in the number of patients and the subsequent increasing cost gave the ratepayers the right to complain. He suggested that the council should put forward some suggestions cither by fixing a fair rate and suggest that it remain at that level, or by asking for an increased subsidy or else that the Government administer

the whole sj-stcm

The Mayor mentioned that recently at the Hospital Board chairman's invitation the town clerk had made an inspection of the institution and had been very favourably impressed. There was a genuine understanding of the Board's difficulties.

The council agreed to fellow out the Mayor's suggestion and bring the position forcibly to the notieo of the Government.