THE HOSPITAL RATE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 05, Issue 79, 17 July 1942, Page 4

THE HOSPITAL RATE

IT is rather unfortunate that the, Hon. A. H. Nordmeyer, Minister of Health, failed to show a little more understanding of the back breaking nature of the Hospital Rate as it influenced local bodies in the smaller and less populated areas. From his attitude and the figures, he quoted it would seem that there had been little grounds for any complaints and that the combined figures over the Dominion showed little more than one seventh increase on the previous yea.rs. No doubt the Minister felt he had a genuine case which completely rebutted the deluge of petitions showering his department, but he definitely has failed to grasp the position as it appertains to the smaller hospital districts. Does he realise the strain upon a community such as Whakatane where the rate in three years has gone up 500 per cent, Tauranga where it has increased 450 per cent or Rotorua where it has increased 300 per cent? Does he appreciate the Maori problem as Opotiki is compelled to face it ? No it is very obvious that the Minister has judged the whole position on Dominion statistics, or as it affects the larger cities where the burden is lightened by the greater spread. Cr Spence at the June conference struck a very true note when he pointed out that in New Zealand 61' per cent of the population lived in the cities and only 39 per cent in the country. When it came to taxation however the burden was borne 53 per cent by the country dwellers and only 47 per cent by those living in the towns. This puts the case in a nutshell and we trust that the Minister will see from these deductions the unfairness of, judging the position by merely the unruffled surface appearance which is portrayed by Dominion statistics'.