HOSPITAL RATING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 96, 26 August 1942, Page 5

HOSPITAL RATING

COUNTIES' ASSOCIATION LETTER

INCREASED SUBSIDY SOUGHT

Considerable discussion centred round a letter from the N.Z.

Counties' Association which was read at the meeting" of the Whakatane County Council yesterday. The letter set out the rei--cent conference which dealt exhaustively with the countrywide agitation against the increasingly heavy incidence of Hospital taxation and ajso with recent representations made to the Prime Minister.

The letter read:— " Towards the end of last May the Waikato Hospital Board circulated : a resolution amongst all County Councils recommending a conference of representatives of the Hos- . pital Boards, Municipal, and Counties Associations should be held to • discuss the question of the incidence of. hospital taxation. Many County •Councils acquiesced in the proposal, fcut representatives of the three organisations deemed such a conference as a few weeks previously the Prime Minister had informed a deputation from the Wellington City Council that he would mot consider the question of hospital taxation until after the war. • On 30th June, the Emergency Committee of the Municipal and Counties Association together with representatives of the Hospital Boards Association met to discuss:— 1. Incidence of. hospital taxation. 2. Increase in occupied bed subsidy. 3. War Expenses Account carrying the cost of the aftercare of soldiers and nurses. Early in the meeting, Mr L.i B. iEvans, Vice-president of the Hospital Board Association, stated that, ihis Executive disassociated itself from the general question of the in-

r ciilence of taxation, as the Hospital Boards were administering bodies ;and not rating authorities. How•ever his organisation supported the 'Other Local Bodies in their requests for increases in the rate of contri'button from Social Security, and for war patients' to be a charge on the War Expenses Account. After some discussion, the following resolution was carried:— "That this meeting .of the 'Combined Emergency Committees of the Municipal and Countties' Associations reaffirms their decision to the effect that the burden of hospital costs sfoould be moved' from the •local ratepayers and carried by a levy on income, salaries and wages. But, in view of the pronouncement of the l Prime Minister as disclosed in his published replies to representations madte by the Wellington City -Council, we agree to leave this fundamental proposal in abeyance until the endi of the war, provided a larger contribution! be made from the Social Security Fund, and that the total cost of treatment of soldiers, including after care, is carried by the war expenses account, and that a deputation present this request to the Rt. Hon. the Prime Minister."

At 5.30 p.m. that day, ; representatives of the tliree organisations -met the Rt. Hon. the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Health, and Messrs; Marshall (Counties) and Mansford (Municipalities) supported by Mr Evans submitted the case for the Local Bodies. Mr Marshall asked for some increase in the bed subsidy, so that ratepayers would be in no worse financial position as regards rates than they were prior •to the outbreak of war.i The Prime Minister in reply staffed that lie agreed that the cost of the aftercare of soldiers was a just charge on War Expenses Account. He also agreed that 6s per occupied bed was insufficient owing to the marked increase in the C|st of liv;ing* but he could not say what the (Continued in next column)

increase would be, as a costing survey of all the hospitals would have to l>e madcii After a fortnight later the J War Cabinet decided that as from Ist April last,, members of the armed forces treated in Public Hospitals would! be paid' for at the rate of lis per day. If the reasonable cost was found to be greater than this amount, the difference would be paid at the end of the financial year. It is understood that the first lis will be borne by the Social Security Fund, and ttie remainder by the War Expenses Account, which would ail so meet the reasonable cost of establishing and removing temporary anilitary and emergency hospital accommodation approved by the Minister.