HOSPITAL RATE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 38, 12 January 1943, Page 5

HOSPITAL RATE

LOCAL BODIES CRITICISED

MADE A GREAT NOISE'

The Waikato Hospital Board cir•<;ulariEod about 325 local bodies all -over the. Dominion seeking their views on the subject of united representations to the Government asking for relief from the present incidence of hospital taxation with a view to hospital costs being borne out of Consolidated Funds or Social Security taxation. At a recent meeting of the Board the secretary, Mr A. C. Burgess, reported having received 82 replies from city councils, borough councils, county councils and town boards. Sixty-live, local bodies supported the representations, eight opposed them or merely received the communication and nine reported having referred the matter to the municipal or counties' associations for appropriate action. Mr N. H. Beatson (Kawhia) criticised, what he termed the tardiness of many local bodies in replying to the board's inquiry. He said that many local bodies deferred discussion on hospital costs until just before local body elections, "made a great noise then, and three months or so later subsided into sflcnec." Mr Beatson added that he was disappointed, at the altitude of the Prime"'Minister and the Minister of Health on the subject of hospital •costs. The Prime Minister seemed to be very Avilling to shelter behind the war situation in evading the issue, for it was noticeable that the social security and medical services had, been enlarged. That legislation or regulation was; not prevented by the war, and therefore it was hard to understand why hospital costs were not similarly dealt with. Several members expressed the ■view that many of the local bodies had not replied directly to the board's inquiry because they had •written direct, to the Minister -\n the subject. Members quoted instances that had come under their personal notice. The secretary was instructed to -again Avrite to (he 243 local bodies inviting a reply to the. board's, representations.