COUNTY RATEPAYERS' PETITION

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 68, 30 April 1943, Page 5

COUNTY RATEPAYERS' PETITION

PROPOSED HOSPITAL LOAN

WIDESPREAD PROTEST PLANNED

-COUNTY COUNCIL'S ACTION

Sharply worded criticism, of the action of the Hospital ...Board in proceeding with its ..projected application for a loan -of £45,000 for increased hospital -accommodation in the face of -the representative deputation -urging a temporary deferment, was ventillated by speakers at - the County Council meeting last Tuesday, when it was unani- . mously decided 1 to proceed with active plans to secure a countywide petition of protest to be .presented to the Board, and the district M.P.'s and 1 the Loans • Board. Board's Letter The Board in notifying the counof the outcome of the. representations stated that the whole matter had been fully discussed and that during the course of. that discussion it was made quite clear by all mcm--iiers that —from their personal viewpoint,, all being ratepayers, they were fully sympathetic with and ■endorsed the desire of the council ;and the other members of the deputation to agitate for a change in the incidence of hospital taxation. On the other hand, as members of the Board, the. majority felt that after the fullest consideration of .all the relevant facts and'circumstances, pros and eons, the duty of .making adequate provision for the' of the sick of the was the paramount duty of •the Board and the motion for rescission was not carried. Current Estimates The Board also notified that the Jevie.s to be: made on* the council for the ensuing year were:— Capital £ 1059 17 9 .Maintenance 7175 19 3 £8235 17 2 This represented, a total levy of -789(> of Id in the £ on the rateable Capital Value, which was .0199 of Id more than last year. The average occupied beds at the hospital increased from (51.35 to G5.94 over the hist year and the estimates this .year were based on a 70 bed. basis. The Increases in the levies were practically covered by the following items:— 1. The increase in the estimate -of average occupied beds, to 70. 2. The inerea.se in the rate of salaries paid to the nursing staff in •Accordance with the minimum scale -of the Registered Nurses' Association. 3. The increase in the. amounts -.payable to other Boards under Section 92 of the Hospital Act., to £4000. 4. The allowance for the inclus r ion of one half-yearly instalment of £1450 on the new proposad, loan of £45,000./; As regards the levies abovementioncd, the letter added, the Capital Levy is payable in one sum on Ist proximo together with the first -quarterly instalment of the Maintenance Levy. The remaining quarterly instalments are payable on the first days of August, November and February. Debit notes for amounts 'due on Ist proximo, are enclosed. Council's Discussion "The question is, whether we should take any further steps in this matter after having failed to £ain our point of the' deputation," said Mr J. L. Burnett,, the chairman. Crs Wardlaw and McCracken were •of the opinion that the matter should be allowed to rest, though they considered the suggestion of • asking members to resign would -achieve no purpose. Cr Cawte thought the. council should not take it lying down. It was necessary now to take the strongest measures to combat the new move or else there would, be •endless trouble in the future. "Its a downright, imposition that a. few men of this district can impose this £-15.000 loan on the ratepayers." said Cr McCrcady. He. said, "The council was in an invidious position when after having' put all its arguments before the Hospital Board, to have its suggestion turned down Hat, and in the same breath •commended for having raised objection. The Board had it in its hands to co-operate with the ratepayers by merely holding its scheme over temporary. Instead of that it preferred to ride rough shod over their -expressed opinion. It was now im-

perative to go the whole hog to block the proposal or not at all. There were 110 measures too tough to counter this sort of tiling. lie strongly advocated asking County members to resign expressing his own willingness to do so. From a personal point of view he stated that his hospital rate would very soon exceed his Crown rent, and he had yet to be shown Avherr he 'wafc getting a greater benefit from the 'hospital than from his own property. Cr Smith said t«»o felt very strongly about lYm. position but he did not think resigning would get them very far. While deploring the lack of co-operation from the Borough he pointed out that the average ratepayer m this Borough did not depend on his land for a living but on his trade or profession and therefore n rate upo'n properly wouUl not affect them to any extent. Does Affect Him Cr McCrcady claimed that it did affect the town ratepayer. One had but to look back on the last slump to appreciate that, when sections were sold for rate arrears for a tenth of their value. He pointed out the post-war programme, aerodromes, etc., all these things would have to be paid for and who was going to pay for them eventually— the land. While he appreciated the need for facilities for the sick it made him sick to see the: way in which local bodies were prepared to endorse fabulous loans without any idea of the future. Cr McGougan felt that while he had to disagree with the. projected loan,, he thought the Board was doing what it considered the best thing in the interests of the hospital and therefore should not be criticised. The county ratepayers as a body were up against this borrowing, but it should be realised that the Board was merely trying to cope with the urgent need as it existed. The chairman pointed, out that if the. Board members resigned, such a request would have to come from the ratepaj^ers—not from the council. Cr McCreadv: Two were put there by the council. The chairman: Yes but only to fill vacancies. Launching Petition Cr McCracken then moved that steps be taken by the council to canvass the whole county with a petition against the incidence of hospital taxation and to the present loan proposal by the Wfrakatane Hospital Board and ! that copies be forwardted to the Loans Board, the Hoslpital Board 1 and the Minilster of Health and' that the assistance of the district M.P/s be also l sought in this connection. * Cr Smith seconded mentioning that the whole question of hospital taxation should be one. for a Ro3 r al Commission to investigate. He suggested this course for serious discussion. This brought Cr McCrcady to his feet. Royal Commissions were only shock absorbers, he declared. Mr Holland had suggested one to go "into the. drink question. Did Cr Smith mean to tell him that with all the evidence of waste and poverty against, the drink question, it required a Royal Commission to find out. whether it was necessary.. It was absurd. Most people realised also that Roj-al Commissions had their decisions before they sat. He had heard Cr McGougan say that, .he had no criticism against the Hospital Board. Wclk HE had, and if he felt he hadn't lie would say nothing.

The motion was then put to the. meeting and carried.