OPOTIKI HEADACHE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 50, 18 February 1944, Page 5

OPOTIKI HEADACHE

COST OF NEW HOSPITAL ESTIMATED AT £120>,000 Should the Opotilii Hospital Boarddecide to proceed with the scl 1 eme oi" building the new hospital aecording to the plans submitted by the. architect the local bodies will be. required to iind £(50 , 000. as half the cost of the buildings, the Government providing the other £60,(100. This amount at 5 per cent i'or sinking fund & interest would cost the local ■ bodies £15000 per annum, & would require an additional hospital rate in the County of f»nd in the J3orough of 1 %d in the pound. The present hospital levies on the County and Borough for maintenance and capital purposes are £3982 10s f)d of which the County pays £3174 17s 7d and the Borough £807 13s 2d, a total of £3982 10s 9d. This necessitates a rate of IHd in the County and Hid in the Borough. The additional cost in maintaining the larger institution would probably add another Id to i%d to rates. The present hospital rate of "Had in the £1 in the County averages £2472 and in the Borough £542. Total £3014. The furnishings, equipment and excavations etc., for the new hospital may approximate £20,000 which would add an additional £750 per annum to be found by levies on the local bodies concerned. In addition there would be the cost of converting the present hospital into a maternity home. It would appear that hospital rates of between 4d and "m 1 in the pound will be necessary if the scheme is carried out, which would be more than the rates struck in some county ridings for roading. purposes. The above is most interesting in view of the extended controversy regarding the £4.2,000 which ? s; the extent of the proposed loan for additions to the. Whakatane Hospital.