HOSPITAL RATE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 68, 28 April 1944, Page 5

HOSPITAL RATE

THIS YEAR'S COUNTY LEVY

SUM OF £7067

In forwarding estl'mat'es of receipts and payments for the coming year, the secretary of the Whakatane Hospital Board notified' the County Council last Wednesday that levies to be made on the county for the ensuing year were capital £1049 8s lOd and maintenance £6018 3s 4d a total of £7067 12 s 2d. The letter stated that the above figures represented a total levy of .6905 of Id in the £ on the rateable capital value, which was .0042 of Id less than last year. The average occupied beds at the hospital increased from 65.94 to 78.2 over the last year and the estimates this year were based on an 80 bed basis. The Board would be pleased to supply any further information required. The. capital levy was payable in one sum on Ist prox. together with the first quarterly instalment of the maintenance levy. Remaining quarterly instalments were payable on the first days of August, November and February. A copy of the Board's balance sheet was also enclosed. I'n the discussion which ensued Cr McCready said that there was a recent suggestion from the Government to build a T.B. ward in Whakatane, which "would mean further expense to the ratepayers for maintenance and staffing as it would invariably be full all; the time. The proposed loan of £45,000 would in his estimation be doubled within two years if the present state of affairs were permitted to continue. As* an instance the architect's estimate. for the whole of the 1 proposed hospital improvements had been £37,000, yet the contract cost was as high as £68,000. Cr McGougan said that many of the Hospital Board members found themselves in a most awkward position. Knowing that the basis of rating was unfair they were nevertheless faced with a desperate, position. of the inadequacy of hospital accommodation, owing to> Social Security. As far as. .the County Council was concerned he felt that the views of the' ratepayers were now so obvious that it should be prepared to take up the. attitude of refusing to collect rates, which they realised were unjust. The burden on the primary producers was getting beyond a joke and he ■lor one was prepared to take the consequences, Cr Burt contended that one way to relieve the congestion of the hospitals was the appointment of official district nurses in all settlements who could be paid by the State. These women would be able to attend to those less seriously ill and to certify hospital cases. In this way persons who were onlj r suffering from minor complaints would be kept from the institution. There was something wrong when from a district of 11,000 there was a daily rate of 88 in the. hospital! rising at times to over 100.