HOSPITAL RATE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 1, 22 August 1944, Page 5

HOSPITAL RATE

EVER-GROWING BURDEN

PROTEST BY MR W. M.P. A protest against the ever-increas-ing hospital rate was voiced by Mr W. Sullivan, National M.P. for Bay of. Plenty, during his Budget, speech in the House of Representatives last week. Yearlv said Mr Sullivan, the * 15 equity of property owners was cancelled out by the increase in hospital rates and the Prime Minister had said, two years ago that he would consider the matter. The Minister of Health expressed himself as being sympathetic with that object and also with some alteration in the system of local body rat* ing so far as hospital maintenance and construction were; concerned. Nothing had been done about it, and to-day it was. found with the everincreasing demand for more accommodation, that hospital rates in some districts would increase to 4%d per £ on unimproved and that in some cases, would increase the rates on the land by 10s an acre. Had that been taken into consideration when the Government- fixed prices for the farmers?

Mr Sullivan then turned to the question of highway construction and maintenance # and said that the amount taken out of the Highway Fund amounted to millions. It had been taken out of that fund and put into the Consolidated Fund, but il a local body or the Highways Board wanted to borrow money for further construction, it had to pay interest at the, rate of 3 to 3*2 P er cent. All those burdens were imposed on the primary producer on the plea that the users of the roads should find the money for their maintenance,. Well they found the money, but it was spent on other purposes. Had that been taken into account when the Government fixed farmers' prices? No! All those matters, Avere becoming such a burden I on the producers that they were not prepared to put up any longer with hanky-panky.