HOSPITAL AMALGAMATION ISSUE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 36, 18 January 1946, Page 5

HOSPITAL AMALGAMATION ISSUE

CLASH OF LOCAL OPINION

STRAIGHT SPEAKING AT CONFERENCE

INVESTIGATORY COMMITTEE SET UP

Sharply divided opinions not unmixed with heated exchanges at certain points of the debate characterised the first meeting of the three, interested parties involved in the to amalgamate the Wha'ka,tanc Hospital District with the Waikato. The meeting which took place at the invitation of the Whakatanc ‘County Council to the Borough -Council and the Hospital Board was held last Tuesday afternoon in the County Chambers and resulted after a somewhat strained debate in the. setting up of an investigatory committee comprising three members from each body which will meet in the near future.

The proposal which was first raised by the County Council last September involves the mutual merging of. the Whakatanc Hospital area with the Waikato with a vieAV to a substantial .saving in rates amounting to approximately £4OOO, and also of improving the existing service. The matter is one of long standing •with the County, and has been discussed at all meetings subsequent to its first introduction. It was apparently less known to both the Borough Council and the Hospital Board, members of which bodies all

declared that they required fuller details and more reliable figures before even considering the scheme. The question of whether or not Waikato would be agreeable to the amalgamation was also a strong point made by various speakers and con-.-stituted the key to the whole situation. Those against the proposal also took the long view that Wha r katane Avas a groAving community and that no existing amenities should be ‘given away’ in vieAv of the probable future expansion of both town and district. Desire For Relief

In Avclcoming the visitors, Mr J. L. Burnett, (County Chairman) said that there Avas nothing behind the proposal put fonvard by bis council other than a desire to give the ratepayers relief and to obtain more efficient service. For six or seven

months they had been endeavouring to bring about a conference with the Borough and for that reason he would like to sec some finality reached that day, as to whether it was considered a good thing for the. ratepayers or not. All the information which had been received bad been lianded on to the Borough with the exception of the most recent conv munication from the Minister of Health on the suggested creation of a new Hospital Board in the. Bay of Plenty which would include all counties carrying the greatest na,tive populations in the South Auckland District. “The opinion of the Borough Council at the present time” said Mr

Barry “is definitely opposed to amalgamation though we liave come here with an open mind to hear what the County Council has to put forward by way of argument for the scheme.” He went on to say that his council did not favour the proposal firstly because it had. neverbeen considered by the Waikato .Board, where it was not likelly jflo receive a favourable reception on account of the automatic rise in the .general rate it would bring about. .Secondly Waikato was already pledged to a building scheme running into 1% millions which did not take into consideration the increased maintenance costs of tlie sub-hospitals in

.such growing towns as Matamata 1 and Te Kuiti. Thirdly it was fell that Whakatane would be losing its identity by making over its hospital. He personally had great faith in the future of the town and district which he considered was the

logical centre of the Bay of Plenty. Tt was therefore a duty of local bodies to see that ajS. many services ns possible were centralised here. He asked what powers a local committee would have if it were in-

stalled under a Board of control sitting in Hamilton. Mr Barry concluded by asking what sort of a service the district Avould receive it the local hospital merely became an outstation. for minoi cases and all the more serious ones were taken to Rotorua or Hamilton. He realised the aim of the County Council was to relieve, the present rating burden. The Borough too hat

a similar problem, and the fid rate il Avas forced to leAy did not meet the full demand. Nevertheless in spite of this councillors felt that the disadvantages of amalgamation far outweighed the adA’antagcs.

Not Sufficient Information Mr W. Sullivan M.P.. Avho sup,, ported the Mayor said that the council had not felt in a position to come to any decision until greater infoimation Avas a Available. The Borough was just as anxious to get over the. problem of the hospital rate as the County but felt rhSit a commit-* tee should be set up to go more fully into the matter, and to approach the Waikato Board. No one could blame the Hospital Board, for the position as it obtained today had been forced upon it. Mr Sullivan criticised the request of‘the County Council asking the Hospital Hoard lor its anticipated expenditure for the next fRe years, and described it as an utter impossibility. Could any local body supply such figui’es? He contended that • the recommendations of the Parliamentary Select Committee gave the key to the solution and the Goa 7 ,- ernment had already indicated that it intended to amend the aaTiolc question of hospital rating. Would it not be infinitely better to aAvait the outcome of legislation Avhich avoulcl be under discussion during the coming session. Something Avould have to be done AvbateA’er GoA’ernment was in power. Not until all parties concerned Averc agreed upon a common policy of action could anything be expected from the present meeting and again he urged the formation of a committee. The Chairman: If Mr Sullivan thinks the Government Avill give any relief 'he evidently has more faith in the powers that be than avc have'.

Mr Sullivan: That’s not the. point. I suggest merely that the committee he set up and when satisfied with their investigations and that they were doing the right thing, to report back.

Mr Barry pointed out that the figures Avhich Avere tabled by the County Council had been supplied by the Secretary and the Chairman of the Waikato Board at an unofficial meeting at Rotorua. Later the secretary had rung through to say there Avas a discrepancy of £IO,OOO which made all the difference. The County Viewpoint “The County carries five-sixths of the hospital levy ” said the Cliaiiv

man Mr Burnett, in reply. If the Borough only carried one-sixth it could be' shown the decided disadvantage of the County. It was conceded that town and district would grow, and greater'and greater amenities. demanded, but would the community be substantial to shoulder the growing burden on the present basis ? In spite of Mr Sullivan’s optimism, if the Government were sincere it would have paid greater attention to the Select Committee s

recommendations. The County would be striking its rate in a month or two and he knew the pressure which would again be brought to bear by the ratepayers in the County. There could be no hospital rating problem in the Borough if the council was So disinterested in an effort to make for reduced rates. The Government was determined upon centralisation in *£iny case and the alternative was the lump.ing into one district of Opotiki,

Whakatane, Tauranga, Rotorua and part of the Taupo County. This would mean taking the greatest Maori population in New Zealand and putting it under one Board with a limited Pakeha population. It was not to lie compared with a safe amalgamation which would relieve the rates at once. The Galatea Question Mr Mullins (Chairman of the Hospital Board) mentioned the position

of Galatea which as lie said, the Board had suggested should be transferred to Rotorua in order to save £2OOO a year. This however had been ignored completely by tlie County, and he asked why now it was so keen to effect an economy. The Board had been the subject of many criticisms from the County Council and lie objected strongly to Cr Cawte calling his statements regarding Galatea ‘a lot of hucy.’ The Board bad carried out many savings and made many reductions but when it came to matters of general policy it bad no say at all. He asked the County Council also was it a fair thing to ask the Board to agree to

tlie proposed amalgamation without recourse to the opinion of the ratepayers, when the County itself had insisted upon such action regarding the actual levying of the rate last year. He claimed that the recommendations of the Select Committee put a new face on Hospital Rating altogether.

Cr Cawte in rebuttal of the last remarks said he would still continue to describe the statement with regard to Galatea as ‘huey’ and lie asked for information to back up a previous letter which he said claimed that to keep Galatea district the Hospital Board had to maintain ten beds in readiness. The discussion was becoming sidetracked on the Galatea issue, when the chairman called the meeting to order and suggested that all remarks should be confined to amalgamation. Burden in the County

Cr McCracken said that Avliat concerned the County was the burden of rates which it would do anything to try and ease in the interests of the farming community. It was different in the town where it was re-> cognised that the; businessman could merely pass the burden on to the purchaser. In the country however the rate came to something like £8 a £IOOO on the unimproved value. He mentioned the returned soldier farmer who was under a 100 per cent mortgage and contended it was the duty of all local bodies to assist towards a solution. Cr McCready said be had been consistently opposing the wilful waste of money and substance at the hospital. He contended the public had never received value for its money and was about to embark upon a lot of criticism regarding the alleged neglect of patients when Mr Mullins objected^strongly and demanded a right of, reply.

A Warm Exchange

The chairman intervened but Gr McCready said his criticism was meant to illustrate how the service coni tl be improved by amalgamation. He declared that people had been allegedly discharged with fatal results and that it was about time the ratepayers woke up and took notice. Mr Mullins again entered a protest' and there were many interruptions until Cr McCracken rose to a point of order and moved that hospital administration be kept right out of the discussion.

Cr, McCready: I’m going to give you my reasons why we should strive for a better state of affairs. Why should all the senior Sisters of the staff resign in a body. It shows the control I don't care a button what >y you say.

Mr Warren ashed leave to leave the meeting. Cr McGougan asked if the chairman favoured the way the discussion was going. The chairman then told Cr McCready that hisremarks must be confined to the question of amalgamation.

Cr McCready: Well 'then, you may as well let rafferty rule go on. He then resumed his seat.

Cr Luxton deplored the fact that the local bodies present were fighting over the issue upon which they should all be united. He could not see any unity coming from the meeting.

Amalgamation Inevitable

The chairman then remarked that from the Minister’s letter it was obvious that there would be amalgamation of some. sort.

Mr Buddie said he • was inclined to challenge some of the figures submitted by the Waikato Board Secretary. He would definitely like more careful investigation of the whole subject by a combined committee of all interests.

Mr Barry warmly agreed and moved that a committee of nine—three from each body—be formed for the purpose, of investigating and reporting back. He took the opportunity also of denying that the Borough was not interested or that it had no hospital rate problem.

The chairman: It’s a great pity Mr Barry, you hadn’t brought up this, point months ago. Mr Buddie suggested a direct approach to the Waikato Board with a view to delegates from that body also being invited to attend the committee meeting. The. chairman said that the County had been approached by ratepayers time and time again to do something and lie did not want any further delay if it were possible to avoid it. If a committee were set up it would further hold the matter up and he

did not favour the motion which 9 Mr Buddie promptly seconded. Cr Butler regretted the obvious split which had developed saying that the whole meeting had started off on the wrong foot. The proposal had been going on for months now and »be personally regretted the. present deadlock.

Could Act Independently

The chairman then remarked that the County could act independently of the Borough should it so de-< sire.

This brought Mr Sullivan to his feet in a powerful plea to work to-i getber if possible and to sot up the committee forthwith and to work it overtime, if neccssai’y in order to get the full facts of the ease and to lay them before the respective local authorities. It would he a wrong attitude to go independently over the heads of the other interested parties and would drive a wedge, between them to no good end. The Borough and Board' were not against the proposal but only wanted to travel a safe road so as to have no regrets.

Cr McCready said that the County Council could not he criticised for the delay. When the Borough Council had been invited to attend the first deputation to the Hospital Board in order to try and economise it was not interested enough to he present. Now it wanted to talk for hours and hours on how sorry it was that nothing was done! The chairman then asked Mr Barry to modify his motion to read that it be a recommendation that a committee be set up. This he promised would lie considered at a later meeting that same afternoon. Mr Barry agreed and the motion was then put to the meeting and carried.

County Delegates Appointed

At the full meeting of the County Council it was decided to fall in » line with, the suggestion of forming a coilimittee and Messrs. J. L. Bur* nett W. A. McCracken and C. H. McCready were appointed.

The conference was discussed, one councillor describing some of the exchanges as being a ‘disgrace to meeting procedure’ in that certain persons had seized upon the gathering to Avash their dirty linen when there was no call for it whatsoever.

Enquiries made since the. meeting have resulted in our being informed that the following have also been appointed to the committee: Messrs. J. L. W. A. McCracken and H. C. McCready (County Council) and J. Mullins > J. P. Caulfield and Mitchell (Hospital Board).