HOSPITAL RATE

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24914, 29 June 1946, Page 6

HOSPITAL RATE

REPLY TO PRIME MINISTER

COUNTIES’ PRESIDENT ON DEPUTATION

(P.A.) NEW PLYMOUTH, June 28. Criticising the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser) for his attitude when a deputation from the Municipal Association and Counties’ Association asked him to implement the recommendation made by the Local Government Commission concerning hospital rating, the president of the Counties’ Association (Mr W. G. Belton, of Waverley) said to-night that the Hon. W. E. Parry, the Minister in charge of the commission, stood by its findings and did not support Mr Fraser in this respect. . . _ The commission, comprising mainly Labour ’ members, was told that it was not to consider party politics, continued Mr Belton. The fact that it was unanimous in its recommendation, clearly indicated that the Government was now allowing party politics to transcend justice. When the deputation waited on Mr Fraser, Mr Pafry was also present. Mr Fraser said he could not sign his name to what was reported about hospital rating, but Mr Tarry supported the commission. Nothing cpuld be done to Implement the commission’s recommendations, Mr Fraser said, and there would be no relief for local bodies this year. Mr Belton pointed out that hospital rates of from 15 to 20 counties were 70 per cent, higher this year than last. About 30 to 40 of them showed an increase of between 40 and 50 per cent. In some cases the increase taken between the years 1936-37 and the years 1946-47 showed a rise of from 300 to 400 per cent. Promises given bv the Government that social security would reduce hospital levies had not been borne out and. as the tendency was for hospital costs to increase further, even greater levies would result. Referring to the suggestion my Mr Fraser that he would not allow wealthy land owners to evade taxation, Mr Belton said that on top of social security tax, income tax, and. in a very large number of cases, land tax, many thousands of small landowners were to be further burdened by way of hospital levies, so that large landowners should not escape. The fact that many towns and boroujghs were also becoming restive. however, indicated that hospital levies were pressing heavily on town ratepayers as well. Mr Fraser’s statement that hospital patients would suffer was dismissed by Mr Belton as “an effort to create political pronaganda to support an untenable contention.”