Hospital Board Paid Too High Wages

Chronicle (Levin), 14 July 1948, Page 6

Hospital Board Paid Too High Wages

"I,an\ obliged to conie to this deeision despite the very . strong evidenee of the diflieulty in wliich the board wili be placed if it is not allowed to remunerate its highly quaMed'specialists adequately.t That is a responsibility whieh the Wages Commissioner under the regulations must tak'e. " 1 With this eomment Mr. J. R. Herd, S.M., in a reserved judgmeiit yesterday found the .Palmerstqn'-North Hospital Board guilty of a breacli of the Economie Stabilisation Emergeney Regulations, 1942, in that' they paid their pathologist a salarly in excess of that approved by the Wages •Commissioner. This was the sequei to four eharges laid against the board, by the Inspector of Factories aileging breaehes of the regulations, which were heard on June 28. On the cliarge concerning the pathologist the board Was (ionvicted and ordered to pay costs £3 13s. The other three infonnations were dismissed. The Hospital.. Board was the lirst local body in Nevv Zealand to be sumuioned for alleged breaehes of the regulations where salaries to ofiicers were concerned. "It is, 1 believe, common ground that though in some cases it was applied for, no decision of the Wages Cotniuissioiier fixiug the basic remuneration was made up to the dates in the i eharges, " stated the Magistrate. " I cannoL decide whether an oifence has been conunitted hnless, at the elose o± a case, I am satislied that all the relevant factors' have been showa. Here the basic remuneration is a relevant factor and I consider 1 can only determine it from the evidenee supjplied in the case of the pathologist. ' ' As to the line to be imposed, it lias been p'ointed out that the board has cndeavoured to obtain a decision as to wliat remuneration it ivould -be permitted by a Wages Commissioner to pay eaeh of the medical servants involved, and though its application to pay the present rate was declined, no rate was lixed. "It is abundantly clear jthat unless an adequate rate is lixed the board is going to suffer heavilv and that, togcther with the fact'that therc has been no en.deavour to flout the law, are malters I am entitled to talce into consideration. It lias been shown that defendant board is endeavouring under serious stalf difiicuilies to supply a humuiiitarian ser\-ice to the comniunitv. Therefore, no line will be imposed in this case, but the board is ordered to pay the costs of the prosecution of that cliarge of which it is convicted. "