HOSPITALS AND CHARITABLE AID.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 156, 26 March 1908, Page 9

HOSPITALS AND CHARITABLE AID.

THE NEW DILL

CONCLUSIONS OF,' THE WAIRAR.U'A HOSPITAL BOARD.' ;Tho:.following conclusions were arrived at. -and. resolutions -passed by the/ Wairarapa District Hcspital - Board -at its ineeting at Mastertoii:, yesterday, whim tho proposed new Hospitals and Charitable Aid Bill: was under consideration : ,'. ■ '' That the strongest/possible objection be taken to. the, proposal to unite tho Wairarapa*: with tho Wellington Hospital District, on tho ground that, if giyen effect'.to, tho liability .of.'thp present Wairarapa' Hospital District for. hospital.. maintenance will bo nearly.doubled. ... . -.' " Assuming that the . cost of maintenance in .Wairarapa for; 19Q8-9 will' bo about equal to tliqt for 1007-8, - it' may be set down at £5600/' i'The , estimates'for' 1908-9 for, the Wellington Hospital maintenance 'are aiijiho-' •ritativejy given at £20,000 (tho figures aro really a little over that sum). In the two districts, , therefore, the maintenance":is estimated .to .reach £30,600.. The valuations aro as'' L follow Wellington District, £22,000,000; Wairarapa, £11,000,000. On the'pro rata basis,: therefore, the/. Wairarapa .District 'mustCpntribute qiic-third " share, namely,'.£3-0,200, or a sum very nearly: equal to- double its. prrtsent liability. (It. "is true :the': foregoing figure's' ihchtde /' subsidy—but this does not affect the increase,' which' would ' the /same.) ' 1 / ■ " The : ■■'Wair.arapa;, District';Hospital/Board and the' local contributpry authprities within tho district have iii tlie : past vehemently protested against the iniquity "of uniting.' this district with' Wellington for tho/purposes of charitable aid; V tins ; coinmitteo is of: ;opinion/that the proposal to. inflict and .puclr more serious, / injiistice/upon . the district; should;; bo ;'resisted to /the uttermost. It . is recognised, however, .that probably, through 'sea-borne/traffic 'tho chief ports of the .'Dominion/' aro .entitled.' to soiiie speci'al provision to meet tho' cost of dealing what may; be designated as foreign eases.. Tins provision''should be made out/of tho .Consolidfited' Eund—not' drawn from thp ccuujyy districts in the vicinity of'the ports. " The * committed is .of opinion that the present system of election of members,is infinitely; prcferablo, to ; that ' provided by ;tho new B'll—which has at least two ebjections: . —(1) "It/is certain'.,to-.'prove' mcrp costly. (2) Under it, it seems quite '-possible that a . sot- .' of /representatives be /elected, either, as >'committeemen,- or members / of' :boards,/who/aro' not 'members of Any Ideal authority, and 'thereforo not con'ceniecl, in the' raising'. 'bf the'> funds required. .Experi-: enco' i dictates thatthis ; system -leads'. to highly extravagant management. ■; '■' Section '18.-r-Giying-' tho;, district board 'generalsupprintendeince; and; control, of ovory;institution- within s its district' which;is wholly pr/pa.rtly_ maintained put .pf /the funds of' tho bpard '■ ,is 'a; provision; likely to,"give riso ,to 'much friction: If tho committoo cannot - bo'/ trusted '' to properly ; manngo the affairs .pf-any institution it/wpuld :be\'better to leave' -the management 'entirely ' tip-.the boards;- •" ' ■ " ;'= ;.. r

■ .'.'Tho power "to,'appoint officers,matrons, nurses,: attendants _. and ;' servants';: should. bo. oxtended' to 'andl triistees of separate'institutions',' 'as, well'-as boards, ;ahd tho ■ provision" -that tho appointment of a medical officer or matron shall..be_ subject tho approval of the Minister should cortainly bo .eliminated as ail unwarrantable • interference -_with'-the■: fu|iotions : ;of ■ tho' board, '.or committee-'as- the- case' may bo.--'The power to njake provision for supplies af inedjcinei),' otc., -etc., shouldvfc- conferred,,*upon •'■ com-' mitteemen, ; arid trustees of separate institutions, as well as boards., " ; t

'' Section, 31.'—The .proposals contained in this section - with, - regard to the : gradual : reduction; of::subsidy . during.-th'o-|six .years., following , the; passing '-.'of: ~ tlfe'-; A e't'' iHce.fi'.;with. the unqualified disapproval- of' this committee. ... Under 1 ' existing conditions a' very liirge number .of- jpersons. in /the .Dominion 'escape ; liability for?: obn tributioiv Awardsthe . cost,' of maintaining its"hospitals and of charitable' 'aid; .one:half of:the'total cost is' a direct cost upon:the land; to 'increase 1 this -.by'. 50' per cent. '• will: inflict a:'very gray'o. injustice uponAlandownerSj and jit is ; 'only right, that the remainder of the people of-the Dominion shouldj-. 'so'-far .as'it: is possible to'- compel them to do. so, through \tho .Consolidated. Fund, bear'not less.,'.than "one-half of' the burden..' .;.. , :i! , ■;: - j-: ' , Section,37 (3).—lriyView of the ever-in-. oreasing'.-.nature-'of the/hospital and ch'arit- ; ;ablo'aid.-;, expenditure,contributory :', local authorities should bevempo'weretl .to 'mako .the.hospital: and:.charitable aid' rate'in addi-,' tion , t0,,: .'and'Vin excess , of, their' ordinary maximum rating pow'er-rotherwise . their .finance .may '.be very seriously hampered. . i, " Section- '50.—Tho committee is' dccTdedly i.of opinion-that; it .would be impossible to get ' anyone;: to apt on: a committee •: under such restrictions as, are imposed by \this section, and fails- ■: altogether to'..- realise, .with ; what object it.hai bcen.frained, except to weave a web of red tape': round.: the .management of; ,every such institution iiit tho ' Doininion. to make ; such-: arrangements . as' difficult, and complicated as. possible; and to keep tho committees subservient absolutely to the will of the board aiid tho Minister: A committee would /certainly find itself in a dilemma ■ should 'the, orders of' the board and those 'of tho Minister be ' at. variance—as :it doM not . appear which:of these is: to take 'precedence, :' This, committee is of opinion that such a; provision would bo absolutely unworkable'. ,' ",; : . i ''. .

' 1 Section 81.—The scope of . this section is so' extremely wide as to warrant tho conclusion that'the or .its' chief executive officer, desires to possess, and ■ intends ;to have, the "absolute; control of every institution in.tho Dominion. The provisions are despotic in their nature, and, if given effect to, cannot fail to bo n fruitful source of friction between' all parties' concerned. The objects; the framers : of this measure appear to.have, had in view are 1 to deprive the 1 oxisting, boards and trustees of maiiy of thoir.. present:'.",powers and much of .-their usefulness;, to,; placo the supremo control of every institution !in the; Dominion , inthe hands of the Minister; which means virtually in the hanfls of the ;ehief oxecutivo officers of tho executive departments—by whoso professional advico the- Minister would be guided—to. enforce compliance with this despotic .systom; as. it wore ■"at the bayonet's point, by withholding subsidy; and by direct .taxation'.to thrust a still heavier burdon oil tho land. iThis'being tho-opinion of' tho Committee, it! must not be supposed that it view with' tho .least favour- tho changes contemplated in-tho new Bill, which it'lias no hesitation in pronouncing to be much for tho worse, compared with tho existing Acts, and this notwithstanding that the present law has many- glaring-, defects." .