HOSPITAL LEVY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1726, 18 April 1913, Page 9

HOSPITAL LEVY.

RATES MAY. BE INCREASED.. WHERE THE MONEY GOES. A pro test" was inadoby some'"members of the City- Council last night against the increase in : this levy payable by the city this year.to the Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board.' The levy .payable for 1913-U is .£13,623, whereas last year's levy was ,£i0,078. " .' t Councillor Shirtcl iffo said the .contributions demanded from the city . were /steadily increasing, in spite of the old ago pensions, which were expected to reduce wry; materially the 1 amount payable in charitable aid. How did tho increase come about? If the increass went on, • there would certainly bo required an increase .in rates. Councillor Trevor, who is chairman of the. Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, said that .while' the income of the hospital was increasing, the expenses were increasing also. A few years ago there were not nearly so many patients to be provided for, not nearly so many nurses in the hospital, and not nearly so much work outsido of tho hospital to be done bj- the board. Unfortunately there had been a mistake made in tho computation last year. The levies should have "been made heavier, but now as a consequence they had to face the extra charge this year. It seemed to him that the cost of hospital administration would continue to increase, because Parliament was pushing more and more functions on to the Lxjards every year. Now they had to carry on the campaign against tuberculosis,." and there were other things, also, which would require an increasing sum each year; In addition to this the buildings were costing 25 per cent, more than they did a few years ago to erect, possibly more than 25 per cent. Plumbing and sanitary fittings wens costing 50 per cent, more than they did a few years ago. Councillor ShirtclifFo said he expected the expenditure to go up while building improvements were going on. What proportion of the levy was for hospital purposes, and how much was for charitable aid? . Councillor Smith said tho amount used for charitable aid last year was less than it was', the previous vear. .Councillor Shirtclitfe: Then the whole of the increase is for hospital purposes? Councillor Smith; Yes. Councillor Cohou said there wero far too many people in tho hospital who could afford to pay the private hospital prices. This was what caused expenses to go up. The council should tell the board to keen expenses down. The'discussion was continued bv other councillors who are members of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Hoard. Thev defended tho board against the charge of extravagance. v