HOSPITAL LEVIES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1769, 6 June 1913, Page 6

HOSPITAL LEVIES.

TO ARREST INCREASES,

SOME-DEFINITE PROPOSALS, DETAILED DISCUSSION. The. conference of representatives -of locai bodies contributing to tho Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Hoard resumed yesterday to considor definito proposals for reform in hospital administration which had been prepared by Mr. b. P. Bunny,. Mayor of Lower Hutt. the Mayor of Wellington (Mr. J. P. Luk<?) f-esided, and there wero also presont essrs. W. Galloway (Hutt County), X'. Moore (Makara County), E. P. Bunny (Lower Hutt), H. Findlay (Potone), F. Townsend (Miramar), C. Cathie (Karon), p. Holdsworth (Onslow), and 0. Jerusalem (Johnsonville). ' Concerning Representation. Mr. Bunny proceeded to submit his proposals ono by one. He first suggested an amended constitution for Hospital Boards to give the local bodies direct representation, and to prevent the' minor local bodies from being always overwhelmed by the city. Under tho Act of 1508, ho said, local biMies had the advantage of direct representation; And were tkorcforo kepi, 111 closer touch with the board. Tho chairman said the same difficulty as was now complained about existed under tho old) board—that tho local bodies ttotg not in touch, "with tho work of the board. Ho thought tho board should carry mit tho functions of hospital and chantable aid, and not extend their functions to other work of a benovolent njiture. Ono of the weaknesses of tho present Act was that a body like tho Hospital Board should have power to tex tho people. there should be only ono authority in any district having power to levy taxation. He thought the increase of the levies was due to the Hospital Board undertaking tho work which was outside their proper funotlMr." F. T. Moore did not think the constitution) of the board need be altered, but hospital and charitable aid work should be run on business lines. Mr. 0. Jerusalem thought the conference should have goii« to tho board before approaching? the Government. From- the board they would have ft bettor clianco of getting- what they required, and even if they went to tho Government it would be some time before thoy could get rabess. jfr. F. T- Moore said that what they required was amendment of the Act, and thev ought therefore to submit their proposals to the Minister. He was not m favour of going to the board. Mr. Holdsworth Paid they could not expect tho board to give any immediate relief by going back on levies they had made. He agreed that the conference should go at once to the Government. Mr. Bunny said he was willing to accept any recommendation that would make for unanimity. ■ Mr. Organ moved that the number of elected members should be reduced, a.nd that Mayors or chairmen of contributing local authorities should becomo members of the board ex officio. . Mr. 0. Jerusalem (Johnsonville), while still regretting that no step were to bo taken to meet the present board, favoured Mr. Organ's proposal. Mr. Organ's proposal was agreed to, Mr. Bunny's proposition being withdrawn. Reviewing the Estimates. Mr. Bunny submitted his second proposition, which was that the estimates for every yfMT should, before being adopted, be laid before the local authorities for consideration, and that local authorities should have the right to appeal against any particular item of expenditure to a tribunal consisting of a, magistrate and two assessors. There was nothing now to prevent tho Hospital Board this year deciding that an old building should •,bo replaced by a new'one at a cost of thou?<ands of pounds, he said. The local bodies had no opportunity of making a protest beforo the estimates wero settled. They had only the right of appeal to tho Minister,' which. was not so satisfactory as the method ho proposed. If the local bodies had had an opportunity of reviewing tho estimates for this year it was certain that they would have been found capable of reduction. As a result of criticism some redaction had already been made.

Mr. F. Holdsworth seconded the motion, but ho admitted that it would to scarcely necessary if proposal No. 1 ivero adopted. After some discussion tho proposal was approved. A Limit of Contribution. Mr. Bunny moved that tho board should have power to make levies limited) by fixing a certain maximum contribution to bo required of any local authority, which contribution would bo a fixed proportion of tho total revenue, or a maximum rato in tho pound on tho rateable valuo of the local authority's district. At present there was no limit, ho said> and tho board might demand increases of any amount. Mr. J. Holdsworth seconded tho motion, w'hich was adopted. : j - Collection of Fees. Mr. Bunny made tho following proposal re payment of fees: "That each local authority should be responsible for payments for all patients coming from its own district, and that a monthly account should be rendered by tho board therefor; The greatest loss of foes was in Wellington, and tho other local bodies should not bo required to pay for needless loss of this kind in the city. All the trouble about patients evading payment of their fees could be got over if the local authorities, which had full knowledge of every case, were entrusted with tho duty of collecting the fees. Ho thought, also, that the several local bodies should be responsible for tho payment for the treatment of their own out-patients. Outside cases, of pooplo coming here from othor districts and suffering sudden illness or accidents, would have to bo paid for by all iu common. Mr. F. Townsend seconded the motion. Mr. Findlay said he did not think tho proposal would bo workable, and that it would certainly hit Petone fairly hard. Many poor people lived there, and many people camo there looking for work, end ( got stranded. The chairman said ho thought that the proposal would bo cumbersome, and that Mr. Bunny would be well advised to drop it. After some further discussion tho motion. was lost on the casting vote of the chairman. Mr. Bunny moved that except m cases of urgency no person should bo admitted to the hospital, but be. treated as an outpatient, or receive charitable aid, without a recommendation from tho local authority. Mr. Findlay seconded tho motion. Tho chairman said this would cripplo hospital work, and ho strongly urged the mover to withdraw it.

' Tho motion was withdrawn. Mr. Bunny then moved that nil persons before being excused payment should be required to sign a statutory declaration that they were without mains, that tho hospital should bo limited to tho use of persons of small incomes, that the names of persons making declarations should be forwarded to the local authorities, and that in the ovent of persons making false declarations proceeding's should bo taken. Tho motion was carried. Miscellaneous Matters. Mr. Bunny tablet! a recommendation, to the effect that the jKiyment for tho keep of indigent porsons in consumptive sanatoria should bo borne b.v the General Orovcrnmont, and not by local authorities. This proposal wns carried. Mr Bunny's last proposal, that the cost of treatment of Native should be provided for as formerly, in tho Civil List, was also carried. Mr F T. Moore moved that tho full cost of tho treatment of all alcoholic and venereal coses should be paid in iull bv the recipients, the charge to bo enforced i 011 pain of imprisonment. lie added that about one-third of the in-natients complaints v, " no tllis description. _ The chairman and Mr. Bunny advised that tho resolution be dropped, and Mr. Mooro withdrew it It • wns decidrd that 'members of the conference wait upon tlie Inspector-Gcneral to lay the resolutions before him. Votes of thanks to Mr. Htiiiny and Mr. Luke ended the proceedings.