HOSPITAL IMPOSTS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1787, 27 June 1913, Page 8

HOSPITAL IMPOSTS.

ON LOCAL BODIES. UNITED PROTEST VOICED. TO DR. VALINTINE. With the object of bringing about changes in tho method of raising money for hospital ami charitable aid, representatives of tho people who provido theso funds waited on Dr. Valintine, the head of the Public Health Department, yesterday.' Mr. J. P. Luke, Mayor of Wellington, was tho first speaker. Ho stated that those present represented tho local bodies upou which the Wellington District Hospital Board levied money. They were not there in antagonism to the new Act, which they recognised as a creation of Dr. Valintine's, but to ask for the removal of certain anomalies. They wanted to secure greater co-ordination between tho Hospital Board and the local bodies from which that board drew its funds. It was unfair that the levies should bo sprung upon the bodies in the manner now existing; it was wrong that the Hospital Board should I>b able to call upon tlie local bodies for inrnoy without consulting those bodies as to their, ability to contribute largo sums or as to tlio manner in which the money was proposed to bo spent. THE PROTEST. SERIOUS FOR LOCAL BODIES. Mr. E. P. Bunny, Mayor of Lower Hutt, 6tated that the position was an acute one for the smaller local bodies around Wellington.' Considering that tho local bodies had to find such n large proportion of the money required they were desirous of having the estimates referred to them before those estimates were finally passed by the Hospital Board. It might be said that at present there was a provision for appeal, but he did not consider the existing arrangement satisfactory. A very largo contributor was the Horowhenua County, whiijh (he thought) paid *£2GOO. Just now an effort was being made to have Horowhenua separated from Wellington and attached to Palm9rstou North. If this change was effected, the money formerly, contributed by Horowhenua would have to be found by the refiiaining local bodies. Wellington's contribution was C per cent, of its revenue,

Ilutt's 10 per, cent., l'etono's 10 per cent., Onslow's 16 per cent., Upper Hutt's 1G per cent., and Miramar 1G per ccnt. In making these levies there should be somo other" test than the mere consideration of .the valuation. Among other things, the iiso which was -made of a, hospital should be considered. At any rate, it was anomalous that Wellington City should be levied upon at a lesser rate than out6ido bodies..

Mr. F. Town send, Mayor; of Miramar, 6aid that-tho enormous drain of the hospital levy was putting the Borough of Miramar in an awkward position. The public, said Mr. J. W. Organ, Mayor of Eastbourne', did not seem to realise that the Hospital Board was an "irresponsible taxing body." He emphasised tho hostility of the local bodies to the system which allowed the Hospital Board to call up large sums of money to spend without reference to those who provided it. I THE ANSWER. MADE BY DR. VALINTINE. In the course of his reply, Dr. Valinti'v- said that for some time ho had been exacting a protest from the local bodies agu.nst the greatly-increasing levies. He did not, however, think that the local bodies realised tho increased scope of the hospital system in late years.' We were living in n humanitarian age, and the increase was duo to various causes. I'irst of alb there was a great increaso in the number of applications to enter public hospitals, consequent upon tho death of tho old antipathy to tho institutions. There had been an increaso in capital expenditure in the last ten years from .£17,000 to'<£7o,ooo. Mr..Bunny: Is that for New Zealand? Dr. Valintino: Yes, I am speaking generally. ; i

"Humanitarian Age" and the Cost. Many of tho hospitals, continued Dr. Valintino, were erected at about the same time (of wood), and they were now "tumbling in altogether." Further, people now. insisted on better and more accomodation. There had been a considerable enlargement of the scope of work undertaken by the Ipoards. Ten years ago there T was no.sanatorium; .now there were four sanitaria, and another was to bo erected. Now, assistance was. given by tho boards to country settlers. A lot of the increased expenditure was more apparent than real, becauso a lot of the work now being; done, by- hospital boards was formerly done through other channels. A great deal of the increased expenditure was due to specialisation and the erection of children's wards; and wages and provisions liad Increased in cost. "We live in a humanitarian age, and I don t see that there is much chance of reducing, our hospital expenditure; in fact, I havo every reason to believe that it will creased very much/' added Dr. Valintino, who subsequently explained that ho here referred to capital expenditure, and not to maintenance, which latter/lie hoped to kb decrease. Ho quite understood that it was annoying to have the levies sprung upon the local bodies as at present, but, as to the suggestions of providing means of appeal, there was provision in Section 44- of tho existing Act. ~ The great advantage of the hospital boards having control of public health matters was that the authority which was responsible for the treatment of tho sick was more likely than any other body to take measures to prevent sickness. This could not be) said of local authorities under tho old resimß. Spealring generally, extremely conscientious work was being done by the members of tho hospital boards. He would lay the representations of the deputation before the Minister. Patients Who Do Not Pay. Mr. Ho-ldsworth remarked that "another blot oil the administration of the . hospital" was that patients were not made to pay according to their-means. -~ Dr.Valintina nereed. and said that tho New Plymouth Hospital collected ,£2300 in fees lost year—a sum only «EI7OO short of that collected by tho Wellington Hospital. . . „ Must the State Step In? "If this expenditure is to expand, and to continue expanding, the State must take tlie matter up, and the whole thing must be nationalised," observed Mr. Bunny, in his concluding remarks. Besides those mentioned above, the following were members of the deputation:— Messrs. C. Cathie (Mayor of Karori), F. Holdsworth (Mayor of Onslow), F. T. Moore (chairman of the Makara County Council), W. Galloway chairman of the Hutt County Council). W. L. Thompson (chairman of tho Johnsonville Town Board), and N. J. Bennington (member of the Upper Hutt Toivn Board).