A TEST CASE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2958, 22 December 1916, Page 3

A TEST CASE

MAINTENANCE OF CHILDREN,

The Charitable Aid Committee reported to the Hospital Board yesterday as follows;—" That tho Education Department has notified its intention of modifying the basis and method of its charge for the maintenance of children in industrial schools chargeable to tho board under section 85 of tho Hospitals Act, 1909. In the past the practice of the Department has been to debit the board with the wcokly sum of 7s. 6d. in respect of each child, and , to refund to tho board all amounts paid by parents or other near relatives towards the maintenance of such child.. That was, in effect, to regard 7s. 6d. per week as the cost of maintenance. "The Department now proposes to regard the actual amount expended, with a minimum of 10s. per week,, as the cost of maintenance. It proposes to continuo to charge the board 7s. 6d. per week per child, but to apply all moneys received from parents or other near relatives in respect of any child, towards making up the difference betwcen'tliis 7s. 6d. per week and the actual amount expended by the Department upon that child. If, after that, there is any surplus, it will be refunded to tho board.. It_ proposes, further, to make such contingent refund only at tho end of the period of the child's maintenance, and also to render accounts annually instead of quarterly. :' '■' ■'' _ "The result of this • procedure will, in the opinion of the committee, bo to absorb practically the whole of the money received from parents, etc. This will mean the loss to tho board of some £1400 per annum, and will make the ehargo for those children approximately £6600, instead of £5200 per annum. That being so, the matter was referred to tho board's solicitors for an opinion as to the legality of the proposed course, with the result that the latter advise that the question should be tested in tho Supremo Court.

"After consultation with the board's Finance, Property, and Polioy Committee, this committee thereforo begs to recommend:—That a communication be sent to all other hospitals and chari-/ table aid boards in tho Dominion'', asking them to accept and support' at the conference to bo held next month a .remit from this board; suggesting their co-operation in bringing a. tost case before tho Supremo Court." ) Mr. H. Baldwin (chairman of/ the board) said the change would an additional £2000 a year to the Wellington local bodies.

The committee's recommendation was adopted.