HOSPITAL FINANCE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 186, 26 April 1918, Page 7

HOSPITAL FINANCE

." . INCREASED , LEYIE3 THE HEAVY EXPENDITURE DISCUSSED . Estimates of receipts and expenditure for the coming year were adopted at Wednesday's'meoting .of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board. Theso were summarised as follow:— Expondituro. ' ■ " . .e Hospital 91,185 T.'G. Macarthy Homo \ GOO Charitable Aid 13,875 Administration • 3.5*5 Total .' • •■•••• .«109,205 Receipts. 'Hospitals • 38,700 Charitable Aid 2,200 Head office - 500_ T. G. Macarthy Homo 5(1 Assets over liabilities as March 31. 1918 ; ....j : 9.350 ' Total .'....: .C 50.830 Balance of expenditure over re- ■ coipts 58,375 Apportionment and Subsidy, Lovies .•...:..:. 31,980 Subsidy from Government 26,395 Total £58,375 The estimate provides-for JC33,7d0 capital expenditure, tho -principal items being:—AW fever hospital (loan already raised),. ,629,360; Wellington Hospital, boiler and boiler-house, .£1000; electric lift, .£600; repayment of loans, ,£G2O; equipment ophthalmic ward, .£300; X-ray outfit, iiSOO. The levies on local bodies aro provided for ii 3 follow, in comparison with last year:— The expenditure and receipts, actual and estimated, for. last year, compared with tho estimates for this year, aro as follow:—Expenditure: Last year, actual 4'8G,0G9, estimates .£79,998; this year, estimate .£109,205. Receipts: Last year, actual .£35,792, estimate .£12,938; this I year, estimate, .£50,830. Maintenance fees at tho Hospital amounted to .£11,353 last year, against an estimate of .£IO,OOO, and tho estimate this year was ,£II,OOO. The treasurer (Mr. P. Castle), in moving the.adoption of tho estimates, said that last year the lovies vcero reduced, but. this }ear there was a considerable increase, amounting to. ,£9315, which meant that tho extra amount required-in levies and subsidies were .£10,515, as receipts for. last year were slightly below tho estimate. The increase in tbe total amount of levies was 435803, but tho actual increase called for from contributing authorities ivns .C 9700, because the amount formerly contributed by Levin Borough, Otaki Town Board, and Horolvhenua County had to be spread over the remaining bodies now that the three named had been severed from the district. Thero would bo no corresponding reduction in expenditure, as the amount estimated for Wellington district patients in tho Otalci institutions was the same as last year. The reduction roally took place, the year before, when the Government took over the. Otaki institutions, and it was this that in part enabled tho levies to he reduced last year. One big item in tho ■•increase was the sum of .£ISOO or .£I6OO, interests and .charges for tlio loan for tho new fever hospital. - The chairman (Mr. H. Baldwin) said that there had been a 50 per cent, improv.ement in the collection of maintenance, fees since tho rew. system was instituted. Mr. J. W. M'Ewan said tho cost per' occupied bed, in Wellington, was steadily creeping up, end administration charges.were much higher. Wellington costs per bed were much higher than in other centres. The chairman' said that a comparison could not Txs made fairly, because it could not bo said what was included under the heading "salaries and wages," in which Wellington was! higher. For example, • laundry and other work done at the Hospital jiero and charged to salaries and wages might bo dono outside in' other hospitals. Mr. Oastlo said it was under tho headings .of "salaries and v:agcs" that Wellington cost was much greater than Auckland. 'It was <n these directions that an improvement might bo , effected. He did not agree -hat Wellington was extravagant, however, for a five years' average, which , provided a fair basis of comparison, showed the cost per head in Wellington to be ,£lO3 against «597 i 3. in Auckland. The fact that Wellington was a more expensive place than Auckland would probably account for the difference. The estimates v;ero adopted. 1917-18. 1918-19. ■• ' .. £ ' £ Wellington ' lfi/,72 23,055 Horowhenua County ... 2,780 — Hutt Comity 1,5-10 . 2,150 Makara County 756 ' 1,037 Lower Hutt Borough ... 1,123 1,540 Petoue Borough 1,075 1,5f10 I Miramar Borough G22 862 j Karori Borough 400 552 Onslow Borough 428* 591 ! Levin Borough 233 — j Eastbourne Borough .... 151 227 j Johnsonville Town Board 152 205 j Upper Hutt Town Board 178 255] Otaki Town Board 156 '• - j .£26,177 . JE31,9R0