INCREASED HOSPITAL LEVIES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 226, 12 June 1918, Page 7

INCREASED HOSPITAL LEVIES

BOMD-THE-TABI/fi TALK,

The decision of the' Minister of Public Health (Hon. G. W. Eussel!) to have a round-the-table conference with the re preventatives of the local bodies ■concerned _and the Hospital Board on the subject ot the largely increased hospital levies' this year, was yesterday referred to the chairman of the board (Mr H Baldwin). Mr. Baldwin said that he personally did not. know what could be achieved by a rouml-the-lable conference as tho reasons for. the bisr increase were well known, but he would bo very pleased to meet, the Minister and locaNbqdv representatives any 'time the former might appoint. At the same time he, personally, was satisfied that they could not make aii.v reduction in the cost of the upkeep of the Hospital without loss of efficiency. Anyono in. business knew b> the-prices-current that the upkeep of all big institutions mus.t climb up. Here was what the Government' Statistician said in the Slay publication—that retail prices for goods (provisions) had increased 46.6G per cent, sinse the outbreak of the war, which increase was the. highest in the Dominion. Gisborne came next with,a 4-t.GI increase, and Ashourton third with tt.o-1 increase. The' ratio in tlie increase in the price wholesale was practically the same as shown by the retail figures. Then on top of that there had been the following losses:— Hopowhenun County (dropped out), over iMMO; interest account, ,£1700; salaries (automatic increases), .£101)0; salaries for X"-ray specialists, ,£IOOO. A? a matter of fact =&iOO of the.last-named amount will not-bo-needed as an essential part of the new-X-ray equipment has not arrived, and no work can bo possibly done with it until this part arrives from America, which may not be for some months. Still, Mr. Baldwin stated, tho items mentioned account for .iSOOfI, roughly, of tho rise. How any of those items were'to be reduced ho would very much like to know. ■ ' .

The Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) said ho had little to say oiiitsido the protest which liad been 'made on bohalf of the City Council, and forwarded to the Minister.. That memorandum embodied tho as far as the city's protest was concerned. He appreciated the Minister's, statement, to the effect Hint it may make for smoother working if the contributing local bodies were directly I represented on the Ilo3pitnl and Charitable Aid Board by appointments made by each body so concerned. That was how it used to be, and cm the whole it-had worked very well. Ev roadopting direct representation an election would bo avoided, and a. certain amount of expense saved, and then a local body's representative could bo held responsible in a measure for the transactions of the hoard._ Ho did not think Hiat it was a case for-the appointment of n, cominiseion to inquire into.. The Minister fiimeelf had the powor to mate inquiries, and had officers competent to folvo the problem. .