HOSPITAL LEVIES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 199, 18 May 1920, Page 3

HOSPITAL LEVIES

PKTOKE'S INCREASED.BURDEN CHANGE OP.SYSTEM URGED : The matter of Hospital and Charitable Aid levies wns mentioned at. the Pet one Borough Cowicil meeting Inst night, when a letter was received from-tile Wei-. ' lingtou Hospital and • Charitable Aid Board showing that Petone's' contribution had been assessed at .£2168 75., •• au inciea.se of i 399 Bs. Bd. for the year. ' The Mayor explained that the incrense was due to the rises in wages wihich had to be made to the staff of the Hospital ■to bring them up to current rotas and the higher cost of commodities. _■ The increase in wages in the Hospita had amounted to .£9OOO, Which included an increase from 15?. to 255. per week for the laundry girls of fourteen years of age. In the charitable aid brnnch there had been an increase of .£SOOO from similar causes, and the Rreater number of cases requiring asiistolce. Owing' to the higher- cost of drugs, etc., the total increase ni both departments had amounted to 4:17,000.- Showing an instance of the increased cost of the Hospital, he stated' that the cost of upkeep of a bed in 1917 had- been .£lO9, and in 1918 it amounted to .£llO. It had been said that many people did not pay enough in fees to the Hospital. In this respect he mentioned that the hoard had anticipated receiving ',£7OOO from patients as fees Vast year, but had actually '.peeked .£10,592, which showed that patients had paid more than expected. There 'had also been an in-] crease of ,£4OO in X-ray department. He did not know whether or not this' waa due' to a greater number of patients using the Hospital. These increases had not been made by the Wellington Board alone, but by every board >in New Zealand. In 1017 the cost of charitable aid to New Zealand' lhad been ,£113,G43, or 10s. Hid. per head, and.in 1918 had in-' creased to X 135.089, or 12s. 10} d. per head. He was of opinion that the treatment, of .- diseass should be a national and not a local 1 matter. Several councillors expressed the opinion tiiat something would have to be done in the matter as the burden was becoming more than they could bear. It was decided, to support the following resolution received from the iawrence'Borough Council: "That in tJ>B I opinion of this council the present system of imposing a levy on local bodicfl for the purpose'of providing revenue for (hospital and charitable.aid purposes is now inequitable, and the Government be urged to -make- the cost of such institutions a charge on the consolidated funds ot the Dominion."