FRIENDLY SOCIETIES AND HOSPITAL PAYMENTS

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 112, 9 February 1928, Page 12

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES AND HOSPITAL PAYMENTS

Sir, —Concerning Friendly Societies’ daily payments to Hospital Boards for maintenance of members of their iliesAlost people who are familiar with this subject will admit that there is little justification for the indignant tone adopted by your < orrespondent. W. MeLauchlin. in reply to yoUm article of the 3rd instant.

There is little doubt that committees are ■ attempting to drive a Very hard bargain with hospital trustees, and it is comforting to county ratepayers to learn that, any arrangement arrived at is subject to the veto of the Minister of - Health, who. it is hoped, will see that not only ratepayers, ’ hut the Government itself, is rot imposed upon. According to Air. AlcLauchlin. one of the three, schemes presented to hospital trustees for adoption, is a payment of £43 ner annum per bed for maintenance, which works out at 2s. 3d. per day, and is said to be based unon tho average dailv sum now collected from all and

sundry. ' I have not the official figures hy me, but feel justified in asserting flint the present costs of maintenance net bed is 15s. 6<l. per diem. <r, say, £2BO per annum, on a rapidly rising scale everywhere, and if such a proposal is agreed to by Hospital Trustees for an indefinite period, or at ell. both Government and ratepayers would be placed at a serious disadvantage. The present charge for those who are able to pay is only 9s. per diem, and I boldly assert that the bulk of the various members of Friendly Societies, who are the cream of town residents, and many really wealthy, are better nble to Say the moderate rate demanded by overnment than the bulk of country ratepayers, who, -in my district, are mulcted in 77 per cent, of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Rate, and will be called upon to supplement _ 6s. 9d. per diem for every Friendly Society patient. I don’t blame members or these societies, but their representatives, in urging such a niggardly daily payment, are shamefully pauperising all their members, in the full knowledge that they are in possession of reserve funds amounting to about three millions of money—said to be in the hands of the • Public Trustee. It is known that some new arrangement between Friendly Societies and their medical attendants, which lias very largely increased ‘ the number of hospital patients and attendants, has lately been arrived at, and if this involves extra medical fees, there is no reason why the increase should fall upon the country ratepayers, who, in most cases, are debarred from treatment in public hospitals, and are already sufficiently handicanped. —I am, etc.. WM. MILNE.

Oamaru, February 6. P.S.—This is another matter which should be taken up by the Farmers’ Union in defence of their members, as the incidence of Hospital and Charitable Aid Rates has lately become a serious tax upon country ratepapers, who now number about 40 per cent, of

the population, while some are paying F 7 per cent, of this tax. —W.M.