HOSPITALS UPKEEP

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 12, 9 October 1943, Page 6

HOSPITALS UPKEEP

Mr. Fraser To Be Asked For Policy The Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, is to be asked bv the Makara County council to define the Government’s policy regarding hospitals upkeep. The council decided this at its monthly mee.nig yesterday when it considered the Wellington Hospital Board’s request that it should give its consent to the> board applying for a further loan of £40.000 for the erection of the 210-bed block at Wellington Hospital, this being necessitated by the rising costs of labour and “council Tor E. Windley said the council had agreed, under protest, to the loan of £163,000 for the contract, but there nnneared to be no end to hospital expendpture. It was high time all local bodies took a stand and see that the legislation was altered. Naturally the council was concerned when further requests were made for hospital loans. , They understood the difficulties hospital boards were in, but what they were concerned about were the increasing requests. When these began to multiply they could imagine what a shock the ratepayers would receive. The contributing bodies bad protested before. These protests had been carried to the Prime Minister and his attention drawn to the increasing burden on the ratepayers. The Prime. Minister had stated that, while he was in sympathy with the property-owner and taxpajer, lie could not agree to any relief till the war was over. There was a measure of relief in this. Unfortunately, on the night before the General Election, the Prime Minister had raised this question himself, and had dashed all hopes of the contributing bodies to the ground by saying that hospital upkeep would never be a charge on the Social Security Fund. The Prime Minister had thus made two statements, and the contributing bodies had a right to know which statement was correct. He moved that the Prime Minister be written to, asking him to state definitely the Governments policy. . The motion was carried unanimously.