Hospital Levies.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 22 April 1914, Page 3

Hospital Levies.

Mr B. R .Gardener, mayor of Levin, in the course of his address to the electors of Levin last night, made some interesting and instructive references to the cost o± hospital maintenance and the unfairness of the incidence of the levies made by the Wellington Hospital and Ch'aritable Aid Board. He showed that the cost of hospital maintenance in rSew Zealand had risen by £307,000l in ton vears, an increase of 3s 8 4 d per head. Plenty of people went to the hospitals at present who could well afford to pay foes, and were robbing' the public m not doing so. In 1904 the number treated was 15,033, and iu 1913 it had risen to 2(5.979, an increase of 12,000 in 10 vears. The Health Department claimed against this that the death rate in New Zealand was the lowest in the world. The levies in Wellington last vear had decreased by ,£OOO, and had increased by MOO in Horowhenua, this because of the increased valuation. Fourteen years ago Horowhenua was paying £702, now thev paid £2,559, an' increase of £1790 in that time. Because of being close to Wellington and tacked on to a city hospital, they were paying double the amount'of neighbouring counties. The Otaki Sanatorium and Seddon Homes had cost altogether £50,000 and the fees collected had only amounted to £3,000. A loss of £30 was shown on each patient in the Otaki Sanatorium, and nearly all the patients come from outside the district. As a result of his agitation, the Government was considering the question of an additional subsidy for the Otaki Sanatorium. He wanted to see a separate hospital district, and ihey could have a good institution at Otaki, sendinn- tho most serious cases to Wellington or Palmerston and guaranteeing the cost. There were 150 patients in Otaki Hospital last year, .and he did not hear any complaints. He hoped the County Council would support the demand for a separate district. The only fair solution of the hospital troubles was nationalisation. The sooner they got away from Wellincrton hefter.

On the motion of }h- Morro Foflolln, seconded by Afr'F. 0. Smith, n voto of tfinnks wns no-r-ordcd to Mr Gardener for his address, nncl for hi* past services.