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Hokitika Guardian, 15 April 1920, Page 2

Tiie report of jtlic Charitable Aid Boarc meeting in Tuesday's issue, and the announcement that the levy foe hospital management and charitable aid administration was to go up fifty per cent, would not be very palatable reading foi tho ratepayers who have to foot a material portion of the annual bill. Two years ago when the Board with a flour- ' isli of trumpets and much patting on the back, revealed a small surplus, the public weir© lulled into a- fnise sense of security. The reality is revealed to-day in the fact that the year just closed leaves a debit of nearly £I,OOO, The Chairman of the Board nun lyses the position in such a way as to place as much blame as possible i n (everybody but tlio members themselves. Even in respect to collections fom paying patients which are admittedly -so small, and which reveal that over nine thousand pounds have been written off, the members shirk the responsibility and seek to place it on an officer of the Board. The drift which lias been going on must have been upper 1 it to- the members, and they should have 1 faced the position earlier. What tho Secretary is alleged to have failed to 1 do is now being passed over to the F’na lice Commtitee. Surely the members of that Committee were there to kno.v where the funds wore drifting to and f:> admit the position now in tile way they do is to show rather palpable renvainess. Another great weakness of the “finance” of the Board is the method

been appropriated to the building fund. What is admittedly a paltry sum of £22 was all that was received for voluntary contributors for the year. The major portion of the money received went into the new wing fund. We have held all along that this method was wrong and is against the principle of finance as provided for by the act. The money for the building account should come out of capital account and be a -eparate levy, and so spread over a term of years, and the institutions would not he carried on in tho hand to mouth way they now have to be. Voluntary contributions should be encouraged, 1 ut that will not bo done when levies are kept up, and higher and higher rates have to be collected. By drawing the money from a capital levy spread O’ ev a term of years there is sounder finance ensured, and tho public confidence gened will keep the institutions in better repute with the people. Tho Board has landed itself heartly in debt, and taking no thought of the burden has gone on increasing its indebtedness without seeking to review its sources of receipts properly. The increase now of a . r <.% advance in the annual levy will be a heavy call on the local bodies wliieii have to find the money. It will >• ©an extra rating for the people, and it \s doubtful if the County ratepayers can longer escape extra taxation for charitable aid purposes. If this comes to pass it will assist probably to bring •'lie | position home to the people quicker j than any array of figures or any lengthy jeremiads on what is so palpably plain.