HOSPITAL LEVY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1059, 4 February 1913, Page 4

HOSPITAL LEVY.

Mr Hornblow, local representative on the Palmerston district Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, has received the tollowing letter from the Chairman of the Board, which is published for general information ; “I shall be glad if you will discuss with your Council the following position:

“Since the Board visited the Hospital the number of patients are again up to 63, as I reported they were likely to be after the holidays, and from present indications they will probably be higher than ever. The average number ot patients is now practically 54 per diem ; last year the number was 48, the year before that 41. "The average tor the three quarters of the current year are ; June 52, September 54.2, December 52.77. The number of beds available apart from those for isolation is 48. The number of isolation beds at present is 14, but these, though they make us appear to have a large number of available beds, are really only of use for their special purpose, and can not be used for the general hospital purposes. We are at present so crowded that as soon as a bed is empty there are a number of patients waiting to occupy it. I have always understood that as soon as a hospital gets up to much over 50 beds authorities then say it is time for a resident medical officer. Our senior surgeon, Dr Martin, is even now impressing upon us that provision must be made for this. It seems certain that we shall have to make provision for additional beds in the men’s ward, as well as completing the top story ot the Alexander ward. The provision we are making in the Nurses’ Home for additional accommodation is the bare necessity for the number of extra nurses required when the Alexandra ward is duplicated ; if then, any further extension is made we should 'have to make further provision in the Home. What I wish discussed is: Whether, seeing that additional expenditure seems almost certain in the neat future, the contributing bodies would not prefer to go in for a bigger scheme and borrow the money through the Local Bodies Loans Act, as they have power to do under the provisions of the Hospitals Act, 1909, sec. 41, sub sec.7o, instead of finding it out of revenue, so that those coming after us will have to pay a share. There is an additional reason for this, seeing that the buildings will be in brick and practically everlasting. In any case, whether we do this or not, it seems certain we should for three or four years have to collect a building levy in each year with the prospect before us, Personally, as a representative of the Manawatu County County, at present I propose to suggest to my Council that the wisest course would be to borrow for all the buildings. The levies, (1) For maintenance, (2) For buildings ; would be notified to each Council at the same lime, and any Council which prefers to borrow could take steps at the beginning of tbe year to borrow the money and then have it in hand when the Hospital Board required it. No one is more desirous of economy than myself in the matter, yet the duty is thrust upon us to provide accommodation and we must do it however the money is found. I think it would be easier for most Councils to borrow the money and pay the interest, rather than pay the larger levy out of income.”