Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 1928. MANAWATU COUNCIL AND HOSPITAL LEVIES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3743, 19 January 1928, Page 2

Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 1928. MANAWATU COUNCIL AND HOSPITAL LEVIES.

AT the December meeting’ of the Palmerston North Hospital Board, the chairman (Sir James Wilson) issued a warning that owing to iiif creased expenditure for maintei# ance and other pressing requirements the levies on local contribuf ting bodies would have to be increased. This alarmed the Manawatu County Council which body sent a protest to the Hospital Board. The latter body in discussing the protest decided to submit to all contributing bodies the reasons for such increase. At Monday’s meeting of the Manawatu County Council the chairman of that body (Mr. W. E. Barber) said the Boad did not view the matter in the tjame light as the Council. Probably “more light” will remove the difference of . opinion. However, Cr. Perrett struck the right note when he stated that “County Council representatives on the Board knew, the difficulties fa - eed by counties in the matter of increased levies and the Board should go into the matter of obtaining further assistance from the Government instead of increasing the local body levies.” We may add that the only relief from direct, financial responsibility so far as local body contributions are concerned, is to nationalise all hospitals —a step which no one with a full knowledge of hospital administration would sanction. The alternative is an increased rate of subsidy.