The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY) WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 1879.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5642, 30 April 1879, Page 2

The New Zealand Times (PUBLISHED DAILY) WEDNESDAY , APRIL 30, 1879.

An interesting subject came up for discussion at the last meeting of the f Oity Councii, and a highly important change in the administration of hospital j and charitable aid was quietly inaugurated. The City Council then adopted a resolution proposed by the Charitable Aid Committee, to the effect that the Corporation should henceforth assume the administration of the Wellington Hospital and charitable aid. Having thus made themselves responsible for the due carry ngout of the necessary work, they further agreed to another recommendation contained in the report, via., to allow the administration of the charitable aid to be carried out .by the Benevolent Institute, the services of Mr. A. Johnson being placed by the Council at the disposal of the Institute to assist the members in carrying out the work. According to the returns published, it appears ’that hitherto the whole .cost of . maintaining the Hospital and relieving the necessities of the poor among us has been deducted from the subsidies payable by Government to the Hutt and the City Councils, and has been charged against them in the proportions of £2698’ to the latter and £759 to the Hutt County Council. The Government will henceforth have no further responsibility in this matter, and have undertaken to pay over to the Corporation one-half the cost of supporting the Hospital and relieving the poor and needy. At first sight it might appear that the Government was a great loser by this transaction ; but it should be ret membered that the responsibility entailed upon those who undertake the duty is very grave. In the event of commercial distress,- or of an outbreak of epidemic disease, a great and sudden increase in the demands upon the dispensers of charity would inevitably ensue ; and the Corporation were no doubt right to hesitate about taking over the management of this duty, even upon the terms offered. The promises- of the present Ministry ,in regard to a great - political question which cries for immediate reform, may not be regarded .as binding by those who come after; and new legislation would inevitably upset any existing arrangements. In the meantime, the Council stands to win by the present arrangement, because for some time to' come, in any case, if the expenses under this head increase,' the Government will pay half of the increased expenditure. Mr. Hunter r>vas no doubt right in looking upon the proposal as merely a temporary solution of-the question. Curing the past session, at the conferences of chairmen of municipal and county councils, the necessity for reform in the present system wss generally admitted, and opinions were evenly balanced on the question whether the administration of hospitals and charitable aid. should vest in the General Government or in the local

r bodies. The present state of affairs is so strange and so full of anomalies thalt some change is imperatively called, for, and the first step'was no doubt taken-by a the House last session when a resolution is was passed to the effect ..that land for 11 the endowment of' hospitals and charitf a ble institutions shall be set aside by the - Government. We that ■ the Ministry has carried out the iiostructions Ithen hoihmittedtto their charge. In our opinion the proceeds of 11 such landed endowment ought to be paid into a common fund,, which should be divided among the different hospital 'districts in proportion ; to ’ the nutation in each. Some months ago negated a table,jyhioh we I’e-publish.-, ' v e 1 nrshow greatly the cost of adminisIfc ShG -iiaritable aid varies in different taring . i districts. The expenditure is provincial toofc plaoo during 1876. The that which iaken, from the last census,, populatibh is'- *

but the slight inaccuracy caused by this discrepancy in : the dates scarcely affect the result at all

The plan adopted by the Government of encouraging the liberality of the inhabitants in each hospital district by

granting an equivalent amount to that raised by private subscriptions, is a rough and ready way of overcoming a present difficulty. The equity of the plan cannot be defended. Under it a hospital with only a dozen patients, which luckily became the heir of a large legacy, might be able to claim three times the amount of Government subsidy which was payable to another neighboring hospital with twenty times the number of patients to provide for without any legacy. It is well known that wherever voluntary contributions are relied on, the bulk of the money comes from the pockets of the middling rich. A man with an income of from £l5O to £4OO a year, gives 10s. or £1 annually, many of the richer men with £ISOO to £2OOO per annum often give no more, and the really wealthy very rarely contribute in proportion to their means. This has been ascertained to be the case in England, and there is little doubt but that it is equally applicable in the colonies. In contributing to the maintenance of the sick and needy, it is only fair that every man should give according to his means, and the system of general rates is supposed to effect this. Money would certainly have to be raised to supplement the revenue derived from the landed endowments ordered by the House, the proceeds of which endowments might well bo divided in proportion to the population within each hospital district. The amount of rates or contributions levied would largely depend upon the amount of sickness among the community ; and if an increase of sickness necessitated an increase of rates or other contributions, the attention given' by the public to sanitary matters would be much greater than it now * is. Local committees would be needed in any case to undertake the duties undertaken by the Benevolent Institute in Wellington, and to decide who are really the necessitous and deserving poor. These committees could also make suggestions to a central board of management as to thq sale, lease or use of the landed endowments within their district ; the knowledge of local requirements would give a special value to their recommendations.

It is well known that the more complete and efficient the system of hospital and charitable relief is the more frequent are the demands made upon the department. When first-iate food and medical attendance are offered to every sick person who can lay claim to be destitute as well as sick, there is a distinct premium placed upon poverty. The savings of a hardworking man melt like wax in the fire if sickness come upon him, and the man with a small hoard of savings knows that if he falls sick the best thing he can do is to plead poverty and try to gain admission to the hospital. Under these circumstances it would appear advisable to allow any sick person admittance, and to charge each patient with the cost of food and attendance. Honest men would pay, and only the really needy and a few dishonest convalescents would evade payment.

— Expenditure. Pc illation. Per head (about). ■£ 15.500 82,090 s. d. 3 9 1,750 9,100 3 8 Wellington 10.200 51.000 3.200 15.000 8.000 25.000 C 1 950 7,500 2 l» Canterbury 32.300 91.900 7 0 7.S00 17 000 Otago 22.500 102.500