The Hospital & Charitable Aid Bill.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 954, 22 June 1881, Page 3

The Hospital & Charitable Aid Bill.

The following is the Premier’s explanation of the working of the above measure : —The Premier, in moving the second reading of this measure, remarked that the Government had succeeded in past years and.before < he Government subsidies had been withdrawn from the local bodies, in arranging for the management of the charitable institutions. Since, however, the subsidies had been withdrawn, local bodies had in some instances refused to have anything to do with the management. The Government intended to hand over the control of the charitable institutions to local management, half of the expense to be defrayed by the Government, the moiety to be paid by local bodies. A constant complaint had been made by local bodies that they were supporting the sick of other districts. The Bill would obviate this state of affairs by dividing the Colony into larger districts, the charitable institutions being managed by a local Board. The Government were anxious not to interfere with existing arrangements of the hospitals. The funds would be derived from local bodies, the funds so derived being according to the number of inhabitants of each district. Certain provisions had been inserted in the Bill at the instance of some bon. members for the goldfields, and power would be given to those local bodies who thought it advisable to raise the money by a poll tax instead of by a rate being struck. The local bodies would be able to raise their funds either by their rates ordinary or by a special rate. The Boards would be the responsible body of the district, and theirfunctions would be to manage the institutions under their control, and to establish branch institutions within their respective districts. The Boards would also be empowered to relieve necessitous and destitute cases. A clause had been inserted in the Bill by which the management of any charitable institution desired to remain independent of the local board might so remain, and receive their £1 for £1 from the State. With regard to the present system of relieving cases of necessity, he thought it was more likely to pauperise the people than that system which the Government proposed. For he would remind hon. members that there was no organisation in the present system of relieving the poor, and he claimed for the measure before the House that there would be thorough organisation. He had endeavored to make the Bill as elastic as possible, and he trusted that no great or factious opposition would be shown to the Bill, which he claimed would not at all interfere with those hospitals or chatitable institutions at present existing, or those institutions which professed to govern and provide for their respective requirements, for they would still be permitted to receive their £1 for £1 from the State.