“HOWL” EXPECTED

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 343, 2 May 1928, Page 7

“HOWL” EXPECTED

HOSPITAL RATE GOES UP PAYMENTS UNDER ESTIMATED EXPENDITURE FOR 1928-29 “There will be a great howl from local bodies, but we have got to do our duty and provide for increasing population,” declared the chairman of the Auckland Hospital Board yesterday, when it was decided that the rate of levy on local bodies would be .30d, an increase of .05d over last year and equivalent to 4s 2d on £I,OOO of rateable values. V\7ITH an increase in estimated pay- * * ments and a decrease in estimated receipts, the board finds that the total maintenance requirements for 1928-29 are increased by £42,581. At a special meeting- of the board a statement was submitted showing that the increase in estimated payments was £42,181, and the decrease in receipts £4OO. The requirements would be met by an increase in levy of £19,781, and an increase in subsidy of £22,800. EXPENDITURE The total estimated expenditure for the coming year, including money to be paid out under the capital and loan account, was £346,861, compared with an estimated expenditure of £265,956 last year, and an actual expenditure of £291,340. The maintenance expenditure for this year was estimated at £259,165, compared with £212,958 last year. The actual payments last year were £242,642. The maintenance expenditure for this year would be provided for by the maintenance levy on local authorities, £98,429, the maintenance subsidy from the Government, £103,736, and the board’s earnings from other sources, estimated at £ 57,000. Of the total levy on local authorities, a sum of £16,100 is devoted to the capital and loan account. The main items of estimated expenditure being as follow, last year’s payments being in parentheses:—Maintenance of Auckland Hospital, £IIO,OOO (£110,035); Infirmary, £34,000 (£34,498); dental hospital, £4,500 (£4,677); outdoor relief, £30,000 (£33,379); administration, £II,OOO (£10,958).

Capital and loan expenditure showed the following main items: Sinking fund, £22,000 (£21,576); infectious diseases block, £40,000 (£469); infirmary laundry, £7,000; sundry buildings, kitchen and equipment, £5,900 (£774); T.B. shelters, drainage of Harp of Erin and Claud© Road properties, £6,600. PAYMENTS UNDER-ESTIMATED “The large apparent increase in this year’s figures must be judged in conjunction with the fact that expenditure was under-estimated last year,” the statement read.

“Outdoor relief is responsible for £11,379 of this sum. The estimates have therefore to be increased this year to bring them into line with the known expenditure and in addition provision has to be made for meeting the overdraft of £25,000 odd.

“The estimated expenditure this year is based on a slightly lower figure in every case than the actual expenditure of last year, though really there is no evidence available which raises any hope of our maintenance expenditure being less than last year; in fact the tendency is strongly in the other direction, due mainly to the increase in available beds and improvement in hospital service. “A comparison of the rates levied by the four main boards for last year, is Auckland .250 d, Welington .373 d, Canterbury .267 d, Otago .479 d. “A comparison of the actual cost of expenditure a head of population for the four main boards for last year is as below:—Auckland 17s 3d, Wellington £1 Is lOd, Canterbury £1 3s lid, Otago £1 4s 6d.” “DOWN TO MINIMUM” “Our requirements are down to a minimum,” said Mr. W. Wallace. “We have not asked for what we really require. Among the things we have omitted are the administrative block, which is an urgent necessity, and a maternity ward, so that we could train our own nurses. An addition should be made to the male and we should supply more accommodation there for tuberculosis, notifications of which are on the increase.” The Director-General of Hospitals, Dr. T. H. Valintine, attended and urged the board to reduce its expenditure, especially on the infectious diseases block, estimated to cost £40,000| Mr. E. IT. Potter objected to the raising of the levy. The present rate would be adequate for the present time, as the expenditure on the infectious diseases block, estimated at £40,000, would only be £14,000 or £15,000 this year. “It is absolutely impossible to carry on with the present levy,” said Mr. Wallace. He quoted figures showing that the cost of maintenance had risen from £83,123 in 1924-25 to £109,908 in 1927-28. The estimate was £IIO,OOO. Here Mr. E. Killich, secretary of the Health Department, told the board that it could not make its estimates to show an overdraft at the end. “We may arrive at the possibfity of having to raise a £50,000 loan to meet our overdraft,” said Mr. J. Dempsey. The chairman had the final word: “If we keep to the present levy,” he said, “we will have an overdraft of £40,000 at the end of the year.” Messrs. J. D. Chalmers, E. IT. Potter and S. J. Harbutt voted against the approval of the estimates, which was carried, seven voting for it.