THAT HOSPITAL LEVY

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 364, 26 May 1928, Page 5

THAT HOSPITAL LEVY

MATAMATA SUGGESTION (From Our Own Correspondent) PUTARURU, Friday. Though the Matamata County Council indulged in severe criticism of the burden imposed on ratepayers by the hospital levy at its last meeting, there was far more constructive effort attached to the remarks than is usually the case when members of local bodies discuss this question. The discussion commenced when a letter was read from the Waikato Hospital Board stating that the levy for the year amounted to £2,547 8s 9d. The chairman, Cr, J. W. Anderson, said the position was not so bad in

the Waikato as it was in Auckland. One of the first remits on the order paper for the Counties Conference was that the rate should be collected on the basis of 50 per cent, on population and 50 per cent, on valuation. It had been suggested that the hospital rate should be a charge on the Consolidated Fund, but the Government would never agree to this unless they had control of expenditure. Cr. K. S. Cox thought that if accident insurance were made compulsory and hospital boards were given a first lien on all insurance policies, they would collect thousands of pounds more than they did now. This suggestion was adopted and on the motion of Crs. Cox and Darby it was decided to forward a remit to the Counties Conference urging that hospital boards have the right to a first claim on all accident insurance policies, which should be made compulsory.