CORRESPONDENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 August 1922, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

A TENDER SPOT. (To the Editor.) Sir, —Will you kindly allow me a little space in your valuable paper to reply to certain statements made by members of the hospital board at their last meeting, which appeared in your issue of the 17th inst? It is evident that my few remarks made at a conference of local body delegates held at l Eltham on the 15th inst. to consider matters of interest to New Zealand, and particularly to Taranaki, “got ’em on the raw.” One of the questions on the order paper was the hospital levy. This matter was brought forward by ‘ the Taranaki County Council, and in speaking to the question, Mr. J. Connett stated that the hospital levy was heavy and unfair, and supported the resolution submitted by the Ashly County Council, viz., “That one-third of the hospital levy should be calculated on the population and two-thirds on the capital value of the contributing districts, which would be a more fair basis between county and town.” Several other members also spoke in support of this system. And I am credited with saying that less might be spent on beautifying the hospital grounds, and that the system qf '’ollecting debts could be improved. I made no reference to the hospital grounds at the Eltham meeting. I frequently visit friends in the New Plymouth hospital, and know quite well what the grounds are like. What I did state was that there was Toom for improvement in their method of collecting debts, also that money had been wasted in beautifying. Your reporter, no doubt, thought that I was referring to the grounds, when, as a matter of fact, it was Jthe fancy work on the outside of the nurses’ new home.

Re collection of debts — I am informed on the best of authority that some fairly well to do people, at least well able to pay, have taken advantage of the benefits of hospital treatment for a considerable time, and have not paid one shilling for the benefits received. The fact of the 'matter is that hospital boards have the power to levy rates, and it is a much easier way of getting the revenue than by sueing a man for his just debts. “The course of least resistance” re beautifying —The nurses’ new home has cost in round figures .-£20.000. Some thousands of pounds sterling have been spent on the outside of the building in unnecessary fancy work, which adds I very little to the pleasure or comfort of the nurses. Against this, Opunake, ! some 50 miles from New Plymouth, after years of fighting for something to relieve the suffering of their people—thanks to the efforts of Mr. O’Brien and a few other good settlers —has at last managed to get a cottage hospital erected, at a cost of a paltry £5OOO. and this sum probably represent less than the cost of embellishing the outside of the nurses’ home. In asking the hospital board to use a little more economy. T was prompted by the fact —and as chairman of the Inglewood County Council, I am in a position to know—that scores of our ratepayers are at present unable to pay their rates, which includes the hospital levy, although they arc doing their best. Many of them pay off a few uounds sterling every month, and they have told me that they have to deprive their wives and children of some of the necessaries of life, to enable them to do so. Others have borrowed the money and paid their rates, and are paying as high as 10 and 15 per cent, interest for it. Inglewood County contributions to the hospital levy is £l3OO per annum. Now, Sir., in face of the above facts, and also that I am one of the biggest ratepayers in the Inglewood County, I am told by this wonderful body of men on the hospital board that my mission in life is to go round and interfere with everything that does not concern mo Surely the matter of the hospital board’s levy on the Inglewood County is the

concern of the chairman of that county. I will leave it to your readers* good judgment as to whose business it is. And further in justification of the above statements, there was nothing in my remarks at Eltham that reflected in the slightest degree on the Inglewood representatives on' the hospital board, and the board has yet to prove that my statements are erroneous. I have stated on many occasions that contributing local bodies should have more information on hospital matters, but have been met with the reply, “Oh, dear no!” It would never do to divulge the patients’ position. Are the members oF the contributing bodies less honorable than the members of the hospital board, that they should not even know what is done with their money? All that is required of a contributing body apparently is to pay its levy and keep quiet. Of recent years there has been evidence of extravagance and waste on every hand, and particularly with local bodies. A good deal of care and economy will have to be practised before things become normal again in this country, and it is not fair to settlers to be saddled with any additional taxation until they have recouped some of their heavy losses. Hence my gentle reminder to the hospital board.—l am, etc., ALF. CORKILL. Inglewood, August 21.