THE HOSPITALS BILL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9044, 20 March 1908, Page 6

THE HOSPITALS BILL.

PROPOSED REDUCTION OF SUBSIDIES.

OBJECTIONS OF LOCAL BODIEb

The Hospitals and Charitable Insti- | tutions Bill, which has been cireu- ] lated by the Government, and is to be the subject of a conference of delegates from Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards, was briefly discussed at two meetings in Wellington on Wednesday. At the meeting of the Wellington Hospital Board, held \n the morning, Mr F. T. Moore brought forward two objections to the Bill. In the first place, he thought the Board should recommend-the conference of Hospital and ChaHtable Aid Boards to ask for the deletion of Sub-Sections 2 and 3 of Section 31, which were designed to reduce the subsidies payable by the Government. He moved accordingly. The present rates of subsidy are:— (a) 10s for every £1 of bequests, but not to exceed £SOO in respect of any one bequest. (b) 24s in the £1 on voluntary contributions. (c) £1 for £1 on contributions from local authorities. The new sub-clauses propose to reduce (b) to £1 for £l, for the second , period of three years after the pass- ' ing of the Act and 15s for every £1 thereafter; and to reduce (c) to 15s for £1 for the second three-year period, and 10s for £1 thereafter. The Chairman said the Board should offer the strongest opposition to these proposals. The motion was carried.

VIEWS OF THE CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

QUESTION OF LOCAL CONTROL,

The matter came up again at the meeting of the Wellington and Wairarapa Charitable Aid Board in the afternoon.

Mr W. C. Buchanan said that "the Governor" appeared in clause clause of the Bill, even more frequently than had been usual in recent legislation. Men of independent minds would decline to serve on Boards where the Government might step in at every turn with the allpowerful argument that if its wishes were not complied with the subsidy would be withheld. Another fault in the Bill was that the ratepayers were given no voice in the defining of districts. Wairarapa was to be coupled up with Wellington, whereas they wanted local, distribution of local charitable aid, so that those responsible would know the people to whom they were giving relief. He had known of Wairarapa people coming to Wellington and getting aid, to which they had not the ghost of a right. He did not see why the Wairarapa should not have local administration when there was to be local administration in the Auckland district. The Chairman (Mr R. C. Kirk) said that the present districts would not be much altered by the Bill. He thought the most objectionable feature was the proposal for reducing the Government subsidies. * Mr Buchanan said he was coming to that. With the annually-recur-ring surpluses the Qgnsolidated Fund could not be in xflstress, and he would strongly protest against the proposed reduction of the subsidies. Mr Hogg protected against the inclusion of the Wairarapa in the same hospital district as the City of Wellington. This had long been a grievance in connection with charitable aid, but there were members in the House who would sit up night and day rather than let the same defect be extended to hospital matters. Mr Buchanan said the Bill was a Deoartmental Bill, and those who concocted it did not realise the changes that had taken place in the country. Mr Hogg, while eulogising the Wellington Hospital, insisted that the country districts were able to run their own hospitals. The Chairman said he considered the districts were too small. He thought it would be more just in regard to contribution and expenditure if the whole hospital and charitable aid revenue from the dominion were pooled, and the distribution entrusted to honorary local bodies.

Mr Buchanan asked if the Chairman would apply the same principle to public works? The Chairman said charitable expenditure was quite a different thing. The result of the present sub-divi-sions was that the people of some districts paid at a much higher rate than others for charitable aid and hospital maintenance.

Mr Hogg pointed out that the Palmerston district was to be separate, but the Wairarapa was to be included in Wellington. The Chairman said the scheme of the'Bill Was to have large districts with Boards which would comprise the chairmen of the bodies controlling the several institutions. The Chairman and Mr Hogg were appointed delegates to the Conference, and the executive was given power to appoint other delegates if the Board was found to be entitled to more than two.