THE UNITED BOARD.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2253, 25 March 1886, Page 2

THE UNITED BOARD.

Mr W. C. Buchanan writes to the N.Z. limes as following : Sir,—Commenting (ipon the, reoont of the' United Board for Qhafcitable Aid| you are good enough to use very strong language indeed as to the attitude of the' Wairarapa members, because Wellington city and Hutt, and Horowhenua counties were all assessed at varying sums, while the two subdivisions into which Wairarapa has been subdivided, are apparently allowed to escape soot free. It is true that in your last issue you so far modify your prerious allegations as to express your belief thai I, at all events, had no idea of effecting " any sharp practice at the city's expense,' This is so far satisfactory, but I am scarcely content that the'matter should he allowed to rest at that Btago, and i ■therefore invite your, a|ten|dn fjrs'i to the'previous'''history of.' Hospital arid* Charitable Aid in : the'respective'districts', l and afterwards to the proceedings ■'at the last meeting of the United Board, Your readers can then judge whether the Wairarapa distriot has failed to do its duty in the past, or wishes to 'shirk it in the future. The Wairarapa district'has had two hospitals for some years past, and the official returns show an unvarying record of good and efficient management, and that from 40 to 60 per cent, of their maintenance fund was derived from

donations and subscriptions raised in the district.. Since, the.passing of the; Hospital and Charitable Aid Act these two hospitals have been formed into \ separate institutions, and so liberal havifl been the responses to the subscriptions lists that there is every prospect of the' two institutions being carried on without the aid of any rate whatever, In charitable aid matters the records will also •' show that private benevolonce has always been creditably active, and that the assistance hitherto demanded from Government has been,of the most limited character. The Wellington Hospital, on the , other hand, has been a frequent source of trouble and scandal, and so little interest was thero taken in its maintenance that only about one-half per cent, out of the total annual expenditure of about £B,OOO was provided by subscriptions or donations. lat once admit that occasional hospital and charitable aid cases from the Wairarapa district were treated in the Wellington institutions, and if is also true that the Wairarapa Districts could set up a counter claim of a similar nature, although not perhaps to the same extent; but this admission does not in any way substantially alter the main facts I have set down relating to the Hospital Cliaritablo Aid history of the respective districts. And now as to the proceedings of the United Board, and the action of the Wairarapa members in particular. . The 22nd clause of the Act empowers the , Board to divide its division into subdivi- j sions, and to declare, what local authorities | within the subdivision shall be liable to contribute to the support of the institutions therein, and also appoint the proportion of the contribution to be made by each such local authority, &c, The Board, empowered as abovo, proceeded to.divide its district into subdivisions, and did not so without a dissent,ient voice. The next step was to estimate '.' the amount required for each contributing local authority in supplement of donations and contributions and of the £ for £ given by the Government. This was arrived at by requesting the institutions ill oacll of the constituted subdivisions to send in an estimate, on the one hand, of tlioir probable income from all sources for the year, and, on the other, of their estimated expenditure. These figures were laid before the Board at its last meeting, and it was then shown that, malum; allowance for the £ for £'given by the Government, the estimated expenditure in the Wellington subdivision, woiild exceed the estimated income hy the sum of £2ooßlos, in the Hutt County by £450, aiid in Horowlienua County by" £2O. In Wairar-pa East, on the other hand, it was found that subscriptions I and donations received or promised, (j together with the Government £ for £, ' mado up an amount which fully provided for the estimated expenditure. Therewas no estimate of expenditure from Wairarapa West, but tiie determination there is well known to be as in Wairarapa East—to find by voluntary donation and subscription whatever amount may be required, and to resist a poor-rato to the utmost. Under these circumstances, the Wellington, Hutt, and Horowlienua subdivisions wore each saddled with thuir own deficiencies, the only dissentientsbeing Messrs Williamsaudtlanks, the city members of the Board. The only ground of dissatisfaction stated by the city members was that tho several amounts assessed upon the contributing bodies in each subdivision should have been first determined and then submitted in one resolution as a whole. Speaking for myself, I am unable to see that that could in any way have altered the. conclusions arrived at bytho Board," arid had members generally expressed a wish to fall in "with the city members suggested modo of proceeding I should have • giveni v way at once. So much for the only! objection which I remember being raised 1 by the city members at the meeting. Ab to your own allegation that from £COO to £7OO of tho Secretary's estimates still remain unprovided for, I would point out that some alterations were made in tho estimates during the meeting, and that, irith the exception of local and other general expenses which must of course be borne by the United District as a whole, there was nothing left unprovided for! ' I quite admit that the general expenses should have been estimated and dealt, with at tho last meeting, and I am quite ready tq take my share of blame in the, matter. It is. only fair, however, to, pqint qut that the working and gonoral expenses form no part of the sums assessed upon the city, Hutt, and Horowlienua subdivisions, and that the Waira. rapa members will, lam sure, repudiate any such idea. There is only one othor point which, in my opinion, domands a reference, and that is whether the Wairarapa and other country districts aro equitably or legally liable for the relief of destitution and distress arising within the • City itself, as apart from cases drifting into tho oity from a country subdivision, and for which tho particular subdivision should dearly be hold liable. If you?' contention on tho part of the city is in tho affirmative—in other words, that the total . of contributions which it may be found nocessary to assess upon all the contributing bodies in the united district should be levied upon these bodies in proportion to the rateable value of property, no matter in what subdivision, then I join issue with you at once, and assert that such a plan of assessment would not only be most inequitable, but would effectually dry up all contributions from benevolent persons in tho Wairarapa as well as in* all . the other subdiyislon«i,';'flie ; cpunfcs • for instance, 'furnishes ; iio item''in es'thnated iricomo derived, from, voluntary contributions, and yet under such a, system as I understand you to advocate, the two Wairarapa subdivisions, though furnishing an amount from donations and ' contributions equal to oiie-Jialf of theirown total expenditure, would yet be m, sessed to make up deficiencies in tho Hutt and other subdivisions, Clearly, this would be most unfair and totally de- ■. structive of one of the principal aims of the Act-viz,, to encourage private benevolence as far as possible, I have »' rea( j v takenupspmucli G - ourflpaco '' that f., ... r „ u ueier any further remarks that I might think necessary to make until a later issue, but I hope I have succeeded in convincing you that I am as, you can possibly bo to see tiie Act worked ' fairly and oquitaby for the benefit of the' wholo of tho united district, lam, etc., V. C. Buchanan.