HOSPITAL "CUT."

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 94, 22 April 1931, Page 7

HOSPITAL "CUT."

BOARD'S DILEMMA. § IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPLY-? EXTRA LEVY ON LOCAL BODIES POSSIBLE. ME. WALLACE DISCUSSES POSITION "It is impossible for the Government (J to know the requirements of the Auck--7 land Hospital Board and the stress of '- economic conditions prevailing at the e present time," said the chairman of the Q board, Mr. Wm. Wallace, to-day, in referring to the Government subsidv ■ "cut." s Q 'We will frame our estimates just as if we had no instructions from the Government. We spent £60,000 in outdoor 1 relief last year, and I wish to make it 1 perfectly clear that unless the Unemployment Board or the Government l 'makes a direct grant for this purpose 5 we cannot carry on in the same manner as we have done in the past." Asked what would happen when the board ran out of funds, Mr. Wallace said: "We are empowered to make a further levy upon the local bodies, but, as far as my experience goes, this has never been done before, and the board would be very loath to resort to such tactics. If we are compelled to do this > it will be on account of the position . that the Government has placed us in. > Recently I interviewed the Minister of . Health in reference to unemployment relief, and I told him definitely that personally, as chairman of the board, I would not see any person starving in Auckland. Mr. Stall worthy replied: 'That is what I want you to say.' In. - view of that opinion, I cannot understand the position that the Government is adopting. "This will probably be the worst win- ; ter in the history of hospital boards, i and while the Auckland Board will take i every step to reduce the cost of administration, even to the extent of closing beds and probably reducing staff and salaries, by no stretch of imagination can I see the board meeting the huge demands of the Government. If Social Work Ceased. "For years we have been saved large expenditure by the action of city social workers," said Mr. Wallace, in conclusion. "If by any unfortunate set of circumstances they were compelled to curtail their activities, or 'cut' them in the same proportion that the Government proposed to 'cut' us, the 'board would be forced to take on the burden, and that would mean that instead of expending: £60,000, as last year, in outdoor relief, it would be nearer £100,000. "From the Prime Minister downwards almost every Minister of the Crown has made the statement that no person would be allowed to starve, and they have referred persons asking for assistance to the hospital boards. This does not square with the most recent statement of the Government that we must drastically curtail expenditure." COUNTRY HOSPITALS. ABOLITION SUGGESTED. CANTERBURY TO SAVE £43,000. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, this day. Following on the heavy "cut" in the Government giant, the North Canterbury Hospital Board may have to close the country hospitals under its control. The next meeting of the board is likely to be one of the most important in recent years, as it is understood Nproposals will be made for a drastic reduction in administration costs, affecting all hospitals under the charge of the board. The board will be faced with the problem of reducing costs to the extent of at least £43,000. The board has thirteen cottage hos'pitals or country institutions under its control, and these are a heavy drain on its finances. It is stated that motor transport could be used for the concentration of patients at Christchurch Hospital. A further proposal to be considered is the reduction of all wages and salaries by at least 10 per cent.