GROWING BILL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 283, 11 September 1941, Page 6

GROWING BILL

HOSPITAL TAXATION SYSTEM.

PHYSICAL RESEARCH ADVO-

CATED. COMMERCE CHAMBER’S VIEWS The steadily-mounting bill of taxation on the public for hospital administration in the Dominion was discussed at a meeting of the Ashburton Chamber of Commerce last evening, when a member advocated research into the causes of the decline in the standard of health.

The recent statement of the Minister of Health (the Hon.'A. H. Nordmeyer) to the effect that some change in the hospital rating system should he brought about so that the burden of hospital costs might be more evenly distributed among the taxpayers of the country was referred to and after a general discussion, in which it was held that the -present, system was not an equitable tax, the meeting decided that the secretary should endeavour to obtain information on the cost of the administration of the Ashburton Public Hospital. One member stated that the taxation was going up heavily and something would have to he done about it. The hospital hill could lie worked more, economically through a national tax, lie said, and he thought the time had arrived when New Zealand should cut its hospital costs a very great deal. This, he said, could be done by carrying out greater research into questions of diet and physical welfare. The Plunket system was looking after the babies admirably. Then at school age the children had access to free dental elim ics and they were also supplied with free milk every day, while in season there was free fruit. After that age, however, nothing was done to maintain a high physical standard in the country. The good work that was done among the young people was not followed up and that was a matter for very great regret. The Government, he added, should be urged to study the reasons for the decline in the general standard of the health and physical well-being of the nation, and if such work was undertaken he was sure the remedy would be found. o,nce the remedy was put into effect there was bound to be a falling off in the admissions to the hospitals, .and a lightening of the taxation burden would naturally follow. Youths between school age and 21 or 22 years of age should be given a course of physical culture. Prevention was better than cure, and if a sum of £2,000,000 was spent in this way the hospital hill would fall immeasurably.