HOSPITAL BOARD'S DILEMMA.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 133, 7 June 1932, Page 5

HOSPITAL BOARD'S DILEMMA.

LARGE DECREASE IN TEES. HEAVY BURDEN OF RELIEF. In the Auckland Hospital Board's returns for May a serious decline in Hospital and other fees collected is shown, the decrease, as compared with the month of May last year, being £1000, or 25 per cent. The amount of decrease budgeted for during the whole year was only £2350. The sum collected in lOJil was £43,892, and in 1930, £44,199. Much of the decrease budgeted for hats been absorbed in the lower returns for the first two months of the year. Mr. W. Wallace, chairman of the board, said that the cost of relief granted by the board during the past two months had exceeded the estimate. For the first three months of the financial year the estimate was £15,000, but the amount already expended had reached £16,000. The board was nowworking on a largely-increased overdraft. "We are somewhat uncertain regarding our future financial position," said Mr. Wallace, "since the board's estimates for the year have not yet been adopted by the Health Department." The main topic at the conference of hospital boarde in Wellington this week would bo hospital finance and expenditure.