THE HOSPITAL RATE

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 13430, 18 April 1944, Page 4

THE HOSPITAL RATE

FARMERS' un,, CAMPAIGN 0 * Council Legal The campaign be w throughout the Auckland ***** by the Farmers' Union Jf *•** mers to vote only for council candidates who our of total abolition of ;L\ rate and who are p **! essary to refuse to strik tte * was discussed at the months ing of the Tauranga C o Un n t> on Friday, when a d ' J . the union waited on ,?" it °> ject of explaining the mo ve be ° K The deputation R- W. StrugneU, president 0 ? * Bay of Plenty Sub. tive of the union, a. q u ec " president of the Ta U r ang a H. J. Angus, secretary to 1 C!l----and O. Lloyd " ,e brai^.

Mr StrugneU described the i* a most unfair burden on 1 ratepayers and expressed thl J" that the time was" ripe to d„ thing to get rid of it The Un f n *** the qU g[ and.,, on. the recommendation 0 > chairman of a county council it J decided to take the matter up I view of. the union was that the m tribution made by the people to tk social security fund should b enough, but in addition to that con tribution the farmers were beinj rated to meet the cost. He explain, ed that a petition was being C irc«. lated throughout the Auckland Province asking farmers to support only those candidates who were in favour of the total abolition of the rate. He stated that in the event of a council refusing to strike the rate, the alternative was for the Government to reDlace the council with a commission, but he doubted very much whether the government would go as far as to take disciplinary action of that nature. It would only draw attention to the whole rating question and the Government did not want that. "Co-Operation Wanted" "We came along here to acquaint you with the position," added Mr StrugneU. "We don't want you to imagine we are trying to put anything across you or put you oul. Nothing is further from our minds. We want your co-operation." In reply to a question by Cr. C. H. Ball, Mr Harrison said he had no reason to believe that many of Hie ratepayers were behind the move made by the union. So far there had not been one refusal on the,part of anyone to sign the petition. Mr StrugneU said the scheme was Initiated by the Farmers' Union but they were not the only ones behind It. At a meeting of dairy producers the other evening all signed the petition, and they said they would be prepared to sign many more similar petitions. Cr. Ball: But why pass the buck on to eight members of a county council? The County Chairman (Mr C. Hume) said that without the petitions of the ratepayers the position was absurd. If the union could get 100 per cent of the ratepayers to sign then the council would have to do their bidding, but it was incumbent on the council, before then, w give the ratepayers all the information it could. "I am against the hospital rate. said Mr Hume, "but are you sure what is going to happen? .Are tM> not bigger issues at stake?'

Legal Opinion Mr Hume added that ’the coud had taken steps to obtain a opinion on the question, an opinion he read to the depu a It is as follows: j 5 “We are informed that organisations in the disti.ct a vocating that your council refuse to strike a hospital ia • understand that the burden rate is considerable, but theie one way in which your counc validly decrease that bur e “’ can agitate for an amendme reexisting law No counci j l2 i fuse to strike the necessary rate because if li (]lrt then iaff The be acting contrary to a jt remedy is so simple t j c 0! jIf it refused to pay its an tribution would find it se enviable position. . 51 of -We quote ***** the Hospital and Cham tions Act. 1926:- - CoD tr *' Section 50: —Recover 0 apporbutions: (1) The amount tioned by the board to a - collS titu , - t ‘ tory local authority s ' aa nnra tion °‘ a debt payable by the COl d and® 25 that authority to the board

be recovered by the board by action in any Court of competent jurisdiction. (2) The said amount shall be payable to the board by equal instalments, being not more than twelve or less than four, as the board may from time to time determine, and every such instalment shall be due on the day fixed by the board for payment thereof. The board shall give to the contributory local authority not less than fourteen days' notice in writing of the due date of each instalment. (3) Interest at •such rate as the Minister of Finance may from time to time decide shall be payable by the local authority to the board on the amount of any instalment, or part thereof remaining unpaid after the expiration of fourteen days from the date on which such amount became due."

"Section 51:—'Unpaid contribution may be deducted from subsidies payable to contributory local authority. If any contributory local authority fails to pay the required contribution or any part thereof the Minister of Finance, on the application of the board, may deduct from the subsidies payable to that local authority under any Act or authority a Bum equal to the amount of the contribution or to the part so remaining unpaid, together with interest thereon at the rate fixed by the Minister of Finance under the last preceding Section, and may pay the same to the Hospital Board in satisfaction or part satisfaction of the contribution so due bv the contributory local authority.'

"I now refer to the position of individual councillors. Each councillor takes his place on the council impliedly pledged to carry out the lawappertaining to county councils. He is a trustee for that purpose. No candidate for the council should pledge himself to defy any of the provisions of the law in virtue of which he would derive his power. 'A house divided against itself cannot stand.' mny candidate pledging himself to plfy th 3 law might find his position as councillor successfully assailed. '

"Lastly, there are provisions in sections 5S and 59 of the Hospital and Charitable Institutions Act which empower the Valuer-General to levy a rate where a local authority tails to do so. It will then he apparent that it is futile to advocate 'the refusal to levy a rate for hospital purposes."

Mr Hume said that as lie saw it. the question came back to the man 'who pays. All the council could do by taking the action suggested by the union would be to hold it up for say, a month—just long enough to enable the Valuer-General to get his notices out. He doubted if the uniorwas on the right track, and inquired if the action had been well considered. ( .

Drastic Action

Mr Harrison said that all the implications had been considered. He was auite aware that the council was being asked to take very drastic action but it was felt the circumstances warranted it.

Mr Strugnell: What do you put up as an alternative? Cr. H. Bragg: Get out and organise the farmers and attack the Government in that way. Mr Harrison said it was felt by the union that the agitation of .the past had not borne fruit and this was the union's means of"taking direct action. He added that there was no question that the union was not satisfied with the way the council was working.

Mr Hume said lie would never losa sight of the fact that the members of the council were simply the agents of the ratepayers, and no chairman of a council could say that he would support 500 ratepayers when he had 1800 ratepayers to look after. •Cr. J. T. Ileid pointed out that one thing tliey must not lose sight of was the fact that the hospital rate was going up. At the same time he wished to point out that the world was in the throes of a war. Iviany of the men returning home would have no where to go but the hospital. What were they going c to think if the farmers "knocked the hospitals back"2 It was stated by Cr. Ball tbat il the council took the action suggested by the union they would have to Set out. "Refuse to Pay" Tbe chairman and other "members of the council expressed tbe view that the most appropriate action .for the farmers to take was to refuse to pay the rate. Cr. C. Kennedy said he came of law-abiding people, and he had four sons and a nephew away assisting in the struggle to uphold law. There were constitutional methods of overcoming every difficulty and he would not pledged himself to break the