EPIDEMIC RELIEF FUND

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16396, 16 December 1918, Page 2

EPIDEMIC RELIEF FUND

GOVERNMENT REFUSES SUBSIDY. The Mayor of Christchurch lias received the" following telegram from tho Hon. G. W. Russell. Minister of Internal Affairs, in reference to subsidies on public contributions paid into the hospital fund: — s "With reference to tho letter of December 7th from the Hospital Board to the Chief Health. Officer, I have to state: — . "(1) The Government will pay all coits of nursine. medical service, eir.or-

coits of nursing, medical service, emergency hospitals, equipment, and maintenance directly arising out of the'epidemic, including deficiencies in tho Board's stock of medical supplies used for the epidemic. "(2) Circulars and forms are in preparation providing for the payment of all approved expenditure certified by the Board and incurred by local authorities in connexion with the epidemic. "(3) The Government -will not pay expenditure incurred either by the Hospital Board or local authorities in tho exercise of their ordinary functions, for instance, sanitation work arising out of cleaning up of towns or districts as a result of the epidemic. - "(4) In connexion with distress arising out of the epidemic the Government/ cannot commit itself to tho payment of a subsidy of 24s in tho pound on contributions raised for relief work. "It. is understood that tho Mayor lias handed to tho Board a sum of money collected for this purpos© and that it is proposed by the Board, on. receiving a subsidy, if granted, to hand back the total amount to various committees for distribution. This proposal is not legal. By clause CO of the Hospitals Act. 1909, the responsibility of such expenditure is placed upon the Board, which i.s an elective body, representinir both tho people and the Government. The nroi>er course, therefore, appears to £o for tho committees which collected this .amount to adminster voluntary contributions, and for the Hoard to exercis« its functions for all cases which in its opinion como within its responsibility. "(5) Proposals for dealing with orphan children and children who liavo lost ono parent through the epidemic are under consideration of the Cabinet, and I hope that tho matter will be settled to-morrow. 'I regret that pressure of Parliamentary and epidemic work has provented mo dealing with this matter before." .