TOO ELABORATE?

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 13, 18 July 1928, Page 7

TOO ELABORATE?

;THE HOSPITAL SYSTEM COUNTIES' CONTRIBUTIONS ; :,-- .UNPAID PEES The suggestion that the hospital system in New Zealand was far too elaborate- and allowed unscrupulous persons, chiefly single-men and those without a permanent address, to evade fees and thus throw the cost of their upkeep upon the already heavily rated counties,: waa made at the Counties Conference yesterday afternoon!, It was stated .that the number of beds per head ■in the Dominion was above that in America; iaiid it was urged that a more equitable system of rating,-instead of the arrangement by which 40 per cent, of the people find 60 per cent, of the costs, should be evolved, and that some means of collecting fees should be found, especially in the case of those1 covered by sickness and accident assurance.: REORGANISATION NEEDED. Mi. G. A. Stanton (Taumarunui) moved the following'remit: "That a committee be appointed to consider the advisability of a reorganisation of the county system, including' taxation for loads and hospitals, and to recommdnd a line of action to be taken, by the counties." Transport methods, he said, had changed, and there were many reasons for reorganisation of the whole taxation system. Air. S. C. B. Macky (Waipa) seconded the motion. The President (Mr. A. E. Jull): "Docs Mr. Stanton, after 50 years' expeiienco of county government, suggest that we should scrap the whole thing and start fresh?" . •' Mr. Stanton said that it was for counties to show ijwhy they were not satisfied. There was a general feeling that larger local bodies would malce for more efficiency. ; Mr. J. Rodman (Waitaki) said that the system was altering, as far as loads were concerned, every day. j. . The President said it might be' de-. siiabk) to consider the setting up of a committee to add powers to the district councils, of which thero were 18 in New Zealand. Something more specific than the remit was needed. Mr. T. V. Moore (Wairarapa South) thought the matter should form the subject of a State Commission. Tho remit was lost. VALUE AND i?OPULATION. The remit carried at the previous conference in regard to the Hospital and Charitable. Institutions Act,. recommending that levies on contributing bodies should.be calculated so,that 50 per cent. .Vould^be >levied on a population basis andsSO per cent, on capital value, was reaffirmed,. The president was of the opinion that the present positipn,1 in which 40 per cent, of the people, paid 60 per cent, of the contributions, and 60 per cent, of the population' paid 1 only 40 per cent, oi it, was most unfair. Hospital boards were elected on a'population and capital value basis, but the Government completely overlooked this principle in legard to county hospital contributions. If tho money were raised from the Consolidated ]?und, as some delegates suggested, said another .delegate, the demands upon it would, be .excessive. As a member of a hospital board, he knew the difficulties which an meeting all demands now-pw-hen thc^ money ■ ■ftas raised locally, aid there was some caution in its expenditure 'for that reason. ' Mr. Martin (Featherston) thought that the money was raised far too easily. The hospitals 'to-day were tho most elaborate in the world. On a per head population we were many beds ahead of America. The suggested levy would fall on tho population of the boroughs, whereas the money should come as a Government grant from taxation of business, totalisator and pleasure and motor taxes, etc. He was prepared to support tho 50-58 basis of the remit, but he did not think the Government, on tho eve of the elections, would support it. THOSE WHO PAY THINK. Mr. J. S: 'Connett (New Plymouth) said' that while' representatives on hospital , boards were appointed locally, they did not represent the local body •contributing the money, and were therefore moro' careless in expending it. A very large proportion of tho fees wore not Collected. It was said it was not possible to collect them. The position of tho county man was, however, that if ho did not pay his rates ho was loaded with 10 per cent., and if he did not then pay, Court proceedings could be taken. It seemed to him that the hospital system already alluded to was far too elaborate to bo giver away for nothing. Every effort should bo made- to collect fees. Moving a remit that a higher rate of subsidy be. granted to hospital boards from the Consolidated Fund, Mr. B. W. Dalrymple (Bangitikei) said that this would not do away with the boards. Mr. 71. B. S. Johnston© (Otaio) seconded the motion. Mr. G. A. Monk (Horowhenua) spoke of a case where a board was receiving a minimum subsidy, yet was asked to pay a refund of £800, which brought the value of th© subsidy below that intended by tho Act. The remit was passed. Mr. J. "VV. Anderson (Matamata) moved, a remit to provide that in easo of a patient insured against accident or sickness the board concerned should bo entitled to a lien on such insurance to secure- payment of fees. , Many insured people went out of hospital without paying any fee. Mr. B. W. Dalrymple saw no reason why tho provident man should bo asked to pay the more heavily. Mr. W. W. P. Scarffi (Heatheote), said that a very large proportion of fees unpaid were owed by young men and people with- no fixed address. The householder soon had the bill brought to his notice. • The remit was carried, in a form making the fees recoverable from all. people coverec*. by the Workers' Compensation Act. . . A number of remits dealing with hospital rating were referred to a special committee. >