HOSPITAL RATE

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 116, 23 November 1928, Page 11

HOSPITAL RATE

MOVEMENT TO SUPERSEDE

CRITICISED BY LAND VALUES LEAGUE The Wellington branch of the New Zealand Land Values League has issued the following statement regarding hospital and charitable aid rates and expenditure:— For some months past it has been abundantly evident that there is on foot a movement to supersede the hospital and charitable aid rate by some system whereby the mass of the people are to be obliged to shoulder the cost of an important public service which, since the inception of colonisation, has by common consent been considered a 'proper charge upon property. At the municipal conference held a few months ago at Nelson, a resolution was carried in favour of placing the charge upon the Consolidated Fund, and, seeing that CO per cent, of the taxation of tbceountry is now levied through the Customs, the proposal can only be described as a daring suggestion that landed property should be further relieved at the .expense of the mass of the x^eople. Since then we have observed that certain organisations alleged to represent farming interests have, passed similar resolutions, while an increase of less than one-twelfth of a penny in the pound in the charitable aid rato of this city has caused an. outcry which we can only describe as amazing. More reJ cently another suggestion has been mooted —that hospital and charitable aid rates be abolished and replaced by a so-called contributory scheme under which employers are to be empowered by law to make compulsory deductions from the wages paid by them] This we characterise as a suggested raid on wages for the benefit of the wealthiest section of the community, of whom many have already been relieved of land and income tax by a set of complaisant politicians. Accordingly this league affirms:: — (1) That inasmuch as health is more important than knowledge, a much stronger case can be made, out' for free hospital treatment than for free education. (2) That there is a direct connection between hospital and charitable aid expenditure and the unemployed evil, and accordingly, ifthat expenditure is to be kept within bounds, it is of paramount public importance that the unemployed evil should be eliminated. (3) That the cause of the unemployed evil is the Wakeneld policy of dear land and cheap men, which is in full and disastrous operation in this' country—a state of affairs for which the politicians are responsible, who have relieved the land monopolists of taxation until the revenue derived from the national land tax is now little more than three times the rate-revenue of Wellington City. (4) That this evil condition of affairs can only be aggravated by abolishing the hospital and charitable aid rate, the effect of which, particularly where it is levied on the unimproved value only, is to place a salutary curb on the evil of land monopoly. (5) That the movement to place hospital and charitable aid on the Consolidated Fund or to substitute a socalled contributory scheme is part of a general underground conspiracy on the part of a small section, of the community to place the whole load of taxation on the earnings of the masses. What is pleasantly described as a contributory scheme is really a proposal to reduce the earnings of the workers, who are already over-taxed and under-paid. Accordingly we hold very strongly, first, that tho hospital and charitable aid rate should be levied by the local authorities as at present, but that, secondly, it should be levied wholly on the value of land minus improvements, and we hereby warn our fellowcitizens of the subversive movement on foot to infringe their rights and liberties.