HOSPITAL LEVIES

Evening Star, Issue 19941, 10 August 1928, Page 4

HOSPITAL LEVIES

A CHANGE OF METHOD MINISTER TO GALL CONFERENCE [i’noii Ooe Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, August 9, Answering criticism of a general nature regarding the levies for hospital and charitable aid purposes, the Minister of Health (Mr Young), in the House to-day, forecasted a conference of the contributing authorities for the purpose of discussing a change in the method of assessment. In his opinion most complaints related to the amounts levied. The cost of the dominion’s hospitals was £2,000,000 annually, and if they were made free, as some members advocated it would mean, another million, and would cut off voluntary contributions, which totalled about £23,000. A suggestion had been made that hospital levies on local bodies should be based on a combination of rateable value and population, and ho hoped to bring about a conference between the municipal and rural interests to ascertain if they would agree on any revision of the basis of assessment. It would only relate to the method of finding the money, which had to be collected from the local bodies in any case, because the Government would not change the general system of hospital administration. It was prepared to facilitate a fairer adjustment ns between town and country districts.