HOSPITAL ESTIMATES

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 April 1929, Page 2

HOSPITAL ESTIMATES

LEVIES TO BE INCREASED.

Estimates for maintenance and eaph tai receipts and expenditure for the current year were submitted to the ffieet£jig of the Grey' Hospital Board last evening. The total levy on contributory local bodies this yeaY, as disclosed in the estimates, will be £10,292 9/3, compared with £8617 18/1 in 1928-29, and £9861 6/8 in the preceding year. . The allocation of levies this year is as follows:— Greymouth Borough, £5115 7/-; Grey County £4114 18/b, Brunner £l4B 4/4; Runanga £303 12/7; Cobden, £6lO 6/10. For 1928-29 the' totaU for both maintenance and capital was £8617 18/1 and in the preceding year £9861 6/8. In 1928-29 the' allocation was: Prpymovth B.QTP.ugh, £|?3l 7/9; Grey C ounty J £3504 *078; ’ Brunner £129 5/4; Runanga, £236 19/10; Cobden £516 7/6. In 1927-28, it W.-Grey-mouth £4836 0/2; Grey County £4003 14/0, Brunner £l5O 17/6, Riinanga £264 5/8, Cohden £606 9/4. The estimates p? £32,822 1/7 comprise” £30,265 18/7 on account of maintenance and £2556 3/- on capital account. . , On the revenue side, maintenance items , included: Voluntary bequests, £4OO, subsidies on sarn.e £522 6/-, patients’ payments £7OOO, charitable and recoveries £950; rent, interest, etc., and sundry revenue £3OO. Maintenance levies would be £9160 5/5, carrying a subsidy of £11,908 7/2. Estimated expenditure in maintenance included the overdraft of £1376 9/5, and the following principal items: Hospital maintenance £19,500, charitable aid, indoor, £3500; outside, £1500; administration £1300; to-oth-er institutions £lOOO, rents, rates and taxes £160; interest on capital loans, £1500; Board’s contribution to National Provident Fund £250, refund of subsidy £29 9/2, and contractors’ deposits £5O, leaving £lOO provided for miscellaneous payments.

In the capital account the cash in hand was £291 15/4, the capital levies on local bodies was £1132 3/10 with subsidies of pound for pound, making the estimated' revenue £2556 3/-. The principal expenditure ' items were: Loans, repayment' sinking fund, £750; capital works £1000; ambulance £BOO total £2556 3/-.

Reviewing the estimates the Chairman, Mr J. W. Hannan, referred to the overdraft to start the year, being '£1376 9/5, and he considered that this was satisfactory. Last year’s estimates had been based on a daily average of 70 beds, the actual number in the preceding year having been 66, but during last year there had been 16 beds more occupied per day than had been reckoned on. If the overdraft were divided, it would be found that the average cost of the beds was £B6, while the average throughout New Zealand was over £9O. He had anticipated an ' overdraft and had thought if would be more than it was. Hospital maintenance had been divided under several headings, and after having gone carefully through them he could not see any chance of reducing them. Under the heading of surgery and dispensary £3300 had been put down and unfler domestic £4500. In regard to the last mentioned he thought there might be a, reduction of £l5OO, as last year there had been extraordinary expenditure in refurnishing the Hew ward and £lBO on the hot water service. The total for maintenance of the institution last year was £24,428, and the estimate fox’ the current year was £22,000,' which meant saving on the burgery and dispensary and the domestic accounts. Administration costs were set down usually at £lOOO, and the only way to save on provisions would be to have a store and buy wholesale and to appoint a house steward.’ Last year it had cost £924, but this year £4OO more was being allowed for administration from the office. Outdoor relief was set down, as usual, at £1500.’ In all £30,265 had to be found for the maintenance account. On the revenue side, .voluntary donations last year had totalled £512, but not more than £4OO was expected during the current twelve months. Patients’ fees were estimated to produce £7OOO, which was as high as was likely to be received. Last year receipts of fees had amounted to £7200, and Mr Hannan considered that such a result was about the best part of the administration of finances. It worked out at £B4 per occupied bed, as compared with the Dominion average of £63. The only revenue would be £9197, other than the levied of £9160 on local bodies, and the. Government subsidy' of £11,908. As for the capital account, the only extra allowance would be £lOOO for building a storeroom and living quarters. The total .levy upon local bodies, continued Mr Hannan, was £10,292, an increase of £l6OO on last year’s, ans of ,£4OO on the preceding year’s. Th? hospital rate was 1.47 d this year, as compared with 1.282 d last year and jl.sd in 1927-28. There was a credit to Loan Account of £1312, which was not taken intb'account as there were extras of £BOO involved in connection with the administration block, and no doubt about/£l2OO would have to be paid on reticulation of that'block. In conclusion Mr Hannan said jokingly that he could not see how any of the items could be reduced unless the Board could get rid of Dr. Moore, and they could' then empty out the patients. He certainly would not like to ask a new board to carry on with less money than appeared oh the estimates. Mr G. Harker said that the Chairpan had gone through' the estimates very carefully. 9S barker’s motion, seconded py the Rev. W. Bgll, £hey were adop.t-